Let's Just Blame A-Rod

The Good

A-Rod and Giambi hit homeruns to account for the only Yankee offense. Damon and Nady both had a pair of hits, and Yankee new comer Alfredo Aceves pitched brilliantly for 2 innings, striking out 3.

The Bad

Jeter, Cano and Molina all went hitless and Andy Pettitte recovered from his recent bad outing by having another bad outing. 6 runs in 6.1 innings, 4 of which came in the first two innings.

The Ugly

Well, you have to blame the game on A-Rod. Not because he did anything wrong per say, but because he's an easy target to blame. Halladay and his Cy Young talent didn't have anything to do with today's loss. It was all A-rod. He went 1-3 with a solo homerun. Is there anything more selfish than a solo homerun? You get credited for a hit, and a run scored, its a one man show. Yes Giambi also hit a solo homerun, but he was expecting A-Rod to just get on base so he could selflessly drive him in for the team. But A-Rod has too much pride for that and took away Giambi's chance to have 2 RBI's. If you take those 2 RBI's Giambi would have had and add them to the 5 runs A-Rod didn't score, then the Yankees win today. Its as simple as making up numbers and making sure they add up to a higher score than what the opposing team had. But no, A-Rod hits a solo homerun, and losses the game for the Yankees.


Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Two solo homeruns today by selfish A-Rod and selfless Giambi. The difference you ask? Giambi hit his for the children and A-Rod hit his to make the Yankees lose.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 29hr = $29.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 28hr = $28.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 13hr = $13.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 2hr = $2.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $146.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Don't Blame A-Rod, Blame Cano

The Good

Jeter, Abreu, Cano, and Pudge all had two hits with the later two hitting solo homeruns. Matsui hit a 2-RBI double to put the Yankees up 6-2.

The Bad

Rasner was dealing until he came in to pitch the 7th. That inning, Rasner imploded rapidly and allowed 3 runs to score, though part of the blame must go to Cano (See the Ugly). What could have been a 6 inning 2 run performance for Rasner became a 6+ inning 5 run affair.

The Ugly

Cano botched that flip to Jeter and thus allowed an unearned run that would prove to be the difference in the game. Cano's bat has been coming around of late, but he's far from being Roberto Alomar at second despite what Girardi may say. A-Rod grounded into a double play in the 9th with two men on, and down by one run. He got the boo's, and he's certainly been bad of late, but this game is won if Cano makes that play. Cano was booed as well. Yankee fans are ticked.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Two homeruns yesterday by Cano and Pudge, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to win a game.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 27hr = $27.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 13hr = $13.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 2hr = $2.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $144.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

You Rang?

Deron was a shortstop in the Yankees minor league system back in 1995 when a PED scandal ended his career. He brings an insider’s perspective to our blog.

I guess there's at least one reader of this blog with some good taste. As for the rest of you, how's rehab going? I don't want to assume, but I have to imagine a bunch of guys who actually think that Jeter can play shortstop and like to refer to him as a gangster have done their fair share of crack cocaine.

I figured I'd write a season review come October while I watched competent baseball teams play this game in a manner worthy of its storied history, but I guess I can give you a preview.

April: Yankees Sucked

May: Yankees Sucked

June: Yankees Sucked

July: Yankees great for 8 games, then they sucked

Well, you get the point. I guess it's not really the Yankees fault. I mean, they just unceremoniously got rid of the greatest manager in baseball over the last 12 years, made no real attempt to get better, ran a bunch of AA pitchers out as part of their five man rotation, hired a manager with far less ability than Torre, fielded a line up consisting mainly of aging players that used to hit but whose cataracts now make that increasingly difficullt, and then ruined Joba's shoulder by horribly mismanaging his professional pitching career.

But it's not their fault. It was clearly the injuries. If by injuries you mean sheer incompetence. And if by sheer incompetence you mean sheer incompetence.

What's with Jeter's flat top fade by the way? Did he never get over the end of Kid-n-Play's careers? Totally in love with the Dick Tracy bad guy? It doesn't make any sense. Much like pretending he's a great shortstop. The sabermetrics don't lie. Jeter has the range of an 85 year old hip replacement candidate and only got to the big leagues because he'll nail anything that moves. You know it, I know it. Now the blogosphere knows it. If by blogosphere you understand the 8 or so people who read this blog.

