Slow Trade Deadline in NY

The non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone in new york and neither the Yankees or the Mets have decided to make any impact moves. The Yankees added Jerry Hairston Jr to the mix but his impact will be minimal. He can play all Outfield positions and secondbase. He will provide more depth on the bench. However how much better is he then Ramiro Pena?

The Yankees did not add anyone to coverup their biggest weakness; lack of depth in the starting rotation. with the next best option being Kei Igawa in the minors the Yankees are extremely thin at the rotation and an injury to any of the starters would be a killer.

They didn't have to go out and get Roy Halladay, the asking price was crazy, but they should have (and can still just not as easily) added another pitcher. Cashman did right not taking Jarrod Washburn as Seattle wanted Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain or Jesus Montero. I would have loved to hear that phone call. But the reports say that they possibly could have had Brian Bannister but they wanted the Royals to pay for the remainer of his salary. When has 650k ever stopped the Yankees before?

The Yankees head to August leading their division and one game behind the Dodgers for the top record in baseball. But their league just got a whole lot better their #1 rival just added a big slugger in Victor Martinez and the White Sox added Jake Peavy. Yankees Universe will have to hold their collective breath as they have to hope no pitcher will join Chien-Ming Wang on the dl. Andy Pettitte Tage) and Joba Chamberlain (never done this before) and even AJ Burnett (history) could all be one pitch from ending up there. Also the Yankees are faced with an innings limit problem with Joba Chamberlain and there doesn't seem to be a public plan on how to handle this.

A 200 million dollar payroll shouldn't have to make moves to keep ahead of its competion and its unclear if a move was totally necessary. But a move for a pitcher would have calmed a lot of minds by adding some depth to a spot of weakness.

2009 Pinstripe Preview

Here we are on the eve of the start of the 2009 Regular Season so lets take a quick look at what to expect from the New York Yankees this season.

On paper the Yankees look to boast another strong team and with a 200 million dollar payroll they should always be in contention. The additions of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixera and Nick Swisher bring a lot of excitement to the season.

The Yankees again boast another strong- even without A-Rod for the first few weeks. Most teams would kill to have the names of Jeter, Damon, Teixera, Nady, Cano, Posada but in New York if A-Rod's name isn't included people are concerned.

The Yankees lineup does have some question marks heading into the 2009 compaign. First of all who knows what the psyche of A-Rod will be following his topsy-turvy off season. (From steroids to madonna to an injury to kissing himself in a mirror.) They also have to find out if Robinson Cano is a 330 hitter or a 280 hitter and if Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada can return to their old form. Also Bret Gardner brings some needed speed and athleticism to the team.

When looking at the lineup tomorrow Yankee fans will notice (or already probably noticed this weekend) that there is a major change. Derek Jeter will be batting leadoff and Johnny Damon is batting second. The flip-flop could be an attempt at protecting Jeter who has hit 40+ doubleplays the last two years; and 15 of those were in the first inning. Now this only protects him in the first inning but it might be one of a couple changes Jeter sees in his role. There has been a lot of talk about Jeter and his contract following 2010. A lot of this is just to grab headlines as last I checked Jeter batted 300 last year while being injured. He is the face of the Yankees and baseball and on the verge of being the first Yankee to obtain 3000 hits. He still gets the job done and leads the team.

Onto the pitching staff the Yankees feature their best rotation since atleast 2003. With Sabathia, Burnett, Chien-ming Wang, Andy Pettite and Joba Chamberlain the Yankees 1-5 is as strong as anyones. The fact Wang, Pettitte and Chamberlain will matchup with other teams 3-5 starters gives the Yankees an edge. Who would you favor Pettitte or Sidney Ponson? They also have reinforcements for when someone gets hurt, and someone will, in Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and Ian Kennedy.

The bullpen is still fortified by the greatest closer of all time in Mariano Rivera and the bridge to him will still be a key to winning ball games. Brian Bruney last season quietly had a similar 2008 as Chamberlain had in 2007. Phil Coke had a great September and Spring and has looked very promising. Coke and Damaso Marte give the Yankees some important lefty arms. They also have Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez to help eat up some innings.

