Welcome Back

Congratulations to the New York Yankees, your 2009 World Series Champions!! Mission 27 is accomplished.

I know it’s a month late, but I’ve been a busy girl since we won #27 so forgive me.

I was blessed enough to attend 2 ALDS games and 2 ALCS games. I was at the game Alex Rodriguez hit the home run to tie it and Mark Teixeira hit the winning run. It was bliss. Pure and utter bliss. I screamed so much that night that I gave myself a sore throat. I was on cloud 9 for days. I attended the ALCS games sick as a dog. But it didn’t matter because it was totally worth every second in the freezing cold.

Since it’s been a month, there is a lot of Yankee news to report so bear with me.

1) Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira take home the Gold Glove Award. It is Jeter’s 4th and Teixeira’s first. You can read their statements here.

2) Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira also take home the Silver Slugger Award.

3) CC Sabathia finished 4th in the AL Cy Young race.

4) Derek Jeter has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2009.

He credits his parents for his success and specifically requested that his father do the honors and present him the award.

I am sure you are all aware that Alex Rodriguez has recently been spotted around with actress Kate Hudson. Kate was at several regular season games and at almost all of the playoff games. Alex is currently showing his support for his girl over in London where Kate is promoting her new movie, “Nine”. “Nine” is a musical that stars Kate, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day Lewis, and Marion Cotillard. Kate sings in the movie and I personally can’t wait to see her performance in it. If you’d like to here her song, go here. The cast was also on Oprah a couple weeks ago and Oprah asked Kate about Alex Rodriguez. If you want to know her response, go here.

Not to go under the radar, Derek Jeter and his girlfriend Minka Kelly were spotted in St. Barts. They landed the cover of the New York Post. I think they make a cute couple. If you want to see pics from the yearly tropical vacation Jeter takes, go here.

Last but not least…Chien Ming Wang. Apparently he is a better model than he is a pitcher. Yes…you read there right. Chien-Ming took part in a fashion show by fellow baseball players to raise funds for the 20 baseball teams based in cities and counties devastated by a deadly typhoon in August. The Typhoon killed 700 people and was the worst flood southern Taiwan had seen in 50 years. At least he did it for a good cause.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for updates!

Since everyone is coming clean…

It’s been a while ladies and gents! I know – too long. But I’ve been very busy. I attended the final game at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008. It was probably one of the best nights of my life. Very historic. Very emotional. Very amazing. I wish every Yankee fan would have been able to go!

I’ll be attending Spring Training in Tampa, Florida on March 9th and 10th against the Blue Jays and Reds, respectively. I’m very excited about it. And for those that care, there is only a little over 6 days until pitchers and catchers report and 70 days until the Yankees take the field in thier new – and improved – home!

Since Spring Training is just around the corner, we all know what that means – talk about Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez’s relationship – on the field only, of course. Like his typical broken record response, Jeter assures us that they all “support” Alex. Like I said; a broken record.

And because spring training is all about clearing the air, Mike Mussina – who chose to retire after the 2008 season – opted to open up about Torre’s tell all book. He cleared the air about Jeter and A-Rod, stating that “sat in the same clubhouse, rode the same bus, the same planes — all those things. They sat one row from each other on the airplane. I never saw an issue with those two guys. I don’t know if people were hoping it was there, or people were looking for something to talk about, I have no idea. But I never experienced any of it.” Also according to Torre’s book, Moose spoke about his feelings towards Carl Pavano during the 2007 season, “Our problem right now is we have too many pitchers on the 15-day Pavano. That’s what it’s officially called now. Did you know that? The Pavano.” To top it all off, he went on to talk about Mariano Rivera – THE Mariano Rivera, “He blew the World Series in ‘01. He lost the Boston series. He didn’t lose it himself, but we had a chance to win in the ninth and sweep them and he doesn’t do it there. I know you look at everything he’s done and it’s been awesome, I’ll admit that. But it hadn’t been the same in those couple of years. That’s what I remember about the ‘04 series.”