Anyway, in conclusion, the Yankees suck. Thanks for reading my post on this lovely blog. In all seriousness, however, this is a great blog. And by great I mean that I'm still waiting for my cut of the advertising revenue. You cheap mofos, give me my money! Now!

Respecting Jeter's Gangster

Today's ninth inning is exactly why this blog is called Respect Jeter's Gangster. Down by one, leading off the inning, Jeter gets on base. Abreu then drew a walk moving Jeter into scoring position. I'm not an A-Rod hater, but this ninth inning reminded me of the 2005 playoffs, where A-Rod promptly grounded into a double play in the ninth inning of a game we needed to win. Why is it that everyone seems to be able to find a way on base in these situations except for A-Rod? Anyway, Yanks lose, A-Rod sucks, yay Jeter.

Pavano Matches Previous Record of Consecutive Starts in a Season

The Good

Gotta give it up to Pavano who pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball on 72 pitches. Bruney-Marte-Veras-Ramirez combined for 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Rivera got the save with a 5 out 3 strikeout performance. The offense was generally flat but Damon, Abreu, and Cano all had two hits with the latter two hitting doubles.

The Bad

5 Yankees went hitless yesterday, and to be honest 2 runs is not very good. They got the win due to a miraculous start by the tin man Carl Pavano, and a pieced together appearance by nearly everyone in the bullpen. All season we've been waiting for this offense to wake up, and it still hasn't.

The Ugly

Carl Pavano has matched his previous record of two consecutive starts set in 2007. If he pitches one more game he will shatter his record as we all cheer him and his courageous come back from every conceived and real injury he has sustained over the years.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Unfortunately, there were no homeruns yesterday.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 27hr = $27.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 12hr = $12.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $142.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Better Late Than Never

So the Yanks beat Burnett tonight. It would've been nice had they done that 5 or 6 games ago, but it's nice to have a win. Kudos to Mariano for a five out save, it's a good thing you're around to make us look like we've played this game before. Hey, next time you close a game and shake hands with I-Rod, could you ask him to, I don't know, maybe try getting a hit some time? Thanks Mo, I appreciate it.

So was this a good game or an infuriating one because it's a week too late?

Yankees Not Giving Up

With the Yankees now 6 games behind in the wild card the players feel the need to let their fans know that they are not giving up. Though a playoff appearance seems more unlikely every time the Yankees ground into a double play or strike out with runners in scoring position, the Yankees remain optimistic about their chances. Our very own "Respect Jeter's Gangster" reporting team took an opportunity to interview players about popular perception that the team has given up on the season.

"Look, its not like we're giving up." Explained right fielder Bobby Abreu. "Its more like we're giving down. There's a difference."

What Bobby Abreu was stating was the basic rhetoric coming from the Yankees throughout our interviews. An encouraging feign towards perseverance followed by a nonsensical statement concluding and contradicting their former statement.

"Giving up is when you don't even bother trying." Abreu continued. "Giving down is when you show up, put on your uniform, take batting practice, put people on base, and ground into double plays. You can see the difference."

Bobby Abreu was not the only player to promote this sentiment. Other players were just as quick to share their thoughts.

"I mean, I could hit when someones standing at third base." Said Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez. "I could do that. But sometimes I just want to swing my bat without having a ball obstruct its path. There's freedom in swinging at nothing. I mean, have you ever seen 'Dances With Wolves'? Its just like that."

We were not sure what that meant.

"We can still win." said second baseman Robinson Cano matter-of-factly. "Not the division or the wild card mind you, but definitely a couple more games this season."

The pitchers had a different take on how the season could shape out.

"Do I think we can still win the wild card?" Asked starting pitcher Mike Mussina. "If the offense scores a couple more runs a game we definitely can. So no, I don't think we can win the wild card."

"Can we still win?" Yankee pitcher Sydney Ponson repeated. "If I'm pitching every five days, then probably not."

The message is clear. The Yankees have not given up on this season, and us fans should support them to the end. As Derek Jeter explained, losing isn't even in their vocabulary.

"I don't know the definition of 'lose'." Stated Derek Jeter. "But this season I'm getting a pretty good idea."

Giambi Avoids Sweep

The Good

Jason Giambi won this game by driving in all 3 runs the Yankees scored. Jeter had 3 hits, and the ever powerful Cody Ransom went 1-2 with a double. Mussina pitched as good as ever giving up 2 runs over 7 innings, but couldn't get the win as the Yankee offensive struggles continued. Bruney-Marte-Rivera finished the game with 2 innings of shutout ball. Marte's been looking better of late.