The big offseason debate has been whether Joba Chamberlain should be a starter or a bullpen man. He is a starter now and should be a starter. But if he fails there or an injury to Rivera or Bruney forces him into a bullpen role he will be fine.

The big weakness on this team is on defense. The addition of Mark Teixera will save some errors in the infield as it is believed he saves 40 runs a year with his glove. Jeter and Rodriguez's range will be an issue on the left side of the field. Cano has the talent to win a gold glove but his effort needs to be there. As for the outfield Gardner covers a lot of ground and Damon is an above average defender but has no arm. Xavier Nady in rightfield is probably a drop off from Bobby Abreu (except he will go within 20 feet of a wall.)

The outlook for 2009 is bright for the Yankees but to win #27 they need to hope certain things happen. Playing in the AL East will be tough with the Red Sox and Rays arguably the other top 3 teams in baseball. The Yankees need to hope no major injuries occur and that they improve their hitting with runners in scoring position. 2009 should be an exciting year in the New Yankee Stadium.

Checking out the New Digs

The Eliassportsblog spent the past weekend checking out the new home for the New York Yankees. We were lucky enough to get tickets for both games and spend both days moving around the ballpark and checking everything out. The anticipation of getting insdie the Stadium really felt like the anticipation on Christmas before you open your gifts. There was not enough to check everything out as the place was huge but here are some first impressions.

First of all the place is just massive. You really feel like you are walking into a cathedral. It just has a feel that its something special. However while in your seats you don't feel that it is a huge ballpark. It really feels close to the action

The history of the Yankees really jumps out at you when you enter the Great Hall. The pitcures of the past greats really gives you goosebumps.

When you finally see the field, the first thing you notice is the gigantic scoreboard in centerfield. Gigantic doesn't even cover it. The screen is massive and has a great picture. Its better then any HDTV you have ever seen.

The best part of the Stadium is that it looks and feels like the old one across the street. From some angles everything really looks the same. There are even some of the same advertisements on the walls. The dimesnsions are the same and just looking at the field its tough to tell a difference.

The Stadium looks like the old one but feels like all the modern parks that have opened. There are wide walkways that allow you to see the field from anywhere. You can stand and watch the game from anywhere. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and go to the bathroom. Hopefully this means waiting on lines will be a thing of the past. The food is upgraded as there is everything that you can imagine, from sushi to italian food to garlic fries. The Mohegan Sun Sports Bar or the bleacher cafe in centerfield provides a very nice view of the whole place. It will be a great location to hangout eat and watch the game.

It seems that the new park will be a hitters park. The Yankees hit 7 homeruns in two games in early April. This is a time when hitting is supposed to be difficult. It really makes you wonder how it will play when the air heats up in June. The ball got to the gaps very quickly and I am sure this made the hitters extrememly happy and the pitchers nervous.

The only negative is the crazy ticket prices that are being asked for some of the best seats. However the only problem with it is that companies can't afford them this day and that those great seats might be empty most days. It's not like the average fan is losing out because they usually didn't sit there. There are (well were they are likely sold out for the year) in the Terrace and Grandstand levels. Also the obstructed view or standing room seats are a great bargain because you have access to everything in the park.

All in all this is going to be a great place to watch a ballgame and a place that everyone will enjoy.

Santa Returns to the Yankee Christmas Tree

It appears that Santa Claus forgot to drop off all of his early Christmas gifts that were ticketed for the Bronx. Less then a week after dropping off two expensive pitchers, Santa returned and dropped off the top hitting prize on the market. The Yankees must have been extra good this year despite missing the playoffs to be rewarded like this.

The Yankees will be bringing in arguably the three top prizes on the free agent market. In a move that nobody saw coming the Yankees were able to pull off a huge coup and steal Mark Teixera from the Red Sox.