I used to like Mike Mussina. Hell, I used to like Joe Torre. But first things first. Moose, you are a good pitcher – I’ll give you that. And the Pavano comments? OK – I can give you those. I was just as pissed off at him as you were in 2007 but the difference is you were his teammate and I was just a fan. Didn’t you go to the same therapy session A-Rod did just before he first opened up about his relationship with Jeter on the field? Apparently not. And since I mentioned Torre, let’s discuss the Boston series Mo apparently blew. Last time I checked, the Yankees were a team, not a one-man reliever. The team played bad  – don’t get me started on the Tony Clark (don’t you all remmeber the ground rule double that went into the stands in Boston or am I the only one?). But more importantly, their manager who at the time was Joe Torre, managed bad. It wasn’t his first game to mess up and it most definitely wasn’t his last – everyone is entitled a bad day; except when its against the rival Boston Red Sox. Did I mention that Torre came to the Yankees with a losing managerial record. But hey – everyone makes mistakes, right?

Cashman opened up about how the Yankees are done spending for the year. He commented on how they would not go after Manny Ramierez, but noted that “we respect his abilities, there’s no doubt about it, but we’re now in the non-roster-invite mode. … We’ve secured the areas of need and hopefully put ourselves in a better position. We’re not playing on any Major League free agents, other than non-roster invites.” The reason? According to CashMONEY, he ran out of the green stuff which is kind of easy to do when you only have to lower the 2008 payroll of – wait for it – $209 million dollars! Easy, right? I don’t know about you, but I’m still counting on Manny to be in pinstripes by at least…May.

For those interested, some players did defend Torre’s book. You sure you were a Red Sox Johnny boy?

And although this is only slightly related to baseball, I thought I’d add it. After a drug photo surfaced of Michael Phelps “inhaling from a marijuana pipe”, USA Swimming decided to suspend him from 3 months. Personally, I think its a little harsh. A month I could agree with plus several hours of community service – which might I add, he does on his own; how many of us could say that? Honestly? Thought so. The kid is 23 years old. He isn’t perfect. He’s not God. I’m tired of reading about how much of a role model he is. Yes, competing and winning 8 gold medals in the Olympics makes people look up to you. But it doesnt mean you have to be perfect. He screwed up. He apologized. If kids are seeing these pictures, then maybe those kids need to have a parent monitor what thier children looks at online. This isn’t the kind of news you shove in a kids face. I don’t know what this world is coming to, but its kind of sad that its reached this point. Suspending a gold medalist from competing for 3 months over something he did 2+ months ago? Don’t we have more important things to worry about in this country like – oh, I don’t know – the economic crisis? Job loss? The war we still have going on over seas? I could keep going but I’ll spare you.

MLB Teams Honor Jackie Robinson By Wearing No. 42

“By proclamation of the Commissioner for the second consecutive year, as Major League Baseball celebrates the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking its color barrier, any big-league player can wear the late Hall of Famer’s famous No. 42 in action when all 30 teams celebrate the occasion on Tuesday.” (Source 1)

LA Angels dumbass , I mean outfielder, Torri Hunter made quite the controversial statement the other day, regarding Jackie Robinson Day, and the more I thought about it, the more it really irked me. “This is supposed to be an honor, and just a handful of guys wearing the number. Now you’ve got entire teams doing it. I think we’re killing the meaning. It should be special wearing Jackie’s number, not just because it looks cool.”

“What upset Hunter, he says now, was this: The Houston Astros had no black players on their team last April, and yet the entire team wore No. 42.” According to him, “That got it away from, ‘OK, we don’t have any blacks.” He also went on to say that a team roster without black players didn’t represent the progress for which Jackie Robinson stood. (Source 2)

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Jackie Robinson Day all about honoring him as a player? Robinson was a man who wanted to break the barriers between black and white, so wouldn’t having both BLACK and WHITE players wearing his number be the best way to honor him?

I also find it hard to believe that Mr. Hunter didn’t do his homework. The Houston Astros – as of 2008 – have 2 African-American players: Cecil Cooper & Michael Bourn. It should be noted that both players will both be wearing No. 42 in Robinson’s honor today.

The LA Angels (Hunter’s team), the LA Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Oakland Athletics, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nations will have every player donning No. 42 on their jerseys.

