The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

The Boss

2010-07-14T00:18:00.006-04:00

"The Boss"

George M. Steinbrenner III

July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010

The game of Baseball will never be the same.

You will be missed, Mr. Steinbrenner.

#27

2009-11-04T22:03:00.005-05:00

Congratulations To

The New York Yankees

2009 World Series Champions

#27

...the ghosts are very much alive...

2009 World Series Bound

2009-10-26T00:28:00.003-04:00

2009 American League Champions

Congratulations, Yankees.

Sincerely, Lou

2009-07-04T23:13:00.004-04:00

This is a link to the video of the wonderful story ESPN's Outside The Lines ran today on my personal hero, Lou Gehrig.

The video is based off a series of letters that Lou wrote to his doctor after being diagnosed with ALS.

Everyone should take a few minutes to watch this amazing story of courage-- and if you have time-- to read Lou's actual letters.

Click here watch the ESPN special Sincerely, Lou and read Lou's actual letters.

Click here to learn more about what MLB is doing to help find a cure for this terrible disease.

Click here for the ALS association's website.

Congratulations On 500, Mo!

2009-06-28T23:23:00.003-04:00

Mariano Rivera has recorded save number 500 tonight against the Mets.

That amazing feat has only been accomplished by just one other closer in Major League Baseball history-- Trevor Hoffman (and that was in the NL).

"Definitely, it's good," Rivera said. "I won't tell you it's not meaningful. It's a blessing."

In addition to his 500th save, Mariano also recorded his first ever RBI after being walked with the bases loaded by none other than Fransisco Rodriguez.

Congratulations, Mo. You have been a vital part of the Yankees over the years and your services have definitely not gone unnoticed.

K-Rod vs. Brian Bruney

2009-06-16T02:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the video of K-Rod trying to start drama with Brian Bruney in left field the other day.

The video was filmed by the guys at VOTESWISHER.com, a great website with a great cause-- voting Nick Swisher into the All-Star game.

Check it out, and then go write your vote in for Swish.

Vote For The Yankees "All-Stars Among Us" Candidates

2009-06-08T17:28:00.003-04:00

Fans are invited to vote in the All-Stars Among Us campaign, a presentation of People Magazine and Major League Baseball, for the 30 winners from June 8-24. One winner will be chosen as a representative of every club, and all 30 will be honored Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the July 14 All-Star Game. One club representative also will be featured in People Magazine.

Here are the finalists for the New York Yankees (You can vote for them by clicking this link):

Farley Boyle: The Little Silver, N.J., resident founded CHASE for Life after her daughter Chase nearly drowned. The organization provides free infant and child CPR and has provided hands-on training to more than 4,000 people.

Christina and Michael Pesci: The twins from Parsippani, N.J., are both active in the community. Christina is the president of Bridging the Generation Gap, an outreach club encouraging friendship between young people and seniors, while Michael founded the non-profit Perfect Pitch, which has raised $175,000 for mentally and physically handicapped children and young adults.

Tzirl Goldman: The Brooklyn, N.Y., resident started a program called the Friendship Circle, which pairs teens with special-needs children for fun and friendship. She's also run eight fundraising concerts to help fund the program.

This Is Only A Test

2009-04-26T18:18:00.001-04:00

This is a test for Twitter integration.

Video Of Bruce Drennan's Response To My Email

2009-04-21T01:16:00.018-04:00

Wow!!! This is hilarious.

Bruce Drennan was apparently very upset with my email as you can see below....

Apparently so upset that 20 minutes after his complete non-mention of any of the contents of my email, he had to read a fictious letter that he claims is from Chris in New Jersey who is a self described "huge Yankees fan"...