The Yankees were always mentioned as being obsererves of the Teixera situation but never really serious contenders. It appeared all winter that Teixera would either be a Red Sox and a nemisis to the Yankees or go to the Nationals and be irrelevant for his career. Instead he chose to follow in the footsteps of his idol Don Mattingly and play in the largest stage in baseball.

Brian Cashman played the 2009 free agent market perfectly. He set the tone on CC Sabathia and let the rest of baseball know that they shouldn't even think about signing the big lefty. He let Sabathia know his level of interest early and show how sincere he was. He then went and paid a visit to the lefty's home and got his wife onboard.

Cashman used a different tactic with Teixera. He met with him early in the offseason where I believe he expressed his interest and asked Teixera to give the Yankees a chance to make an offer before he signed. That was news to his agent Scott Boras as he loves to keep the Yankees hanging around to raise prices. Cashman always denied his interest and the possibility of brining in the young firstbaseman. Cashman kept the price low enough and swoopt in and took him in the last minute.

Now you are going to hear everyone complain about the Yankees spending but in reality their payroll will still be lower or about the same as last years payroll. The Yankees are swimming in money and should not be expected to hold on to it. They bring in a lot of money from the YES Network and the opening of a new stadium. It would be worse if they made this money and didn't put it back into the team. The Yankees only commitment is to their fans who are paying big money to see them play. They must do their best to put the best show on every night for the fans.

The Red Sox fans will complain, but they should only blame their team management. They let 14 million dollars over 8 years stop them from signing a guy they coveted. Tell me if a team worth about a billion dollars (including the Stadium and NESN Network) should really let that stop them from getting a guy they want.

The Red Sox are not done by and large stretch. They are still a team who were a few outs away from a second straight World Series. They will need David Ortiz and Mike Lowell to bounce back from injury plagued years. They will also need Josh Beckett to return to being an ace and see how Jon Lester bounces back from his first full season. If they need to sign someone there are a lot of cheaper guys on the market who can help them: Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley to name a few.

Teixera might not be a top ten guy in the league (a point I have made before) and he might not be worth the money he is getting. But there was no way the Yankees could find a guy of his talent, skills and youth other then Teixera. He does a lot of things very well and the Yankees really couldn't pass on the chance to get him. They have a lot of money off the books this year and next year (Matsui and Damon most notably.) Plus next years free agent class is extrememly weak and the Yankees don't look to be big players in it.

This move is actually a positive for baseball too. Sure it looks bad to have one team spending all that money but now every game the Yankees play will be sold out, at home and on the road. They will bring in more money for visiting teams then they make the rest of the year. The Yankees will also be a must see team and every game on national TV will bring in big audiences.

This move and offseason didn't win the Yankees the World Series or the AL East but they have greatly improved on a third place finish. They will likely be the new favorites to win it all but they still have to play the games in the toughest division in baseball. These moves did show the Yankees will always look to improve the team and how badly they want to win.

The Not-So-Hot Stove Update

Some quick thoughts on the current state of the MLB Hot Stove. But first I would like to apologize for the lack of updates. Between the holidays and starting a new job I have been very busy and haven't found the neccessary time to put some real thoughts down on paper. Hopefully things have settled down and I can continue to give my opinions on the sports world.

* Yankees offer no aribitration to anyone- This is a sign of the current economic state of the world. The fact Bobby Abreu didnt get offered arbitration is a huge surprise. All year it was understood that Abreu would be offered abritration and the Yankees would either get draft picks as compensation or they would get Abreu for 16-18 million for the 2009 season. Either was looked at as a win-win. But with the current economic state of things Abreu isn't getting any offers anywhere near 16million and he definetly would have accepted. Which means Yankees would have paid him a lot more then his economic value.

* Besides Mark Teixera, CC Sabathia, and probably AJ Burnett who is going to get big money? The markets seem to be very dry and there isn't the big money everyone was hoping for. Will players like Adam Dunn and Rafael Furcal accept the low offers?