As for the Yankees, only Robinson Cano (who was named after Jackie Robinson), Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, and Marino Rivera will be sporting the number.

“Yankees closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera is the last of the players who don the No. 42 on day-to-day basis. Rivera was grandfathered when Selig retired it 11 years ago. When Rivera retires there will be no more.” (Source 1)

[[Source 1]]

[[Source 2]]

Sidenote: If any of you are interested in reading a Q&A with Derek Jeter about Jackie Robinson Day, read this article.

Also, my thoughts and prayers go out to Joba Chamberlain, his father Harlan, and their entire family. For the first time this season, I agree with Girardi on one thing: “He’s got to take care of his dad. When the time is right, he’ll be back. Family comes first, take care of Pops.” [[Source]]

Peace, Love, & Baseball,
Carli

First Series of the Season

First off – I apologize for not posting sooner – I have not had internet for the past 2 days. I just got it back today at 2pm. But a congrat’s goes out to our boys in pinstripes who managed to win the first series of the season 2-1.

Last Home Opener in the Stadium (4/1/08)

After a ton of trade talks in the off season – the Yankees opted to keep Alex Rodriguez, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Melky Cabrera. All of which were a great idea. But who shined on Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays? None other than center fielder himself, Melky Cabrera. Although he didn’t bring the win home completely on his own, he contributed to the win both at bat and in the field.

“Cabrera raced to right-center to track a drive by Lyle Overbay, and reached over his head to catch the ball on the warning track while slamming into the fence. The next hitter, Aaron Hill, sent Cabrera racing in the other direction with a shot toward the gap in left-center. On his horse Cabrera went again, and he made a mid-air grab before flopping on his belly.”

In his first game as the Yankees manager, Joe Girardi said in a post-game interview that “Melky is an exciting player.He brings some dimensions in the outfield to us, and obviously he has improved with the bat. He brings a lot of energy every day, and he’s just pleasant to be around. You see the smile on his face every day when he goes out to the field. He really loves what he’s doing.”

But a smile wasn’t all Melky brought to the game on Opening Night, he also got a rare curtain call after his 2-run home run in the 6th from the sell out crowd of 55,112.

Captain Derek Jeter went on to say, “Melky can hit, and he’s still learning. He’s still young. He’s going to get better. When he first came up, he swung at a lot of pitches. Now he’s becoming more patient. You could see that in his at-bat against Halladay, who is one of the toughest pitchers I’ve ever seen.”

I’d put money on the fact that Jeter, Girardi, or the entire Yankees organization for that matter was extremely happy that Melky was on their team Opening Day and not on somebody else’s.

[[Source]]

First Loss of the Season (4/2/08)

Mike Mussina gave his all to keep his teams head above the water into the 5th inning. Moose allowed 4 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings – 3 of which were earned.

“Now in his final year under contract and facing an uncertain future, Mussina has taken on more of a leadership role, helping to mentor some of the club’s young pitchers and providing a sounding board for their inquiries.”

“Happy to have him as half-mentor, half-hurler, the Yankees are still curious as to what Mussina will provide for them, one year after he temporarily lost his spot in the rotation after a string of subpar outings.”

“The 39-year-old right-hander used his curveball as a go-to pitch for most of the evening, but he lost it on occasion as well, such as one flat sixth-inning offering that skimmed Frank Thomas’ jersey.”

Alex Rodriguez blasted a 2-run shot against Burnett, making it his first home run since his MVP season last year and his 519th in total. it should also be noted that his homer was the final pitch of the night for Burnett.

“I hit that ball as good as I can hit it. I was fortunate. You never know with this weather. … [Burnett was] very impressive. A guy that’s throwing up in the mid-90s and is able to throw his curveball for strikes at will, that’s a handful right there.”

“Mussina allowed eight hits, walking two and striking out two before yielding to reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who allowed a run in the seventh in his Yankees debut.”

Moose also said in a post-game interview that “you can’t have it the way it was last night every night; it’s not possible.”

[[Source]]

Yankees Take First Series of the Season (4/3/08)

“Two bunts and a bloop were the winning recipe for Joe Girardi’s second victory as Yankees manager. Bobby Abreu’s eighth-inning single to shallow center moved across the go-ahead run in New York’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Thursday.”

