Pinstripes Aren't For Everyone

The Yankees are about to embark on a week that may change the course of their history. The Winter Meetings start today in Las Vegas and many expect for Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman to make a splash. One that comes with truckloads of green in name of Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. The question is which one is a better fit in the Bronx. What if I told you neither was the answer? Would if Cashman agreed with me and didn't sign either of them? Let's take a look at both.

Manny Machado would seem as the obvious target for Cashman given that the everyday shortstop (SS) Didi Gregorius is out until June. The Yanks are shopping Miguel Andujar as early as this week for a front end Starting Pitcher. It's a puzzle that Cashman needs to put together. The way he puts it together could lead to a World Series championship or two, or three or none!



The question here is definitely a puzzling one. How much better can you make a 100 win team? A team that went to Game 7 of the ALCS two seasons ago. They already added a 10 year superstar contract in Giancarlo Stanton last offseason, so why is another one needed? The Red Sox has a magical season. If Aaron Judge doesn't get hurt for two months this summer then maybe just maybe the Yankees finish with 105 wins and the Red Sox 104.  Maybe the Sox play the one game Wild Card against the A's. Maybe the Sox don't win that game. It's a lot of what-ifs but the fact is the Yankees in my opinon took a step back in 2018 and they added a reigning MVP. How much better can Manny make the Yankees?

Bryce Harper is intriguing because he's a lefty and he could easily hit 50 home runs a year in the Bronx. It was reported that he was willing to play First Base (1B) if he came to the Bronx. I like that idea alot more than Manny replacing Didi and/or Andujar. If he was added to the mix then it adds to his value. Although much like Manny, he's going to command a 10 year deal in order to get a deal done. That in lies the problem. The length of the deal.

Ten years. Ten years. Ten Years. It's going to take the Yankees or someone to go that far in order to land one of these generational talents. I think both Machado and Harper are unbelievable talents and they should go out and get as much as they can but that doesn't mean the Yankees should be the one to give it to them. The Yanks are already loaded with talent, perennial MVPs and bloated contracts, they don't need another.

Stanton's contract is already looking like an albatross judging by how his October went. 9 more years of that? Oy vey. He was supposed to be the missing piece to get them to their 28th championship. He didn't get them to a game 5 in the ALDS, much less the ALCS, where they were a year prior. He didn't get them the division. He only played Aaron Judge over the summer when the slugger went down. I don't see Manny or Bryce being the savior in NY. I see just another overpaid superstar chasing stardom, headlines, late night shows, and shadows of their former selves.

Maybe I'm wrong but the Bronx doesn't need Manny and the Bronx doesn't need Bryce. The Bronx needs the $30-35 million a year for the next 10 years for pitching, for our home grown stars, for our bullpen, for our scouting, for whatever our team needs in order to win a championship. It doesn't need to go to someone to hog up a roster spot.

I'll take pass on these two generational talents....we already have them.
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Quite Frankly: A Season To Forget In The Bronx

Last night was the end of the 2018 Yankees season, at least a week earlier than expected. Losing the ALDS wasn't in the plans this year in the Bronx, much less losing it to the Boston Red Sox. In a season that saw the Yankees win 100 games, I saw one of the most frustrating seasons in recent memory.

Maybe I'm caught up in the recent hype that's surrounded this team the last couple seasons, or I was begging to see a winner after so many years of mediocrity after the 2009 championship. What I saw this season was the best Yankee team since that '09 championship team and then I saw a team that was debatably worst than the crosstown rival New York Mets. A tale of two seasons, complete opposites of one another. A team that went 22-1 at one point to a team who couldn't beat a 110 loss Baltimore Orioles team. A team with Aaron Judge and a team without him. Much of the last 3 months I spent saying the Yankees wouldn't see past the Wild Card game..if they even got lucky to play that game.