*When will the players start signing? I would expect around the winter meetings in a couple weeks. Everyone is waiting for Sabathia and Teixera to set the standard and then the dominoes will all fall quickly.

* Where is the outcry over the Red Sox begining an international conflict? The Red Sox signing of Japanese amateur pitcher Tazawa is going to open a whole new can of problems for MLB. There had been a gentleman's agreement between the MLB and Japan Leagues not to pursue eachother's amateurs. Well that is clearly gone and now it is expected that Japanese Teams will offer America amateurs big money to leave and go play there instead of in minor leagues. This could turn into a major problem. Imagine the outcry if the Yankees did this? ESPN would have a new special every hour.

NY Sports Preview Week of 11/17

This week should be a little less hectic for NY sport fans as they can still revel in their football teams big wins and a winning week for both the Knicks and Rangers.

In terms of baseball both Met and Yankee fans can look forward to their teams being aggressive in the free agent market. K-Rod and CC Sabathia have been given offers and each team is waiting for a response. The Mets and Yankees are differing in their approach, the Yankees are looking to blow teams out of the water and surpass their offers and the Mets are trying to be competitive with others and raise them when needed. We will see what works best.

As for the Knicks they face the defending champs Boston Celtics and then get some easier games versus the Bucks and Wizards. The Celtics should be a tough game to give the Knicks a realistic view of where the team stacks up.

The Rangers have two games vs the Senators which sandwhich a game versus the Canucks. The Canucks game will be a great battle between Roberto Luongo and Henrik Lundquist.

Another big event in NYC will be the Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tournament which will feature two of the top programs in the country Duke and UCLA. Should be a fun two days at MSG as everyone hopes for the championship game between those two schools.

The New York Football Giants will head to the desert and the site of their Super Bowl Championship as they take on MVP favorite Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals. A win here gives the G-Men a good grip on the #1 Seed and home-field advantage.

The Jets and Bret Favre come off their biggest win in years after beating the Patriots on the road. And how are they rewarded? A trip to Nashville to face the Titans and their undefeated record. A win here and the talk will be about a NY-NY Superbowl. This game should bring the fans back to earth.

Breaking News- Nick Swisher to Yankees

The Yankees have acquired CF/1B Nick Swisher from the White Sox for Wilson Betemit and Jeff Marquez.

Quick thought: Swisher is a guy the Yankees should have been targetting. He is very versatile and fills the CF or 1B hole. He is a grinder in his hitting style. The only concern is that he didn't play in September or October as the White Sox thought they were better without him.

As for Betemit, he was what he was- a bench player with some pop who has never got a chance to play. Maybe this will be the right move for him. And Marquez was a guy the Yankees were high on but ultimatly a guy that couldn't stand in the way of the move.

Yankee Hot Stove: The Offense

Before getting into what the Yankees need to do this offseason to improve their offense a bit of news. The Yankees have signed Damaso Marte to a 3 yr 12 million dollar option. I was never a fan of acquiring Marte last year and still will not trust him in a big spot. However the move makes sense as the Yankees need a lefty reliever they can rely on (no more Billy Traber or Mike Myers please.) Phil Coke looked good last September but lets let him develop before we give him the 8th. (Remember how good Ian Kennedy was last September?)



Ok onto the offense: As we know Friday 12:01 AM will be a big day for the Yankees. Maybe even the biggest free agency day for the Yankees in their history. The offense was the major problem for the Yankees last year. If you take the same pitching last year with 2007's offense, the Yankees make the playoffs. Hopefully a healthy Posada will come back and restore some claught to the catching position. Arguably two of the top Yankee hitters last year Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu wont be back next year. They both had very good years last year. It seems any player on the team not named Jeter or A-Rod will be on the block.



Yankees have shopped Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon and have had some interest in both. The big name the Yankees can offer is Robinson Cano, now the tough move is do you believe that 2008 was just a bad year and he will return to his batting title form or is he a guy you need to get rid of? Cano could get you the centerfielder that you need as Damon definetly wont be there and there are doubts if Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera can handle the job. Cano for Matt Kemp of the Dodgers has been rumored for months and seems like a good deal. If Cano is gone look for Orlando Hudson to be signed to replace him.