Phil Hughes made his first start of the season at the age of 21. He retired the first nine batters, until “David Eckstein dropped a double down the left-field line leading off the fourth. After a groundout, Alex Rios extended his hitting streak to 23 consecutive games against the Yankees with a run-scoring single to left. Toronto pieced together a second run off Hughes in the fifth inning, as Marco Scutaro walked and moved to third on a Gregg Zaun double. Eckstein followed with a hot shot to third base that Alex Rodriguez deflected but threw too late to get the runner, allowing Scutaro to score. Hughes scattered four hits and threw 87 pitches over six innings, walking one and striking out four.”

It should be noted that Jays’ player Frank Thomas was ejected in the fourth for arguing a called third strike. I actually missed it but my grandfather told me he started jogging to first until the home plate umpire punched him out. Apparently, he argued briefly and then headed to the dugout – and soon after that the clubhouse.

[[Source]]

I should also mention that Joba’s reaction to his strike out of Frank Thomas in the 8th inning on Opening Night made for some good talk-radio hosts on Wednesday morning. Apparently they didn’t like his fist pump – which Derek Jeter is famous for – or his scream of excitement. I think Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it best, “You want emotion in this game. Sometimes people take the emotion the wrong way, that we’re supposed to be just kind of playing. I think emotion is good in this game as long as you’re not showing anyone up.”

Joba himself also made it clear that pitching in the big leagues has not changed him and that if people want to talk about him, so be it.

“I’m Joba Chamberlain, and I pitch for the New York Yankees. I’m going to be me. There’s no getting around it.” That’s his story – and he’s sticking to it.

[[Source]]

Thats all for tonight folks. I will be at the game on Saturday so stay tuned for pictures! Until then…

Peace, Love, & Baseball,
Carli

I’ll let you decide…

Canseco goes after A-Rod in his new book ‘Vindicated’

Since last summer, Jose Canseco had hinted strongly that he would go after Alex Rodriguez in his next book. Now baseball’s unwelcome whistle-blower has followed through on his threat.

Newsday obtained a copy of Canseco’s new book, “Vindicated,” and while Canseco didn’t flat-out accuse A-Rod of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, he did write that he introduced the Yankees’ third baseman to a steroids dealer — after A-Rod had wondered where a person would go to find steroids if one wanted them.

When first told Tuesday morning that Canseco had leveled accusations against him, Rodriguez asked what Canseco had said in addition to his previous accusations. Told that Canseco had written about introducing him to a known supplier of steroids, Rodriguez said, “I really have absolutely no reaction.”

Canseco also accused A-Rod of coveting Canseco’s former wife, Jessica, before Rodriguez married his wife, Cynthia.

When Rodriguez was told about that, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “He said that in his book?” then said, “I have absolutely no comment.“

In “Vindicated,” the sequel to Canseco’s best-selling 2005 tell-all, “Juiced,” Canseco also wrote that he injected Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez with steroids while they were teammates with the 2001 White Sox, and he theorizes that Roger Clemens used illegal performance- enhancing drugs, as well.

He also accused baseball steroids investigator George Mitchell of a pro-Red Sox bias in his report, and alleged that legendary “60 Minutes” reporter Mike Wallace asked him about steroids and human growth hormone after a 2005 interview.

Freelance writer Joe Lavin first reported the book’s details on his Web site, joelavin.com, and they were then published by the sports news Web site Deadspin.

Canseco seems to take the most pleasure in taking on A-Rod, who he left out of his first book with the explanation: “I hated the — – .”

According to the new book, in “the latter half of the 1990s” A-Rod came to Canseco’s Florida home and began working out — and ogling Jessica Canseco. At one point, A-Rod asked Canseco, “So, the ‘roids: Do they — – you up?”

“Do I look like I’m — — up?” Canseco wrote of his response.

Later, Canseco wrote, A-Rod “asked me, point-blank, where one would go to get steroids if one wanted them. He was a cautious, cagey guy, Alex. He didn’t say, I want to buy steroids. Can you point me in the right direction? Or more accurately, as far as I’m concerned, he did say it, but not in those exact words.”