Yes, the Yankees were in danger of not even playing that game. But then the Seattle Mariners became the Seattle Mariners and fell out of contention. The Oakland A's closed the gap to 1.5 of getting home field advantage in the Wild Card game and the Judge returned to the lineup. Then the Yanks took off and started playing close to the first half  Yankees. That went all the way to Game 3 of the ALDS. Then the second half Yankees showed up. I saw the "ace" Luis Severino pray he could pitch four innings, FOUR! Guess what, he didn't even know what time the game was starting. That's a problem. I saw a rookie manager in Aaron Boone be so quick to go to the bullpen when his real ace Masahiro Tanaka was dealing on Saturday night, but fails to go to the best part of his team when he needed to (Game 3). To top it off when he did, he brought in Lance Lynn! A starter...with the BASES LOADED and NO ONE OUT! And his proven commodity Chad Green who's speciality is that exact situation, sit in the bullpen! Then 16-1 happened.


Last night was similar to Game 3 in which Boone couldn't make the right move when he needed to. He should be criticized  and second guessed, but as a rookie manager, he gets a pass because he had a mostly successful season. But last night's failure falls on the hands of Giancarlo Stanton. How does a 4-3 loss fall soley on him? After Judge and Didi Gregorious got on base and re-ignited what was left of the sellout Yankee Stadium crowd, Stanton KILLED any momentum that was built in the previous two at bats.


Much like he did with the game on the line in Game 1 (bases loaded and no one out, he struck out. A base hit would have changed the game to the Yankees favor), he struck out. Painfully, embarrassingly, and pathetically. First pitch was a hanging slider on the inside corner which should have been mashed. For a single, a sac fly, a double, a HR, anything. But it was taken for a strike. Ok, let's be patient in this at bat and make Boston closer Craig Kimbrel continue to crumble under the pressure of the bright lights of the Bronx. Instead Stanton chased TWO sliders out of the zone that he was FEET away from making ANY sort of contact. Inexcusable and unacceptable. Not a clue of what to do with the season on the line. No urgency, no plan, no approach, no clue. Work a walk, continue the rally. Instead he gave Kimbrel a life preserver that he so desperately needed. It was only the first out, but it was an important confidence booster for Kimbrel. JUST enough to get him by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres. Sanchez missed a game winning Walk-off Grand Slam by a few feet and Torres missed extending the inning by half a step. Can't fault either in that situation. Sanchez put on a great at at-bat and did get an RBI out of it and Torres busted it down the line faster than his average speed to first base.


They tried, Stanton didn't. I have a problem with that. He just thought free swinging was going to get him a Yankee moment for the ages. Wrong. For 30 mil a year, I need better. I want better. I invest in this team all year, so I expect you to invest your best effort in the biggest at bat of the season. You're not a rookie, you're a reigning MVP! You don't get a pass. Now I have 5 months to replay that 9th inning last night and wonder what-if.
"We're all going to come together and use this as fuel for next year." Said Stanton after the game.

All we needed was a single. A single. A single not ONE Yankee produced in the biggest inning of the year with the season on the line. That's mind boggling. It truly was a season to forget in the Bronx.
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No Focus Leads To Bad Start

The Yankees have played terrible baseball in the opening week of the season. At 1-4 it's very easy to see how bad this team can be. If it weren't for a few miscuses by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 8th inning on Wednesday night, the Yanks could be 0-5. Yikes!

What I've seen is a team that is making mental mistakes left and right resulting in errors on the field, pitches getting left over the strikezone and runners getting picked off the bases at an alarming rate. Some of these mental mistakes are just inexcusable. You can not get picked off at first base in just about every game. Where is the focus of the team? New shortstop Didi Gregorius got thrown out on Opening Day trying to steal 3rd base to end the 8th inning with Mark Teixeria at the plate having a chance to get the Yankees back in the game. Inexcusable!

19 innings on Friday night meant MANY squandered chances at winning the game in extra innings but continous mental errors and lack of focus denied the Yankees of a classic victory in the wee hours of the morning. Stephen Drew and Gregorius had countless opportunities to win the game with runners in scoring position and failed to send EVERYONE home. Granted Chase Headley, Teixera both homered when the Yankees needed them most and Carlos Beltran came through with a clutch double in the late late innings, it's the lesser impactful hitters in the lineup who came up short. Everyone was swinging for the fences when all was needed was a hit or a sac fly. Boston won on a sac fly in the 19th btw. 
“We have to play better,” Headley said. “It’s as simple as that. We’re better than that. We have to get it cleared up.”