I wouldn't mind seeing Abreu back for one year and having Gardner and Cabrera try to handle CF this season as there are no top guys to get to fill those wholes. For 1B, I am not a big Mark Texeira fan but he seems to fit their needs perfectly. Great Defense, Good OBP and Power. Texeira doesnt do anything great but does a lot good. He isn't as good as the money he will earn but thats the market and the Yankees need him. If I were Yankees I would see if Todd Helton and Ryan Howard were available. Howard doesnt seem likely to stay in Philly too long and he is very pricey maybe he can be had. If I were Cash, I would bring Giambi back on a cheap short contract as his OBP and OPS last year were very good and he had some nice #'s besides avg.



As for Manny Ramirez, I do believe the Yankees will have a chance for him. If they can move Matsui, Manny wouldn't be a bad DH for a year or two. Anything more then 2 yrs is a bad contract. I utlimatly believe Cashman wont sign him no matter how hard Scott Boras tries. If Cashman wants a CF he should see what Toronto wants for Vernon Wells and see if he is available.



So Abreu back, Gardner in CF, and Texeira at 1B is my pick. I will probably be wrong on all my ideas but I do know this: the next month will be very exciting to see what moves the Yankees make.

The Week in NY Sports: Week of 11/10

First order of business: Check out my article on BleacherReport.Com on the great choice Tim Lincecum was for NL Cy Young. I have been asked to write various articles for BleacherReport.com and will be sporadically doing them. Please look out for them.

A new feature here on the Elias Sports Blog, we will take a look at the upcoming week for NY teams and preview the biggest games for each team. What a big week this is coming up for NY sports. All teams in action will have big games and the NY teams look to be active in the MLB Free Agency frenzy starting Friday 12:01 AM.



Knicks: Mike D'Antoni's boys look to build on a hot 4-2 start as they go to San Antonio and face the Tim Duncan and the Spurs. A win here would be sure to give the team more confidence.



Rangers: The Rangers take on their cross river rivals on Wednesday for the first time since Martin Brodeur has been shelved. Following a great start the Rangers have only won once in their last 5 games. Has the European trip finally caught up with them?



Jets: The game of the week in the NFL features the Jets going up to Foxborough and taking on the Patriots in a battle for first place. This game is one of the biggest in Jets history and will show what this team is made of. (More on this game to come later in week.)



Giants: The defending champs will take on the Ravens at home this week. The G-Men sit at 8-1 and would need a Mets like collapse to fall out of the playoffs. The Ravens feature a superb run defense so this should be a good test for Brandon Jacobs and company.



Mets: The second team in NY looks to add a closer and another bat in free agency.



Yankees: The shopping spree begins just after midnight Friday morning. The Yankees are expected to be big players and to open up their wallets.

Black Friday Nears

Just about 72 hours seperate us from the free agency and the Yankees opening their giant wallet and seeing who will take their money. It is an exciting time to be a yankee fan as they are poised to be big players in this offseason. Hal Steinbrenner was quoted today saying that "they are ready for free agency."

Pitching Needs:
Everything I read and hear sounds like they will be making a giant run at CC Sabathia and they are willing to give him anything he wants. They would even "let him DH" from what Mike Francesca was told. I think the Yankees will make him a Godfather offer (an offer he can't refuse.) Who turns down big money anyway?

I also see the Yankees making a big run at either Burnett or Lowe and adding two of the big three to their rotation. If they strike out on those two they have Ben Sheets or Ryan Dempster as possible options.

I think Pettitte will be back at a sizeable discount and Mike Mussina will go off into the sunset with his only 20 win season. As for the bullpen no major needs and I think Cashman learned to build the bullpen with youth and not free agent signings. Bullpens are fickle and change year to year. I would expect Damaso Marte unfortunatly to be back and maybe a run at Juan Cruz to be added to the pen.

