I didn't get to watch Tuesday night's Yankee game because I'm surrounded by Sox fans here at work. I guess Phil Hughes pitched well, allowing two runs over six innings. The Yanks broke open a scoreless game with 10 runs inthe seventh victory on their way to a 11-0 victory. Jose Molina hit a grand slam.
Hopefully Hughes can keep it up, Wang can straighten himself out and Joba can go back to the bullpen.
Then maybe the Yanks can make the playoffs. Overall, Tuesday was a good night, espeically since the Sox lost on a heartbreaking play reminiscent of the good old days.
I guess Youk hit Lopez in a a bad spot - the glove.
Just to let the thousands of fans who follow my P&P blog know, the Tri-State Baseball League, featuring the one and only Bethlehem Plowboys, will put together an all-star team to take on the best the Wallingford Twilight League, another really good summer circuit, has to offer in a special All-Star game May 9 at 11 a.m. at lovely Fussenich Park in Torrington. The event is for a god cause, a Mother's Day Baseball Charity Weekend with all proceeds donated to the Breast Cancer Awareness/ Pancreatic Cancer charity fund. The weekend will culminate with a ceremony on Sunday at Pat Wall Field in Wallingford at 4pm on May 10 followed by a baseball doubleheader. Here are the league websites. http://www.wallingfordtwilightleague.com/index.html http://www.tristatebaseballct.com/wordpress/ Hope to see you there.
The Yankees are cutting some premium ticket prices and giving free seats to certain ticket holders in response to empty seats during the first homestand at their fancy new ballpark.
The team on Tuesday slashed the price of 48 first-row Legends Suite season seats on the outer half of the dugouts and photo cages from $2,500 to $1,250, and 68 others in the final three sections down each foul line from $1,000 to $650.
"There are a few hundred suite seats in our premium locations that have not been sold on a full season basis," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "As a result, and for many of our fans who have already purchased full season suite seats in such premium locations, the Yankees are announcing today a program that adjusts certain prices and benefits."
Alex Rodriguez participated in a sliding drill for the first time and got 15 at-bats Tuesday during his initial simulated game since undergoing right hip surgery last month
I don't know if you've seen Bernie Williams with Michael Kay on YES' Centerstage or not, but he gives a shout out to Cheshire. The Yankees hid Williams out at Cheshire Academy when he was 16. He also spent some of that summer playing for Meriden's Katz Sports Shop the Greater Hartford Twilight League. He joked about the fact that the Katz managers never played him.
Pretty cool. Dave Katz reports that he watched the Centerstage show and that many people have commented about Bernie mentioning playing with the team.
Here's a link to a New York Times story that has some info on Bernie at Cheshire.
I haven't blogged in a while, and it's not because the Yankees stink. I really only watched one of the three games against the Red Sox over the weekend. I took in Sunday night's game while folding a pile of laundry. Some thoughts:
The Yankees look old and tired, like an over-40 softball team. C.C. and A.J. better start earning their $$, O.K.?
Joe Girardo must go.
Ellsbury should have been plunked, not for stealing home because he caught cousin Andy and Jorge sleeping, but becuase he came out for a curtain call.
Are you starting to hate Nick Swisher yet? How about Brett Gardner (DiMaggio...Mantle...Williams....Gardner)
Wow, did Melky Cabrera pimp it after hitting a two-run shot in the 14th inning Wednesday to give New York a 9-7 victory over the Oakland A's. Not bad for Brett Gardner's back up. It was the second homer of the game for Melky, which should be proof that something is going on with a wind tunnel at the new Stadium. A record 26 homers were hit on the opening homestand, one more than the previous mark set at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in 1955, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Seventeen of the homers went to right field, raising suspicion that there might be a wind tunnel. There has been talk that the Yanks hope to fix the problem, if there is one. I kind of like all the homers.
Chien-Ming Wang, 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA, was bypassed for his next turn, and Joba Chamberlain, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte were scheduled to start this weekend in the Yankees' first trip of the year to Fenway Park. Wang, who thinks he may be leaning to the left in his pitching motion, cannot be optioned to the minors. "I believe he's going to fix it," Girardi said. "I just do in my heart. We're behind this guy and we need this guy."