The sentiment resides all throughout the clubhouse. As I've stated, this Yankee team can be and should be MUCH better than this but most people outside of the Bronx will tell you, this IS what the Yankees are. Right now, it's hard to refute that point but it's 5 games in. Everyone will go through bad streaks like this throughout the season
“I think we’re a much better team that how we’ve played,” Joe Girardi said. “If you were to play at this pace the whole year, you wouldn’t have many wins. And I think we’re much better than this.”
A bad week certainly puts a lot of doubt in people's mind, especially when the offense is sporting a .193 average at the plate. The best part of the young season is the emergence of Alex Rodriguez as the most reliable hitter. Who would've thought that?  Alex has looked good all spring and has continued it during the the opening week. He even saw time at first base yesterday, how bout that?!

The Yanks send Masahiro Tanaka to the hill tonight to salvage the final game of this aweful series against the Red Sox. All eyes will be on Tanaka as he rebounds from a poor Opening Day start. All breaths will be held as they will be anytime he takes the mound this season as we all hope his right elbow holds up and doesnt require season ending Tommy John surgery. If the Yanks keep playing at this pace, thet might as well send him under the knife now. Let's hope this was just one really bad week.

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Tar Wars

Michael Pineda will have a lot of time to think about where he should put the pine tar as he gets ejected from the game and will likely face lengthy suspension as a result.

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Photo of the Day: April 22nd!

Derek Jeter slides into third base safely in Tuesday night's win over the Red Sox.

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A 'Bury Good Night at Fenway

A triple, a double, a nice catch in center, and a Yankees win sums up the night Jacoby Ellsbury had in his return to Boston on Tuesday night.

Ellsbury showed Boston he still has the goods
Not to be outdone Masahiro Tanaka pitched 7 1/3 innings in his Fenway debut allowing two homers in the 3rd inning but regained his composure and struck out 7. He's now 3-0 2.15 ERA on the season. The last time Tanaka saw a defeat? Back in 2012!

Derek Jeter added a couple of RBI singles, while Carlos Beltran added another home run in the Fenway rout.

The Yankees are 4-1 against the Red Sox , a stark contrast to the 6-13 record they had against their rivals all of 2013.
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Some news and notes for tonight's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park:


- David Robertson will be available to pitch as he was activated from the 15-day DL. To make room on the roster the Yankees optioned optioning Matt Daley and Bryan Mitchell down to the minors.
**Interesting to see how Robertson fairs in his new role as closer in Boston. This will be one of the major tests David will see this year in his first year replacing Mariano Rivera as closer.

- Jacoby Ellsbury makes his return to Fenway for the first time since leaving Beantown shortly after winning the World Series last October. I'll be looking forward to seeing how the Fenway faithful react to Jacoby's return.

- Tonight also marks Masahiro Tanaka's debut in Boston. This will certainly be watched closely as this start will give the Yankees an idea early on if the Japanese right hander has the makeup deserving of that huge contract given in the offseason. I'm predicting 6 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts with a no decision for Tanaka tonight.
"I'm sure that the fans will be heated up a bit," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "I've seen the two teams play (on TV), and I understand there's a rivalry between the two teams going into the game. It should be a good experience going up on the mound that day and I'm very much looking forward to it."

- Derek Jeter is going into tonight's game with a 10 game hitting streak.
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Yanks Win AL East! Ready For October

Yesterday the Yankees clinched the A.L. East, Home-field Advantage and best record in baseball with their 4-2 win over the Red Sox at the Stadium.


The Yankees are returning to the postseason for the 14th time in the last 15 years. Last season the Bombers missed out on October baseball for the 1st time since 1994.


Newcomers Mark Teixeria, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Nick Swisher got their 1st taste of what it really means to be a Yankee. They all know their is certainly more work to be done before all is said and done.

After starting the season 0-8 against Boston, the Bombers have won 9 of their last 10 against their divison rivals, a team they very well might be playing again in the ALCS in just a few weeks.


The sweep of the Sox also comes after the Yanks took 2 of 3 from the Angels in Anaheim, a demon they wanted to overcome.