The Bad

Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, Cano, Matsui and Molina all went hitless yesterday. A-Rod struck out 3 times in 4 at bats and walked to the dugout in a chorus of boo's.

The Ugly

Its going to be tough for Mussina to get to 20 as he has about 5-6 starts left this season and needs a W in 4 of them. The Yankees needed to win for him yesterday, but they didn't. Now, its going to be a tough September.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Giambi hit another homerun yesterday to tie the game in the 7th off Okajima.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 27hr = $27.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 12hr = $12.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $142.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

So What Will We Become

Most people, myself included, felt that the Yankees needed to at least win this series against the Red Sox if not sweep to have a chance at the wild card. Now with the season officially over, and both Hank and Cash having recently made statements about how bad the Yanks have been, it's time to ask what next year's team will look like. I'm guessing the Yanks go hard after Teixera and Sabbathia. Maybe Hughes will turn into a good pitcher, but I frankly don't have much hope for Ian Kennedy. The question is will we be making excuses for Manny being Manny come next season.

As the sox we're pounding us yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine who is a sox fan about Manny. While he doesn't think Bay is an adequate replacement, he feels like it's a good thing that Manny is gone because despite bending over backwards to make him happy he was a perennial malcontent. One thing he pointed out is the Sox should never have started the "Manny being Manny" thing, since all it accomplished was letting him get away with being ridiculous and he still ended up forcing the team to let him go. Now I know that Manny has another side to this story but I always hated the Manny being Manny nonsense and my friend was right to fault the Red Sox for excusing everything Manny did with a stupid line like that.

Recently Manny was asked to get a hair cut by Joe Torre and essentially refused. More accurately, he essentially insulted Joe by only cutting an inch, as if to say "I'm Manny and I do whatever I want." It's the equivalent of holding a finger an inch from someone's face and saying I'm not touching you. The thing is, when a living legend like Joe Torre tells you to get a hair cut, you get a #$%&#@&* hair cut. I wonder if Manny cost himself the sort of contract he was hoping for with that little display.

Regardless, a team like New York, a team expected to make the play offs every year, might be interested in a bat like his. Thing is, in NY he has to cut his hair and their won't be any patience for his ridiculous ego. Which may mean if he did sign, that he'd be looking for a trade come July. So will the Yanks test the waters? Should they test the waters? Is this a guy we should take a risk on?

In answering, please take into account the fact that we probably won't be playing in October and that the Yankees have a moral obligation to spend as much money as possible to ensure that this never ever ever happens again so long as the earth is orbiting the sun and human life is still being supported on this planet, or any other for that matter.

At Least Moose is Pitching Tonight

Tonight Mike Mussina takes the mound against the Red Sox to try and avoid a sweep. The last time Mussina faced the Red Sox he pitched 6 innings of shutout ball. Here's hoping he secures win 17 on his quest for 20. We'll just have to see if the offense backs him up.

At this point, can we still get into the playoffs? Well, its not like the wild card and division have been clinched, but with the way the Yankees are playing, its very unlikely they gain any ground. If they step up their game, then they could potentially come back, but they haven't been able to do that all season so what's going to get them to start now? They are 7 games out of the wild card, and they've really sucked the last two games. They haven't been able to carry any momentum past 3 games, and they have a tough schedule coming up including 6 games with the Rays, 3 games with the White Sox, 3 games with the Angels, and 3 more games with the Red Sox. Not to mention several games left with the Blue Jays, who dominated this team the last time they played. The reality is, its still possible, but in my opinion the Yankees don't deserve to be in the playoffs the way they've played all season long.

Lifeless Yankees Lose Again

The Good

A-Rod recovered from his previous performance with 2 doubles and an RBI. Marte was particularly impressive pitching an inning with 2 strikeouts and both Edwar Ramirez and Chris Britton pitched a combined 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball.

The Bad

The Yankee offense scored 3 runs, and looked generally lifeless on the field. Pudge has not adjusted well to New York as he went 0-4 bringing him to a .192 average since coming to the Yankees.