"Personally I believe your show, city, fans and teams, are deserving of the utmost respect as a result of the great passion that you all show. It is something that should be envied by idiots like him. Love ya, Bruce!!!".
Amazing. You never mentioned one aspect of my letter. In fact you did nothing but berate me for writing an email that actually made a point. Now I understand that is rare on your show, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that there is no way Chris in New Jersey had enough material to extend an apology from the Yankees fan base while praising you and your show off of what you said about my letter. Don't get me wrong because it was hilarious...but it was also extremely fishy.
It's also pretty fishy how not one other person called to add their 2 cents on the subject. I imagine its because they couldn't!!! You didn't read the email!!!
I-I-I-I-I Love Ya, Bruce!!! But you're wrong on this one buddy. And it's here for everyone to see.
Anyways, thanks for the free plug!!!!
Oh, and Bruce...you are obviously the "clown"...not me!!!

P.S.- I honestly didn't mean to berate anyone who is from Cleveland, or who lives there. I have lots of friends from Cleveland. I just don't like the Indians. Or whiners like Bruce Drennan. That's all.
P.S.S.- The full text of my email can be found by CLICKING HERE!!!

My Letter (Read On Air!) To Bruce Drennan Of STO

2009-04-20T16:22:00.007-04:00

UPDATE 5:03pm: Just talked to a friend who said all he did was call me a clown and said that my email wasn't even worth reading...I take back the commendation I gave him down below this update. And hey Bruce, I'm a clown?!

Just got back from class, and remembered that I had sent a letter to Bruce Drennan of Sports Time Ohio about his (and other local media outlets)incessant whining about the treatment of the Cleveland Indians by the umpires and national media over the weekend.

I turned the show on about 45 minutes ago (an hour into it) and heard Bruce read an email from a "Yankees fan from New Jersey" apologizing for my letter, so apparently Bruce read it on the air, for which I commend him because I openly challenged him to do so.

Now, I would first like to make it very clear that this email was not meant to be disrespectful to Mr. Drennan, but only to point out just how bad his whining had become.

I sent the email last night after about two hours of listening to nothing but whining from him and his callers about the way the Indians were treated on this trip to Yankee Stadium.

I know he has a fairly long show, but when all you can do is whine about the umpires blowing calls and the national media (namely Joe Buck/Tim McCarver who we Yankee bloggers openly make fun of) not giving the Cleveland Indians GUSHING coverage of their "record setting" inning on Saturday, it got very old and just wasn't sitting very well with me.

So I sent him this email...below you will find it in it's unedited entirety. If you feel this is a disrespectful letter, I apologize to you, but Mr. Drennan doesn't preach very well about the Yankees over here in Ohio.

I hope you as true Yankees fans understand why I stood up for us.

Thanks,
Mark

Bruce-

Quit whining.

If you have any credibility, you will read this on air and respond to "the other side of the story."

#1- You didn't get the 3-2 ball called on DeRosa on Friday because Wedge was yelling at the umpire from the dugout to the point where the umpire had to actually turn around and tell him to shutup. You really think your going to get a close 3-2 ball called on the best closer in baseball after yelling at the umpires all day?! Don't think so. It doesn't matter what team you put in that situation, when you yell at the umpires all day, you aren't getting the close calls it's common baseball knowledge.

#2- The only reason the Indians even had three runs today was because of a blown strike call on Choo from the home plate umpire. Had the umpire made the right call, the side would have been retired and Garko never gets a chance to hit a 2-run homerun. Let's be fair, Bruce.

#3- I don't care what you say, the ball that Posada hit would not have been caught by Crowe. Even if the fan interfered (which MLB.com has upheld he didn't), he was on the descent when the fan reached out. The ball was heading over his glove.

#4- You want to talk about how McCarver and Buck have a New York bias, and I will refer you to the Colin Cowherd Law Of Professional Sports Economics. I heard the radio announcer from the Cleveland broadcast literally pee his pants over his "excitement" of a "record setting inning". Talk about unprofessional! You act like it is Game 7 of the World Series, but really it's still the first month of the season. There is a lot of baseball to be played before you act like that broadcaster did. It was pretty embarrassing. The Indians are a 4-9 team in last place in the worst division in baseball playing against the New York Yankees in their brand new billion dollar stadium.