I'd say these Yankees are ready to roll into October and right to a 27th championship. This team is as good as any team that has been here in recent memory, let's hope they can follow through with all the expectations and deliver New York a World Series title.
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QuickCap Game 25

Red Sox 6
Yankees 4

The Sox got to Hughes early as he was unable to match his previous start in Detriot. At least Tex homered twice. The Yanks have now dropped 4 straight to the Sox this year.



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QuickCap Game 18: Fenway Sweep For BoSox

Yankees 1
Red Sox 4


Bad weekend here for the Bombers, especially when they should've won at least 2 of the 3 games this weekend.


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QuickCap Game 17

Yankees 11
Red Sox 16


I'm disgusted. How did we blow a 6-0 lead and lose 16-11....terrible.



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QuickCap Game 16


Yankees 4
Red Sox 5
Final 11 innings


4 for 19 with runners in scoring position!Come on boys, you gotta do better than that. This lack of hitting in the clutch has been the achillies heel for this team for the last several years, when are they gonna be able to be consistent in those situations? Mariano Rivera blowing the save? When does that happen? Every once in a while, but you wish it wasn't to Boston. Better win for the Sox than it was a lost for the Yanks. Boston's won 8 straight.


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Pedoria Wins AL MVP

The AL MVP was announced this week and went to Dustin Pedoria of the Boston Red Sox. Pedoria in his second year captures the league's top award a year after he was named the American League Rookie of the Year.

G AB R H HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS
157 653 118 213 17 83 .326 .376 .493 .869

Dustin received 16 of 28 first-place votes. The runner-up Justin Morneau recieved seven. Along with leading the league in hits, runs and doubles, Pedroia was successful on 20 of 21 steal attempts.

In a season where David Ortiz wasn't Big Papi and Manny Ramirez decided Boston wasn't for him and didn't play up to his capability, Pedoria was a constant strength in the Red Sox lineup. When Ramirez was traded in July, Pedoria was inserted as the no 4 hitter in the lineup and responded with a couple big performances. He also won a gold glove this year.

Congratulations to him and the season he had.
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Pujols Gets His 2nd MVP

The NL MVP was announced on Monday and the award went to Albert Pujols of the Cardinals. It is Pujols' second MVP award, his first one coming in 2005. The Phillies' Ryan Howard placed second in the voting.

Pujols hit .357 37 HR and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow. Pujols got 18 of the 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. It seemed like many people thought Pujols would get the MVP nod over Howard because Albert played on a team that was in contention until September mainly because of his production. Howard led the majors with 48 HR and 146 RBIs but ultimately lost out on the award. Pujols had a significant advantage over Howard when it came to batting average (.357 to .251) , slugging percentage (.653 to .543) , and on-base percentage (.462 to .339). Howard also got to the plate 50 more times than Pujols with runners in scoring position. So that could've been a factor the writers took into account as well. Pujols earned a $200,000 bonus for winning the award.

This was a good call by the writers. Even tho the Cardinals didn't make the playoffs Pujols was the right choice. He hit .398 in August that kept the Cards in the playoff hunt into September, he also had no supporting cast around him, not to mention he dealt with a sore elbow all year. Gotta give the him credit where credit is due. Howard did help the Phillies past the Mets in Septemeber by having his best month at the plate. He set a team record with 32 RBI in the season's final month.

The AL MVP will be announced on Tuesday. That choice was a lot tougher to make because there wasn't one clear cut winner. It'll be interesting to see who wins as both the Red Sox and Twins have a couple men up for the award.
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ALCS Game 7: Rays Take Care of Business, Reach Series



The Rays are finally in! They are going to the World Series! After defeating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 in Game 7, Tampa Bay ended Boston's hopes of making another unprobable comeback.

Game 7 lived up to the hyped. It was close early on, pitchers duel throughout. Boston got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a Dustin Pedoria HR putting them up 1-0. It stayed that way until the 4th inning when Evan Longoria doubled off Boston starter Jon Lester to score Carlos Pena from first base. In the 5th, longtime Ray Rocco Baldelli got a go-ahead single to score Willie Aybar. Aybar then added a HR in the 7th to give Tampa some insurance.