Offense Hot Stove Tomorrow

Manny Being Yankee??

According to the NYPost it is possible that the Yankees could be making a push for Manny Ramirez. Now that the World Series is over it will only be two weeks until free agents can sign with new teams. The Hot Stove Season is upon us.

My advice on Manny: If I am Yankees I offer him a one or two year deal worth about 35 million a year. I would gladly take Manny on the Yankees for a short time where he would be motivated. Anything long term is a bad idea.


Analysis on Game 5.5 to come later.

Joba vs. Price

On Saturday morning I heard Warner Wolf discussing this interesting topic on his weekly radio show: Who would you rather have Joba Chamberlain or David Price? Leave your opinions below on who you would pick.

As a Yankee fan I love Joba Chamberlain, even with this recent legal issues, but this is a no-brainer. You have to take David Price for one reason: he is a lefty. Lefties are so rare, especially ones who have stuff as nasty as Price and who are as poised as Price. Now, Price has not been as lights out as Joba was in their first seasons but look at Price's rise in the minors. He lost one game all year and went through 4 levels of the minor leagues as quickly and as dominatly as anyone in history. And his performance in Game 7 of the ALCS will always be remembered in baseball history. It also helps Price that the Rays are not thinking of him as a reliever and he knows he will be a starter come 2009.

What are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments section.

Bud Got it Right

And so we wait for mothernature to allow the conclusion of Game 5. We now know it wont be tonight, maybe tomorrow will be the night. The forecast still doenst look good as snow is on the way for Philly. (Umm I thought this was supposed to be Global Warming) The city of Philadelphia is on the verge of winning their first championship and they have to wait until an undefined date to celebrate. Kind of fitting for a city that has no championships in almost 100 sport years.

As for the first 5.5 innings of Game 5, the Rays may have stolen some momentum. As the Phillies bats awoke in games 3 and 4, led by Ryan Howard's 3 HR's, the Rays finally got hits from Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria. Maybe they will get hot again and carry the Rays back to Tampa.

Now to Bud Selig's decision. He had it right, there is no way a World Series Game or Series can be decided in anything but a 9 inning game. Rain cannot cause a shortened game and cheapen the win. The rules should be changed for the future, and I am sure they will be, but Selig had no choice but to envoke his power for the goodness of the sport. It was ridiculous that the game was even started. As early as the 3rd inning it was obvious that rain would have a huge impact. A sloppy playing field should not effect a crucial game. (I mean the umpires wouldn't even call an infield fly rule because the conditions were so hectic.)

As for the strategy for the resumtion of Game 5. The next run is obviously going to be huge. With the score tied 2-2 and rested and ready bullpens it might come down to one run. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Phillies use Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge for the final 9 outs. As for the Rays, I would go right to David Price. Joe Maddon needs to use his power arm and make sure that the Phillies dont score. He is their best chance to keep the score tied and give his team time to score the go ahead run.

Ultimatly this leads to a few more days of baseball being played and I am all for that. But lets get this over so the Yankees can start signing some free agents.

Before Previewing the LCS

Sorry for the lack of posting since Yankee Stadium has closed but it has been a difficult time gathering my thoughts on all the is going on. Even the little joy that I could get out of another Mets collapse to end the season it still has been tough/weird watching the Playoffs without my Yankees, even though the last few years it has not lasted more then a handfull of games. But those games allowed for about three days of previews, then the games, then the post-mortum and trying to figure out what went wrong.