Outside of Cleveland no one wants to hear about your mediocre baseball team. That is why the bias exists.

Opening Day (Short) Predictions 2009

2009-04-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

Baseball is back!!! I am so pumped. Can't wait to see CC on the mound as a Yankee! I am sure a lot of my Indians fan friends are very sad today. Cliff Lee is getting beat up by Texas by 7 runs and their once Ace CC is debuting in Pinstripes. Sucks to be in "The Tribe" today!!!

Well here goes, I figured I'd make my extremely short prediction for the 2009 season (sorry!)

Yankees 1st place in the AL East with a 97-65 record.

CC legitimate candidate for Cy Young. Burnett (if he can remain healthy) wins 19-20 games (also candidate for Cy Young). Wang is the Wang of 2007, only better. Andy Petitte 12+ wins. Joba also wins 12+.

Haha. Well. At least I have a couple up now. Sorry about the length, I just don't have much time as of the last couple weeks.

Please stay tuned though, this season should be very different. Graduation is just around the corner! Hopefully that means the end of this chaotic schedule.

Goooooo Yankeeeees!

Cano Rocks "First" Homerun At New Yankee Stadium

2009-04-03T19:55:00.000-04:00

Robinson Cano just rocked the "first" homerun at the New Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the second inning to put the score at 3-2 Cubs.

Also notable: the Captain is two for two with a double and a single. If would appear he likes the new place.

Yankees/Cubs Set To Open New Yankee Stadium To Public

2009-04-03T12:51:00.002-04:00

Well. Today is the day.

A new stadium, a new team, and a new hope for that elusive #27.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am...

Catch the Yankees/Cubs exhibition game tonight on MLB Network or for a limited time free on MLB.TV.

Go Yankeeeeeeeeeees!!!

CMW To Be Yanks 1st Ever Starting Pitcher At New Stadium

2009-03-23T13:01:00.004-04:00

According to ESPN/AP:

Girardi also confirmed that Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to start the first exhibition game at the new Yankee Stadium on April 3 against the Chicago Cubs.

Good News!!! I am glad the Wanger is gonna get the opportunity to be the first ever starting pitcher for the Yankees at the new Stadium!!!

Hughes Looks Good Against Jeter, Team USA

2009-03-03T13:35:00.006-05:00

I thought Phil Hughes looked pretty sharp against Jeter and Team USA today.

He still has some work to do, obviously, but I like some of the stuff I have seen so far this Spring.

Here is a little bit of live blogging of Phil's outing from Pete Abe:

UPDATE, 1:11 p.m.: Just a hunch, but I bet Phil Hughes pitches really well today. (Nice call, Pete!)

UPDATE, 1:18 p.m.: Hughes gave up a bleeder single by Pedroia. Then he got the shortstop to ground into a double play. That guy stinks.

UPDATE, 1:26 p.m.: That gritty, gutty Brett Gardner singled, went to third on a single by Tex and scored on a single by Posada. Then Nady went 1-6-3 to end the inning. 1-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 1:34 p.m.: Hey, look, it’s Phil Hughes. Fanned Wright looking with a cutter. Fanned Dunn looking at a filthy curve. Got Youkilis to fly to right.

25 pitches, 16 strikes. He could go back out there if they want. He’s got 10-15 more in him.

UPDATE, 1:39 p.m.: Great play by Pedroia ranging deep behind second and making a strong throw to get Cash. If Cano had half as much giddy-up, he’d be an All-Star. … Meanwhile, Hughes is back out there.

UPDATE, 1:45 p.m.: For the third time in three games, Hughes had hit a batter with an 0-1 pitch. He has been told to bust every hitter inside when he gets to that count. He barely brushed Granderson’s jesey.

It costs him as Jeter gets up and delivers a two-run single. 2-1 USA.

UPDATE, 1:54 p.m.: Hughes’ line: 2.2 3 2 2 0 2. 41 pitches / 25 strikes.