Matt Garza was named ALCS MVP for his performance in the series (2-0 1.38 ERA). He pitched into the 8th inning giving up just 1 run.

“As a kid I think everybody pictures this night,” he said. “Usually it’s Game 7 of the World Series but I’ll take Game 7 of the ALCS.”

A couple big plays in the game: in the top of the 6th with Pedoria on first and a 3-2 pitch to David Ortiz, Garza struck out Ortiz and Dioneer Navarro threw to second to nail Pedoria trying to steal, inning over. Then in the bottom of the 8th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, Tampa manager Joe Maddon brought in phemon David Price, the 4th Tampa Bay pitcher of the inning. He came in and struck out Game 5 hero JD Drew, inning and rally over. The Rays finally punched their ticket to the Fall Classic. It was a few days later than expected but it was worth the wait.

“It’s unbelievable,” center fielder B.J. Upton said. “We battled a lot of adversity this year. We stuck together as a team.”

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Cinderella story continues. They will face the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in Tampa for Game 1 of the 2008 World Series. I'm glad I was correct with my prediction of the Rays winning in 7. It brings great joy to me to see Boston get their hopes up only for them to get crushed right in front of my eyes. Maybe if they still had Manny this series would've gone differently. No more about how scrappy Pedoria is or how Big Papi delivers the big hit, no more Papelbum nonsense. Nothing! Time to go home guys, you are NO better than my NY Yankees. I don't care how far they got, they didn't win it all and thats all that matters.

The World Series should be interesting this year as both teams are well matched. More on that later in the week.
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ALCS Game 7 Tonight



The Sox have forced another Game 7 in the ALCS for the 3rd time in 4 years. After last night's 4-2 Boston win the series is now tied 3-3. It's time for Tampa Bay to panic. I'm not going in-depth with last night's game because I didn't see the game and there's no need to rehash my thoughts about who I want to win or who needs to do what to win this series. It's just amazing how the Red Sox can be down for the count, all the way to 9 and seem to rise up and get that second win and ride that momentum to victory. The Sox are 9-0 in ALCS elimination games under Terry Francona. That's just unheard of. The Rays better stay hungry tonight or else the clock will strike 12 and Cinderella will be no more.

Boston throws Jon Lester against Tampa Bay's Matt Garza.
TBS 8:07pm
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ALCS Game 6: Rays Try Again To Reach Series



In order for the Rays to erase Thursday night's historic collapse they must continue playing the way they have been the entire postseason prior to the 7th inning of Game 5. That means continue the solid pitching, continue the power surge in the beginning innings and stay aggressive early on and don't let up. If Tampa can respond with these things in tact then they might be poppin' bottles at the end of the night.

It's going to be a tough task as Boston will have Josh Beckett going in Game 6 against James Sheilds. Beckett isn't the dominant ace he was last season in October and the Rays got to him and roughed him up in Game 2. He's given up 12 runs and 18 hits in just 9 1/3 innings this postseason. Another factor going into Game 6 will be if David Ortiz can keep the momentum going after his 3-run HR in the 7th inning in Game 5. If his bat awakens for tonight's game then the Rays might be in for a long weekend. If the game comes down to a late inning matchup where Tampa manager Joe Maddon needs to get Big Papi out, does he go with Grant Balfour, whom which he went with in Game 5 and served up the HR or does he go with the lefties David Price or Trevor Miller? It'll be interesting to see what Maddon does tonight after seeing his bullpen implode on Thursday night.

BJ Upton and Evan Longoria hit back to back HRs in both Games 4 and 5, is it possible for them to do it again tonight? Both men are having great postseasons (6 HRs each) and they both need to continue to play up to their potential if the Rays are to advance to the World Series. The Sox are 8-0 in ALCS elimination games under manager Terry Francona. That goes back to Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees, a game where they were one out away from being swept. Tampa Bay is still the favorite in the series for obvious reasons, being up 3-2 at home is a lot better than being down 3-2 on the road. I predicted the Rays to win in 7 but if they lose tonight I DO NOT like their chances of winning Game 7 tomorrow night because if it gets to that point, you would have to think the baseball gods are members of Red Sox Nation. Oh man, can you imagine if Boston won this series and went on to win the World Series? It can't happen a 3rd time can it?
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ALCS Game 5: Red Sox Miracle at Fenway


I stayed up to write a World Series preview and write how Tampa Bay was so amazing in winning the AL pennant and instead, I got this...How in the world does Tampa Bay blow a 7-0 lead? The answer: Dan Wheeler threw 3 and 1/3 innings in Game 2 had nothing tonight and not having a legit closer hurt the Rays tonight in Game 5. Now the series shifts back to Tampa Bay on Saturday.