A few quick thoughts before the preview:
1) Thank you Mets for the collapse; you guys took all the attention off a failed 2008 campaign for the Yankees.
2) When reflecting back, I think the closing ceremony on September 21st was a perfect sendoff for the Stadium. I think it was the way the Stadium should have gone out (unless it was guarenteed a World Series Championship.) This way everyone knew this was it and everyone could enjoy it. The speach Derek Jeter gave and the final lap saying goodbye was terrific.
3) Bringing Brian Cashman back was the only choice the Yankees had. He has been trying to make the team younger and more athletic for a couple years and he deserves a chance to finish it. He has some questionable moves on his record (Kei Igawa and Jaret Wright to name a couple) but overall he has done a good job and I look forward to the moves he makes this offseason.
4) Congrat's go out to Mike Moooooooosssssssssssseeeeeeee Mussina, for his first 20 win season. It has been great watching his in pinstripes since 2001 and if this is truly it what a way to go out.

The Stadium Closes

I can't believe Sept 21st is finally here. It is a weird feeling thinking that there will never be another game played at Yankee Stadium after tonight. (Unless a historic collapse by the Red Sox occurs.) Unfortunatly, I will be watching all the ceremonies and the game on TV, but this was the toughest ticket in town. I was lucky enough to go the last two nights and make sure I soaked everything in. I haven't written in the last few days because I have either been at the game or I have found it tough to actually write something meaningful on what Yankee Stadium means to me. It was really tough leaving yesterday knowing that I would never be coming back. There are so many great memories that I have had in the Stadium. Not even just seeing big, important playoff games but just going in June and being with either my parents (my mom was a good trooper and went to a bunch of games and would always stay till the end), or going with my friends. Yankee Stadium was just a great place to hangout and enjoy baseball.

The fact tonights game still means something, I know the season is over but they are still technically alive. It would have been awful for the final game at Yankee Stadium to be a truly meaningless game.

I am looking forward to the New Yankee Stadium next year, but I am still sad to see this one go. The new one will be amazing but I don't see how it can duplicate this place. I know the Stadium changed but it was the field where Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig, Dimmagio, and Munson played. I mean you can't duplicate that history, that will be gone. And I dont see how you can make the Stadium rock the way this one has. Where the upper deck would shake following a big moment and you half wondered if the old stadium would just collapse there. There are a lot of great memories that I will take from there.

I will spend hours today watching all the shows on ESPN, ESPN Classic, and YES about the Stadium, not watching football. I can't wait to see the return of Bernie Williams, he deserves a great ovation. Tonight is going to be a night where you get goosebumps, even sitting at home. The Yankees are going to put on a great show. *A side note, I read that the Yankees are not letting the players keep their game jerseys b/c they want to sell them. I find this to be truly ridiculous. The players should be allowed to keep them if they want, they basically told the players they will be arrested if they try to take them. That seems a bit unfair.* I will try to put some real thoughts about Yankee Stadium on paper during the week, including the top 10 games I ever watched there and the Top Games I ever attended there.

Lets go Yankees! Make sure the Stadium closes on a win, with Jeter putting the Yankees ahead and Mo closing it out 1-2-3.

The Final Home Stand

I cant believe this is it. As dissapointing as this season has been for the Yankees, the big story begining this week is the final home stand in Yankee Stadium History. This is not the way anyone in the Yankees orginization envisioned the season going. Everyone expected and wanted the final game to have Mariano Rivera closing out the final game of the World Series. That is clearly not happening now and it is obvious that Sept 21st will be the final game ever played in Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees havent handled the final season in the House that Ruth built the way everyone imagined. There havent been special ceremonies for legend players or for teams final time in the stadium. They have bungled the countdown lever puller during each game. The Yankees have enough former players and legends who could pull the countdown clock. There is no reason that Yankee Stadium staff or the GM of the Devils should be pulling the lever. There were almost enough guys at Old Timer's Day to do it once this year. Hopefully the Yankees have something big planned for this final week. A good start would be to have Bernie Williams come back and have the fans honor him the way he deserves.

This Cathedral of baseball will close its doors for the final time that night and along with it all the history and memories will be done. It is strange to think that there are only a handful of times that I will ever walk into the stadium on 161st street and River avenue. Ten games left to make a memory. There have been many great moments and some bad ones that have taken place in this building and plenty that I have witnessed. The Yankees are moving into a great new ballpark next year but this week is about the Stadium, not even the Yankees poor play can take away from that.