Hughe

2009-03-03T13:35:00.001-05:00

Gardner, A-Rod Go Yard In ST Opener

2009-02-25T14:30:00.002-05:00

The title says it all.

Melky has got some competition.

And A-Rod is still a beast (regardless of what he took year's ago...).

Yankees 4 - Blue Jay's 1 -- Bottom of 4th

BASEBALL IS BACK-- ST Game #1

2009-02-25T11:14:00.002-05:00

Well, baseball is finally back. That means Spring is in the air (and hopefully on it's way to Ohio or any other cold climate you may live in).

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am. No longer will I have to watch marathon re-run's of "The Sandberg Game" on the MLB Network. Hooray!!!

I hope to keep the blog well stocked with information as the season marches on, so please continue to visit!!! I wouldn't do this if there weren't people reading.

So here we go...Spring Training Game Post #1!!!(Courtesy of the always spectacular, Peter Abraham)

YANKEES
Gardner CF
Jeter SS
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Swisher RF
Duncan DH
Miranda 1B
Linden LF
Cash C

Pitching: Brett Tomko followed by Kei Igawa, Christian Garcia, Mike Dunn, Dave Robertson, Dan Giese and Jose Veras.

BLUE JAYS
Inglett 3B
Hill 2B
Rios RF
Millar 1B
Lind DH
Barajas C
Snider LF
Coats CF
McDonald SS

Pitching: Brett Cecil. B.J. Ryan, Rick Bauer, Brian Burres and Ricky Romero

Notes: This game is not on television or radio.

A-Rod Press Conference Will Be Carried Live On MLB.com

2009-02-17T12:11:00.002-05:00

Alex Rodriguez is to face reporters today at 1:30pm EST, to discuss his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

MLB.com will carry A-Rod's news conference, with live coverage beginning at 1 ET.

Selig Denies Steroid Cover-Up

2009-02-17T11:37:00.005-05:00

Wallace Matthews/Newsday:

In a lengthy telephone interview Monday, the commissioner of baseball strongly disputed the widely held perception that he was in any way complicit in the proliferation of steroids in major-league baseball during the past 15 years.

"I don't want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn't care about it,'' Selig said. "That annoys the you-know-what out of me. You bet I'm sensitive to the criticism. The reason I'm so frustrated is, if you look at our whole body of work, I think we've come farther than anyone ever dreamed possible.'

He also defended his efforts to stop the use of performance-enhancing drugs as far back as 1999, the year after Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, two now-suspected steroid cheats, staged a seasonlong home run derby that helped pull baseball out of the tailspin it went into after the work stoppage of 1994.

"I'm not sure I would have done anything differently,'' Selig said. "A lot of people say we should have done this or that, and I understand that. They ask me, 'How could you not know?' and I guess in the retrospect of history, that's not an unfair question. But we learned and we've done something about it. When I look back at where we were in '98 and where we are today, I'm proud of the progress we've made.''

Selig said he pushed for a more stringent drug policy during the labor negotiations of 2002 but ultimately settled for a watered-down version out of fear that the players association would force another work stoppage.

"Starting in 1995, I tried to institute a steroid policy,'' Selig said. "Needless to say, it was met with strong resistance. We were fought by the union every step of the way."

As bodies expanded and home run totals ballooned in the late 1990s, Selig said he consulted with baseball men he knew and trusted, such as Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin (then a coach with the Milwaukee Brewers), Braves president John Schuerholz and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to gauge the extent of the problem.

"They all told me none of them ever saw it in the clubhouses and that their players never spoke about it,'' Selig said. (Padres CEO) Sandy Alderson, as good a baseball man as you'll find, was convinced it was the bat. Others were convinced it was the ball. So a lot of people didn't know.''

Selig said that although only eight major-leaguers have tested positive for steroids in the past three years, he continues to be concerned about the possible use of human growth hormone, for which baseball has no approved test.