BJ Upton and Evan Longoria hit back-to-back HRs for the second straight game to put Tampa up big early on. Scott Kazmir pitched well in 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, striking out 7 and walking 3. The main event players for Boston finally awoke in the bottom of the 7th inning. Dustin Pedoria got a two out to put 2 men on for David Ortiz who got the big hit everyone was waiting for, a 3-run shot to right field to cut the Rays' lead to 7-4. JD Drew followed with a 2-run HR in the 8th to bring Boston closer at 7-6. Then Coco Crisp had the at-bat of the night fouling off pitch after pitch and finally got a pitch he could handle and hit a ball over Upton's head in center field and got the tying run to score. The Rays had 2 men on in the top of the 9th but Carlos Pena hit into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the 9th and 2 men out, Kevin Youkillis hit a chopper to third where Longoria made a great play to field the ball but eased up on the throw thus causing the ball to short-hop Pena at first and went into the stands. After an intentional walk to Jason Bay, Tampa manager Joe Maddon elected to pitch to Drew. He wanted the matchup of lefty-lefty with JP Howell but the numbers didn't fare in Tampa's favor. Drew was 4 for 7 in his career off Howell. Drew eventually knocked a ball into right field over the head of Gabe Gross and sent the Red Sox to victory and sent this ALCS to a Game 6 Saturday in Tampa.


Tampa Bay still leads the series 3-2 but with thoughts of 2004 (vs Yankees) and 2007 (vs Indians) in which the BoSox came back from 3-0 and 3-1 respectively, tonight had that feel of uh-oh here we go again. Boston still has alot to accomplish if they're going to make the World Series this year but with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester starting Games 6 and 7, you can't write them off just yet. Tampa counters with James Shields and Matt Garza, if it goes 7. I predicted the Rays would win in 7, but after seeing them up 7-0 tonight I thought there was no need for a Game 7, but now I'm not so sure. I guess it's not over until the fat lady sings, in this case, I hope she's in Tampa Saturday night and is ready to belt out a few notes. In case you didn't notice, I hate Boston and always will, so I was looking for their demise tonight. I guess I'll wait a few more days. Boy I hope my face isn't red after this series is over.
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ALCS Thoughts: Rays in Seven

That's right I predict Tampa Bay to reach the Fall Classic. It's the perfect Cinderella story. A team that has been at the bottom of the A.L. East for it's entire existence since 1998, finally got their act together and is making a serious run at a championship. The youth and talent on the Rays is endless, thus making it difficult for a veteran team like the Boston Red Sox to easily put them away.

Boston in their own right is leaning on youth to guide them through this postseason. Names like Jed Lowrie, Dustin Pedoria, John Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury are leading the way. There's no more Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz isn't a god anymore at the plate and last year's World Series heores Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell aren't contributing as expected. This also is a even matchup in my opinion. Although Boston gets a slight advantage at the end of the bullpen with flame thrower Jonathan Papelbon as opposed to the Rays and Dan Wheeler (?) as their closer. Troy Percival, the Rays main closer has been hampered by injuries and was left off the ALCS roster.

The Rays have had that magic that has led many teams into the postseason in past years. They grind out one run victories, they gut out nail bitters...in other words they find a way to win. They had Boston's number all season long and held on to first place for the last 75 days of the season. A feat that is very impressive given the competition in the A.L. East. Tampa lost a hard luck game in Game 1, a game in which they had numerous chances to score and couldn't. Game 2 saw them get to Beckett and overcome various deficits and ultimately won in 11 innings. The series now shifts to Fenway Park, a place where the Sox usually hold an advantage, especially this time of year. The Rays however have not been backed down from any challenge all season and have not been afraid of the Fenway faithful. They won 2 of 3 in their last series in early Septemeber. One of those games the Rays won a game in 14 innings.