Thank You Jason (Not Mustached One Either)

So Jason Stark has pointed at what the chances of the Yankees making the playoffs are. 2.3 %. You almost have a better chance of being struck by ligntning, twice, then seeing the Yankees make the playoffs. They would need to go on a run that they have not had since 1998 when they won 114 regular season games.

2.3% is still a chance but it doesnt seem likely. Jason Stark has pretty much shown us Yankee fans that yesterday was just a tease and that the 2008 playoffs are almost improbable.

Everytime You Think You Are Out They Pull You Back

Heading home from Yankee Stadium Wednesday night I had finally convinced myself the season was over. No sooner had Dustin Pedroia connected on a grand slam to make it 11-2 my mind was made up. In fact I was up and out of my seat on the way home before that ball even landed. I was even convinced that they were going to get swept in the final Yankee-Red Sox series in the current stadium. I had even told a Red Sox fan congrats on winning the wild card.

As I headed to the Stadium today, I only hoped for a well played game and a win. I just didnt want to see another double digit slaughter by the Sox. I am heading to Florida this week and figured that this was a good time to get away and not worry about the Yankees for a week. They would be 8 games out with 29 to play and just swept by the Red Sox.

But with a couple Giambi swings everything seemed to change. The Stadium had a weird feeling all day, it was almost like the fans were expecting the Yankees to lose. Down 2-0 heading into the 7th things looked bleak. It looked like another game where the Yankee bats would fail them, which is the same script that has been followed for the first 120+ games. Cody Ransom's double with two outs looked like a meaningless hit. And when Girardi brought in the Big G to pinch hit to face Hideki Okajima I had my doubts. I was even questioning the move (I had no faith in Giambi.) But the Big G ran into an Okajima fastball and crushed it to leftcenter and the Stadium was rocking again. The fans were looking for something to chear about and Giambi's 27th homerun was what they needed. He had stopped the final nail into the coffin from being hit (for now.) And then with the bases loaded Giambi lined an 0-2 Jonathan Papelbum pitch to centerfield to send everyone home happy. The Yankees had a huge weight lifted off their shoulder.

This win pulled me back into the season. I was ready to watch them play out the string. I would still watch every game just not live and die with every pitch. But now 6 games back with 29 to play seems slightly do-able. Crazier things have happened. This is a big momentum game that the Yankees can possibly build on. It would be easy as they face Burnett and Halladay this weekend and only have 7 games with teams under 500. Maybe they are done and this was one last good feeling for the 2008 season, maybe this was just a tease, but the Rockies won something like 18 straight games last year to reach the post-season, why cant the Yankees. You have to believe in a team led by Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

As I was riding the 4 train home all I could think was "I thought I was out but they pulled me back in."

Breaking News- Beckett to Alabama

Josh Beckett has been scratched from Fridays start vs the Whitesox and is being sent to Dr. James Andrews office in Alabama. He will be checked out there and Buster Onley has reported his status for the rest of the season is up in the air.

Dr. James Andrews are the three scariest words in baseball (other then Red Sox Win). It is a phrase no team/fan/player ever want to hear.

You never want to see someone hurt and I am only reporting this not trying to make fun of the Red Sox. I hate it anytime someone gets hurt and people celebrate. This is not good news for baseball. As a fan you want to see your team beat their opponents at full strength not a dilluted version.

Unfamiliar Position

The New York Yankees will find themselves in a very unfamiliar position. They are now nothing more then 200 million dollar spoilers. They have been knocked from playoff contention (not matchematically but they need to go 25-5 to have a shot.) Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera will miss the playoffs for the first time in their careers. The Yankees are now no better then the Royals/ Pirates/ Nationals for the final 30 games of the season. They are irrelevant in the baseball world. It is something that has not been experienced in over 14 years.

There will be plenty of time to reflect on the great moments of the past 14 years and the great run, but right now its time to realize its over and that Jeter and the rest of the team has fallen into depths unknown to them.