Checked my email as soon as I got into work today. Apparantly, I've won 1.2 million dollars. All I have to do is send a check for $1,500 to Somalia and the 1.2 will be deposited into my account. I'm in the money.
Another email suggest that I, "Stop Stretching!" OK.
I also stumbled upon this email: AccuWeather.com reports fourteen of the 20 home runs went over the right fieldwall, including a controversial game-changing home run hit by Yankee Jorge Posada on Sunday. The abundance of homers is raising concerns that the new stadium's design may favor fly balls, which should be alarming to the baseball team that invested $243.5 million on pitching last winter, according to the Daily News . The wind on Saturday during the Yankees' 22-4 loss against the Cleveland Indians was mostly from the west at 15-20 mph. Given the layout of the stadium, the wind could have had an effect on fly balls in right field. Six home runs were scored by the Indians in the second inning alone. Although the field dimensions of the new stadium are exactly that of the old stadium, the shell of the new stadium is shaped differently. AccuWeather.com meteorologists also estimate that the angle of the seating in the new stadium could have an effect on wind speed across the field. The old Yankee stadium had more stacked tiers and a large upper deck, acting like a solid wall in effect, which would cause the wind to swirl more and be less concentrated. The new Yankee stadium's tiers are less stacked, making a less sharp slope from the top of the stadium to the field. This shape could enable winds to blow across the field with less restriction. In addition, the slope of the seating would also lead to a "downslope" effect in the field which, depending on wind direction, would tend to cause air to lift up in the right field. Fly balls going into right field during a gusty west wind would be given more of a lift thus carrying the ball farther out into right field. If the stadium seating tier shape is indeed the issue, games will only be affected during times with the winds are from a westerly direction and above 10 mph. This typically occurs during the spring and the middle to late fall. The calmer weather during the summer should lead to a smaller number of home runs. In the meantime, the home run derby may continue.
Whatever is going on, the new Yankee Stadium seems less like the House that Ruth Built and more like Coors Field.
It was a beautiful day for baseball. Yankee Stadium II looked gorgeous. John Fogarty played "Center Field" in center field and Bernie Williams strummed out a stirring rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Fighter jets flew overhead, Yogi threw out the first pitch and David Wells sat in the bleachers for "Roll Call."
What a great day.
Then the Yankees stunk up the joint.
Before Derek Jeter led off the bottom of the first, the bat Babe Ruth used to hit a three-run homer in the 1923 Stadium opener was laid across home plate. Jeter picked it up and the baton was officially passed. Maybe they should have dug up the Babe. The Yankees could have used in a disgusting 10-2 loss to the Indians.
The Yanks pitching was so bad that the fans, probably led by Boomer Wells, began chanting, "We want Swisher!" It was a day to remember for all the wrong reasons.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I'd like to issue an apology. After further review, I don't hate Nick Swisher (even with this photo). And not just becuase he's hitting .458 with four homers and 11 RBIs and averages a strikeout per inning. I was harsh on Swisher earlier this week for his antics on the mound. After visiting his website, I like him a whole lot more. He has a tribute to his grandmother on there and his tweets show just how much he loves the game.
When I revived this blog a couple weeks ago I made it clear that I would use this forum to discuss what's on my mind. Most of the time, it's sports. But I've noticed something lately that really, well, pi**es me off - People peeing on the side of the highway. I'm used to it, say, on the way to Yankee Stadium or something, but not on 691 like I saw on my way into work on Tuesday. Unfortunately, this is not the first time in recent weeks where I saw someone unload their bladder roadside. What ever happened to holding it? Or going deep into the woods. My wife blames MTV.
This really has me upset. It's nice to get it off my chest. I'm relieved.