"On HGH, I'm as frustrated as anyone,'' he said. "Right now, we're funding a program at UCLA with Dr. Don Catlin to come up with a test, any test, that's reliable.''

Selig also downplayed a story last week in which it was suggested he was considering suspending Alex Rodriguez - whose name was revealed to be on a confidential list of 104 major-leaguers who tested positive for steroids and other PEDs during the 2003 survey testing upon which baseball's current drug policy is based - and returning Hank Aaron to his former position as the all-time major-league home run leader.

"I'm not going to comment on changing the records except to say that I never flatly deny anything,'' Selig said. "I've always said I'd consider everything. But the record situation, if you go back to what Ford Frick did [with Roger Maris in 1961], is a very slippery slope. Changing records is a very difficult process.''

Selig refused to comment on whether he is considering punishment for Rodriguez, who will hold a news conference Tuesday in Tampa to address questions concerning his positive test result.

"Let's just say I'm going to monitor that situation closely,'' he said. "I honestly don't know how anyone could have done more than we've already done."

The A-Rod/Gammons Interview: The Day Baseball Changed Forever

2009-02-10T12:30:00.002-05:00

Some Thoughts On The Steroid Era

2009-02-09T15:13:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting to comment on this whole A-Roid thing until I heard it directly from A-Rod. I do have to say, it was at least a classy move to man-up and be honest by admitting he used.

But, it's still pretty sad to say the least. I mean...Et Tu, A-Rod??? Wow.

But my problem isn't with the players anymore...in fact...I blame Major League Baseball.

Bud Selig and the rest of baseball's fat cats sat back and watched baseball grow on the video game like swings of guys like Mark Mcgwire, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and even Alex Rodriguez after the strike in 1994 and they did nothing to find out why all of a sudden these guys looked like bodybuilders and could hit the ball 9,000 feet into the air. They didn't question anything.

Why would they? Slowly, more and more fans started showing up to games to see this new breed of "power hitters". We, "the dumb unsuspecting fans", simply thought baseball was shifting from a game of pure talent and athleticism to a game of pure strength and athleticism. These new "power hitters" quickly gained the admiration of us fans and the multi-million dollar contracts immediately started ballooning to the now comical levels.

But Bud Selig knew what the deal was. Major League Baseball knew what the deal was. For them to sit there and act like an innocent party in all of this is repulsing. If the drugs were obviously as rampant as they apparently were, none of those parties can honestly say that they didn't raise an eyebrow when two bulging roid heads battled to set the single season homerun record in 1998?

Come on!!! Wasn't it at least a little suspicious to you, Bud?! A man who supposedly knows so much about baseball he is the commissioner of the entire league! And he never heard a trainer, or a coach, or even a ball boy say anything like, "Wow. That guy looks almost superhuman!"??? I don't buy it for a minute.

When baseball decided it was good business to turn a blind eye to this scandal, THEY destroyed the integrity of the game. Not the players. And now that Major League Baseball has rebuilt their fan base, they are going to go back and single handedly destroy the legacies of each player who helped rebuild the game from an absolute laughing stock in 1994, to what it has become today.

One day, history will look back at this and realize it wasn't just the players who stripped the innocence of Major League Baseball during the Steroid Era, it was also Bud Selig and any other person involved with Major League Baseball who knowingly turned a blind eye to a problem that at the time, was very, very good for business.

In my opinion, we're all to blame. And that is very, very sad.

A-Rod: "I Was Young, I Was Stupid, I Was Naïve"

2009-02-09T14:36:00.004-05:00

ESPN.Com (full interview scheduled for 6pm on SportsCenter):

His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. "Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful."

Rodriguez's admission comes 48 hours after Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for banned substances in 2003, the year when Major League Baseball conducted survey tests to see if mandatory, random drug-testing was needed in the sport.

Sources who know about the testing results told SI that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, an anabolic steroid. In his ESPN interview, Rodriguez said he did not know exactly which substance or substances he had taken. In 2003, there were no penalties for a positive result.