I like the underdog story of the Rays and I hope they can eliminate Bsoton. I can't stomach another Red Sox World Series appearance. I hope Joe Maddon and his crew has what it takes to stand toe to toe with Terry Francona and his troops. It seems to me that they do. The health of Boston ace Josh Beckett is a big question going into the rest of the series. He is scheduled to pitch Game 6 if it goes that far. A year ago Beckett was lights out in all of his postseason starts. This year, his production is uncertain. That could be the leading factor into whether the Sox make it back into the Fall Classic. Even then, I still like the Rays' chances and their never say die approach.
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Yankees show class while Red Sox just want cash

In less than 24 hours the world got to see how different the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are. The season hasn't started yet and already the comparisons and fire that go along with this rivilary are brought to light.

yankees-vt2.JPGYesterday the Yankees played a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at English Field on their campus thanks to a prmoise made by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner last year. A year after a gunman killed 32 people, wounded 23 others, and then killed himself on Virginia Tech's campus. Steinbrenner donated $1 million to the school and promised that the Yanks would go down and play a spring training game agaist the school's baseball team. The Yankees fulfilled thier promise. Although the Yanks won 11-0, the bigger story was the impact the game had on the school, the staff, the players and everyone else.
"The Yankees - everyone always wants to call them 'Evil Empire' and stuff like that, (but) they're going the extra mile," Va. Tech first baseman Sean O'Brien said. "They don't have to do this. They have a lot of work to do to get ready. It's just amazing that they're doing this."

The Yankees brought most of their "A" team with them. Many, if not all of the Yankee players signed autographs and took photos for people who have not had much to smile about since that fateful day last April. I have to commend the Yankees for this show of support and for extending themselves in this capacity. It shows once again why the Yankees are the most recoginized franchise and set the standards for all the other teams in the league.

On the other half of this rivilary we have the Red Sox. They are slated to open their season in Japan in just a few days but due to a "misunderstanding" between MLB and the MLBPA the Red Sox were about to boycott their final spring training game (which was televised nationally on ESPN) and their season opening series in Tokyo. The reason behind it: apparently the coaching staff was not going to recieve the $40,000 pay that came along with the trip. Are you kidding me? The Yankees and Mets in recent years have made trips to Japan to open their season. There has never been an issue along the lines of what Boston was faced on Wednesday. So the Sox decided they weren't going to play and weren't going to board a plane to Japan unless their coaches got paid. Around 1:30 pm the issue was resolved.
“We felt we had to make a stand, and being on ESPN didn’t hurt,” Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell said.

He also stated, giving $20,000 payments to the coaches would not have been acceptable because the players were making $40,000.
“The club’s working on stuff and trying to get money where it needs to get,” he said. “It was definitely an experience of a lifetime, and it ended in a good way” said Kevin Youkilis.

redsox-japan.jpg This is a clear example of night and day. The Yankees went to a college campus to help people who have been suffering and mourning, while the Red Sox complain about their coaches not getting paid enough. This is a joke and a disgrace to the game of baseball! How dare the Red Sox jepordize the game's integrity by trying to put themselves first. It is a priviledge to be asked to apart of an event such as opening the MLB season in Japan. My friends up north have no class and consideration for the fans of MLB. What if we decide to stay home and not attend YOUR games? Where will YOU get your money from to pay for your players? It's nice to know where your priorities are. You rather get go on strike then play the game of baseball which you love (which you are getting paid for!) Remember, it's stilla job and people are paying to watch YOU play. If you don't like it then leave and let someone else take your roster spot. It's that simple. The Yankees know they are just like everyone else...human. You saw a humbling atmsophere yesterday at English Field on the YES network. What you saw on ESPN today, belongs right along side the trash on MTV.

I want to thank the New York Yankees for showing me what's important in this world, but most importantly, for showing me what's not and what's disgraceful.

(Frank's articles can also be found at HotStoveNewYork andOnTheBlockNY)
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