Days later, Canseco wrote, he introduced A-Rod to a trainer and illegal PED dealer he identified as “Max.” And, Canseco wrote, he didn’t see A-Rod regularly after that, although when he did, he thought that A-Rod looked “buff.”

Canseco wrote that A-Rod telephoned Jessica Canseco repeatedly. “I’m not a jealous man,” Canseco wrote, “but I could see that A-Rod, a bachelor at that time, was jonesing for my wife.” Jessica Canseco recently made news in Clemens’ case, as Clemens’ accuser, Brian McNamee, recalled Clemens discussing an incident at a Canseco pool party where Jessica Canseco and Roger Clemens’ wife, Debbie, compared their breast enhancements.

Canseco closed the A-Rod section of his book with this passage: “So A-Rod, if you’re reading this book, and if I’m not getting through to you, let’s get clear on one thing: I hate your — – guts.“

Rodriguez said Canseco’s feelings toward him had long been obvious.

Canseco wrote that Clemens telephoned him after the release of the Mitchell Report to complain about McNamee’s accusations, and Canseco offered to help. In the book, Canseco repeated what he told Congress, that Clemens didn’t attend the infamous party at Canseco’s home in Miami.

He flew to Houston and met with Clemens’ attorneys, Canseco wrote — Clemens even picked him up at the airport — and agreed to sign an affidavit that read, “I have played on three teams with Roger Clemens and I have no reason to believe that he has ever used steroids, human growth hormone, or any other performance-enhancing drugs.” Canseco said he was hesitant to sign off on that point.

After watching the Feb. 13 congressional hearing with Clemens, Canseco wrote, “Maybe I’d been right the first time. Maybe he had been juicing. And maybe I’d been wrong to change my mind. But in my heart, during my visit to Houston, I came to believe the guy.”

As for Wallace’s interest in illegal PEDs, Canseco wrote:

“When the cameras stopped rolling, Wallace asked me if we could talk, off-camera. He kept me there for another hour, clearly curious about steroids … He wondered how the steroids and human growth hormones (HGH) might help him, a man in his eighties, live a longer, healthier life … When Wallace was done interrogating me, I could see I had piqued his interest. Whether I’d made a convert of him, I can’t say. Still, I know, I was pretty convincing.

Source

I understand that this article doesn’t really have to do with the game of baseball. But when you personally attack a member of my team – I don’t even care if he is wrong or not, I’m going to defend him. And those that do read this blog will eventually come to know about my love for A-Rod. So…here is my little piece of my mind Jose Canseco.

“Canseco also accused A-Rod of coveting Canseco’s former wife, Jessica, before Rodriguez married his wife, Cynthia.“

Um seriously Jose…get over yourself. How many years ago did this supposed coveting take place?! GET OVER IT! And just in case you forgot buddy, Jessica left your ass!

“When Rodriguez was told about that, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “He said that in his book?” then said, “I have absolutely no comment.“

This is exactly why I love Alex so much. He is a classy player (minus the little ‘opt out’ bit in the off season during the last game of the World Series…but I don’t blame him for that, I blame Scott Boras – aka the dumbass).

“So A-Rod, if you’re reading this book, and if I’m not getting through to you, let’s get clear on one thing: I hate your — – guts.“

Jose don’t you see…he feels the same way.

Also, since supposed coveting of Jose’s ex-wife took place, lets compare Jessica Canseco and Cynthia Rodriguez shall we?

Former playboy model vs. a woman with a Master’s in Psychology? Hmm…which would you choose? Brains or former ‘classy stripper?’ Yeah…I thought so too. Well done Alex!!

Thanks for reading!

Peace, Love, and Baseball,

Carli

Hello world!

Hello ladies and gents. Although this is a personal blog, it will mostly be for baseball season. I will post pictures from the games I go to this season, comment on as many games as time will allow me to, and give insight on pitchers/players/teams around the league. I am a Yankee fan so almost all of the info I post will be related to them (just a fair warning). But I will discuss other teams and players as well. So stay tuned and check back often for updates.

Peace, Love, & Baseball,
Carli