"I am sorry for my Texas years," A-Rod said. "I apologize to the fans of Texas."

Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees for the 2004 season after a trade from Texas, said "all my years in New York have been clean." He also said it felt good to be honest about what he's done in the past.

"The more honest we can all be, the quicker we can get baseball [back] to where it needs to be," he said.

Rodriguez said he was told by Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the MLB Players' Association, that he might, or might not, have tested positive in the 2003 survey. A source told ESPN on Saturday that Rodriguez knew he had failed the test.

"I had never heard anything since," he said. "Whatever I was experimenting with in Texas might have been OK."

Rodriguez also said of his 2007 interview with Katie Couric on "60 Minutes," when he denied ever using steroids, that "at the time, I wasn't being truthful with myself. How could I be truthful with Katie Couric or CBS?"

Jeter: Let's Turn The Page On A-Rod/Torre

2009-02-05T11:54:00.003-05:00

Bryan Hoch/MLB.com:

It must be that time of year. Derek Jeter has arrived for Spring Training, discussing his relationship with Alex Rodriguez.

Jeter told The Associated Press on Wednesday that A-Rod continues to have the support of his teammates, in the wake of developments that saw Joe Torre's book paint Rodriguez as a needy, insecure presence in the clubhouse.

"Like I've said before, we all support Alex. He's our teammate," Jeter told The AP on Wednesday, after working out at the Yankees' Minor League complex. "It seems like that we keep talking about the same things over and over again.

"It's not like this is a new thing that's come up. The only thing that you'd like to see, going into Spring Training, is you'd like to see everyone talking about the excitement of the season and getting ready for the season. That's the unfortunate thing."

On Wednesday, Jeter said former Yankees bullpen catcher Mike Borzello -- one of Rodriguez's closest friends around the team and a person quoted extensively in the book -- used it in a kidding manner.

"He joked with him," Jeter said. "It wasn't like people on the team. I've never heard someone on the team say that. That never happened."

"Knowing Mr. Torre, he's never going to intentionally try to hurt somebody," Jeter said. "He's like a second father to me. Everyone knows how close we are. He's not going to intentionally go out and do harm to somebody. That's not the kind of person he is."

Are You Ready For The Show?!?

2009-02-04T21:00:00.003-05:00

Widely considered the most authentic baseball game available, MLB 09® The Show™ is set to provide fans with the most realistic baseball experience to date with innovations such as a more immersive Road to The Show, a deeper franchise mode, and more robust online features. Holding more than 85% market share on PS3 and more than 70% market share across any platform, MLB 09 The Show has proven once again to be the industry’s premier licensed MLB game, both critically and commercially.

Road to the Show is back once again, this time introducing interactive training to improve player abilities and performance in a variety of skill sets. Franchise Mode is also going deeper, adding items such as salary arbitration and September call-ups. Adding to the online feature set,
MLB 09 The Show introduces Online Season Leagues to allow players to hold fully functional drafts and utilize a flex schedule, allowing players to play games ahead of the schedule. Users can also access a new Roster Vault to tweak player attributes, appearance, and accessories to create the ideal roster.

Additionally, MLB 09 The Show raises the overall level of detail and realism from customizable fan chants, to jumbotron animations, to crowd atmosphere. Accurate lighting transitions, including realistic afternoon to dusk to nighttime effects provide more realism than ever before. Mascots are available for all teams and each will show off signature moves throughout the game. End of game replays are also available to provide players with an instant post-game visual replay of exciting plays, much like a true-to-life MLB broadcast.

--COMING SPRING 2009--

*Download a real, five-inning preview on PlayStation Network tomorrow at Noon!!!

**I have more of the technical specifications for the game from the developer, so if you are interested, please do not hesitate to shoot me an email and I will send you a copy of the fact sheet.

***Hopefully there will be a review of the game coming shortly. Stay tuned. And thank you for stopping by!!!