As expected, junior center Hasheem Thabeet's UConn caeer University of Connecticut junior men’s basketball player Hasheem Thabeet (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) has chosen to give up his final season of eligibility and enter his name into the 2009 NBA Draft, it was announced Tuesday. “After spending time with my family and friends and speaking with Coach Calhoun, I have decided to give up my final year at UConn and enter my name in the 2009 NBA Draft,” said Thabeet. “I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough. I look forward to the challenge of playing professionally and know that my time here at UConn has prepared me to be successful in the future. I also want to thank all of the fans in Husky Nation that have followed my career, especially those from my homeland of Tanzania, and hope they will all be as supportive of me at the professional level as they have been to this oint.” “Hasheem is more than ready to make the move to the next level,” said head coach Jim Calhoun. “He has been one of the most dominant defensive players in the history of college basketball and I am certain that where ever he ends up in the NBA, he is ready to be equally successful. He is a special player and even more special as a person. He will truly be remembered as one of the great players in UConn history, not only for his accomplishments, but also because of the type of person he is.”
Thabeet was named First Team All-American in 2008-09 by the NABC and the John R. Wooden Award. He was the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons and was the 2008-09 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year. He averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game (No. 2 nationally) in 2008-09 and helped lead the Huskies the 2009 NCAA Final Four and a 31-5 final record.
Thabeet is the 11th player at UConn to declare early for the NBA Draft and nine of the previous ten were drafted in the first round. Eight of the ten were taken in the lottery portion of the first round.
I wanted to email all my friends who are Mets fans after the other team from New York lost in the opening game at their own ballpark. I changed my mind when I turned to the YES Network and saw Nick Swisher on the bump and Jorge Posada at first base.
Then it got even worse Swisher struck out Gabe Kapler and had the ball thrown into the dugout. He also tipped his cap after getting three outs. Are you kidding me? Yankees fans like to talk about the "energy" Swisher brings. Trust me, you won't like him in two months when he's hitting .220.
Cancel the UConn women's parade, scheduled for Sunday in downtown Hartford. Going 39-0 and winning the national championship is a huge deal. Congrats Lady Huskies. You deserve a parade, but you don't need one at this time when the state and families are struggling.
In a press release, Gov. Rell said the parade is "being made possible through generous donations from the Cityof Hartford, State of Connecticut and a variety of civic organizations and area businesses."
The Gov. then went on to say that, "“Frankly, the people of Connecticut needed some good news at this time and the undefeated women’s team was it. Let’s return the favor by lining the parade route and showing them how much they really mean to us.”
Give me a freakin' break. It's just not worth it. Families (including mine) and businesses (including mine) have been forced to to tighten their belts and so should the state of Connecticut. This is basically throwing money away. I'm a UConn alum. I support the UConn women. Maybe I'm just fired up because I did my bills today, but I hope the streets are empty.
Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet hasn't said whether he plans to skip his senior season to turn pro, though messages on his Twitter account indicate the promising center enjoyed a superstar's lifestyle during a holiday weekend in Miami. On Sunday, Thabeet "tweeted" on the social networking site about being courtside near rap star Ludacris to watch the NBA's New York Knicks play the Miami Heat, and then wrote about dining out at an upscale Miami Beach restaurant. "At The Forge For Dinner!!! I didn't know food could be so expensive.... Ahhhh LOL!! Enjoyin MIAMi tho.. Fancy Life, Fancy Cars.... Mhmmm," Thabeet wrote in his online post. At 7-foot-3, Thabeet was hard to miss at the game. Afterward, he told a reporter that he planned to speak with Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun on Monday about whether he should make himself available for the NBA draft. But Kyle Muncy, a spokesman for the Connecticut basketball team, said he was unaware of that meeting, and doesn't expect an announcement on Thabeet's future this week. "He is definitely going to meet with the coach over the next couple of weeks," Muncy said. Thabeet has until April 26 to declare for the draft. If he doesn't hire an agent, he would have until June 15 to withdraw and retain his collegiate eligibility. Under NCAA rules, he would lose any eligibility if he accepts gifts or benefits from an agent or anyone else because of his athletic ability. Thabeet did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment. A telephone call went unanswered. Muncy said he did not know why Thabeet, who is still enrolled at UConn, was in Miami or who was paying for the trip. "I assume he was there to see a basketball game," he said. Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and blocked 152 shots for the Huskies this past season. Muncy said the center has been "a lot of places" since UConn lost in the national semifinals to Michigan State. He stayed in Detroit to pick up a postseason award, and has also traveled to New York for an award ceremony, Muncy said. While other UConn underclassmen have posted messages about going to class, Thabeet's "tweets" since April 1 have mostly been about having fun. "Swagga On A Zillion... Oewwwwww!!!! MIA-yooo Lets Go!!!!," he posted Sunday at 2:30 a.m. UConn had classes last week and this week. The school's spring break was March 8-14. Thabeet, who is known for his sense of humor, caused a bit of a stir before the Final Four with a prank post on his Twitter account in which he said he had failed a surprise drug test, and wouldn't be going to Detroit. That was posted April 1, and was followed less than an hour later with another message — "ApriL FooLs!! LOL hahaahhaha!!!" Thabeet has so far left just one cryptic message about his basketball future on Twitter. On Saturday he wrote, "Indiana 2009-10?" Indianapolis will be the site of next year's Final Four. On Monday afternoon, Thabeet tweeted that he was back on campus. "Back In UConn... Wats Good Peepo????," he wrote.
It doesn't matter. There's no chance Thabeet is coming back for his senior season.
It felt like a decade ago, with "Cousin" Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada leading the Yanks to a 4-1 victory over Kansas City. Pettitte went seven strong and Hip-Hip Jorge smacked a two run-single to royally spoil KC's home opener. That's two in a row for the Bombers.
Speaking of Facebook, I recently was asked to name my top five favorite athletes. I selected these 4:
(I know, I know, Lou Piniella? I was born in 1970 and Sweet Lou helped lead the Yankes to World Series championships in 1977 and '78. He was my favorite growing up. I even wore No. 14 from Little League through high school and beyond.)
Still, my absolute favorite athlete of all-time is:
So I'm super-thrilled to watch the premiere of the new HBO documentary "Thrilla In Manila" on Saturday night.
How freakin' hip am I? Not only do I blog, but I'm also on Facebook, which I learned Friday can really get you in trouble with Myles Brand and the NCAA. This story just came over on the AP wire:
College sports fans, be careful of the company you keep on Facebook. You might get yourself — and the program you support — in trouble. That was the lesson this week for Taylor Moseley, a North Carolina State freshman who expressed a common-enough opinion on campus when he started the Facebook group called "John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!" More than 700 people signed up for the group encouraging Wall — a local standout and the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit — to pick the Wolfpack by national signing day next week. But the NCAA says such sites, and dozens more like them wooing Wall and other top recruits, violate its rules. More than just cheerleading boards, the NCAA says the sites are an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit. Moseley got a cease and desist letter from N.C. State's compliance director, Michelle Lee, warning of "further action" if he failed to comply. So be careful UConn fans. You may already be in enough hot water when it comes to recruits.
What if today's press release from UConn announced Jim Calhoun's retirement? Who would be next in line. Dave Leitao, Tom Moore, Karl Hobbs and even associate head coach George Blaney have been mentioned as possible replacements obviously because of their connection to the program. I've even heard discussions about Donny Marshall and Geno Auriemma. I think I would have gone after Gonzaga's Mark Few. Either Few or this guy
Assistant Sports Editor John Pettit has been at the Record-Journal since June, 1994. He started in the Wallingford bureau covering local politics before moving over to the sports department. John's 20-year career with the Bethlehem Plowboys Baseball Club ended after the summer of 2006. He went 4-for-4 in one game and promptly announced his retirement despite six contests remaining on the schedule. John briefly came out of retirement to take BP against Tommy John, who was about 75 (years old, not MPH) at the time. He stays involved in the game by rooting for his beloved Yankees. John met his wife, Patty, at the R-J. They live in Southington with their daughter, Emelia, twin boys, Gavin and Collin, and a pitbull/dalmation mix named Ty Cobb.
I didn't get to watch Tuesday night's Yankee game because I'm surrounded by Sox fans here at work. I guess Phil Hughes pitched well, allowing two runs over six innings. The Yanks broke open a scoreless game with 10 runs inthe seventh victory on their way to a 11-0 victory. Jose Molina hit a grand slam.
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