The Ugly

Though the offense didn't help the pitching staff put it out of reach. Ponson gave up 4 runs in 4.2 innings, than Veras gave up 5, and Robertson gave up 2. Its hard to over come 11 runs. As Hank Steinbrenner put it, they sucked. This is the last regular season series that will be played with the Red Sox at Yankee stadium, and its a shame the Yankees are ruining this.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Giambi hit a homerun to help the Yankees narrow the deficit to 8 runs.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 26hr = $26.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 12hr = $12.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $141.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Bronx Bombers Bomb This One

The Good

At least Johnny Damon showed up to play. He went 2-4 with 2 homeruns. If there was any doubt about Damon and his Red Sox roots, I think they should be gone now. Robertson-Ramirez-Britton combined for 3 innings of scoreless relief. Jeter and Abreu both had a pair of hits.

The Bad

Andy Pettitte lasted 4.2 innings and gave up 6 runs off 10 hits and 3 walks. It wasn't all his fault as outlined in the ugly. The offense was also bad reverting to not-hitting with runners in scoring position as they've done for the majority of the season.

The Ugly

I'm not sure what was uglier, so I'll let you decide. First, there's Alex Rodriguez. The man went 0-5 and grounded into 2 double plays including a bases loaded situation, and struck out in the 9th with one on to end the game. He has been absolutely horrible in the clutch this season. Giambi was equally bad going 0-4. I think its time the Yankees move Nady to the 4 spot. He's been the most consistant hitter of late and with Damon, Jeter, and Abreu getting regular hits, we need someone who won't strikeout or ground out every at bat.

Also ugly was homeplate umpire Jim Reynolds. The man's strikezone was inconsistant all game. If I had to venture a guess, I would either say he had money on the game or was intoxicated. Low strikes and corners were regularly given to Wakefield and called outside or low for Pettitte. You can't argue balls and strikes with umpires but I hope there's some sort of committee that looks into this crap. If someone can't call a game they should be back in the minors harrassing 18 year olds about their strikezone.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Damon hit 2 homeruns against his former team. Too bad other Yankees didn't share his ethusiasm for beating the Red Sox.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 11hr = $11.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 12hr = $12.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $140.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

How Is This Going To Turn Out?

Had the Yankees won today and then gone on to win the next two games this would be a very interesting September of baseball. Can it still be? If the Yanks win the next two they gain a game and will only be 4 behind the Sox. If they lose another or the next two that may be it. As much as I hate to say it, the Sox are not the 2007 Mets, they won't lose a 6 or 7 game lead in one month. So how do you think the series will turn out and what will it's ultimate effect on the season be?

Instant Replay Could Change Everything for Yankees

It appears that instant replays will begin in baseball starting this Thursday. That's big news for the Yankees whose season has been ravaged by blown calls. Right now the Yankees stand to score their fewest amount of runs since some year in the 90's where "Skinny Arms" McGee batted clean up. To project the impact of instant replay in baseball, our "Respect Jeter's Gangster" team of investigator's viewed hundred's of hours of footage from Yankee games this season, to see what officials may have missed. In this "Respect Jeter's Gangster" exclusive, our investigators have uncovered what may be the most shocking evidence in a masterminded conspiracy against the Yankees. Take a look at what our investigators uncovered about our players.

A-Rod - After adding up all the blown calls on A-Rod it appears that he actually bats .400 with 17 walk off homeruns, 15 of which were called strikeouts by the umps. He's also stolen 5 more bases than he's been given, 3 of which were called balks against him, and the pitcher was given an automatic out. Crazy.

Jeter - After adjusting for Jeter's blown calls, it appears that Jeter's first half slump was actually an amazing 75 game hitting streak. One of these blown hits show Jeter dropping a clean single into right, run to first, stop on the bag, and while standing at first, the right fielder throws in the ball to the first baseman, the first baseman steps on the bag and he's called out. They also missed Jeter collecting 27 phone numbers from female fans while standing at first.

Ian Kennedy - This one I kind of feel bad about. Out of the 5 homeruns he gave up this season, 4 of them were outs. In one of the video's we watched, Kennedy had two outs in the first with 2 men on and the next guy hit a fly ball to Matsui. Matsui caught it and started to run to the dugout when he saw the umps signaling a homerun. Then when Matsui showed the umps the caught ball, they took offense at him and took an out off the board. It just wasn't fair baseball.

Melky Cabrera - I think of all the players that the lack of instant replay has hurt, none were hurt more than Melky Cabrera. Although he is now in the minors due to a weak bat, video footage our investigators uncovered actually show Melky as a 40-40 player. 23 of his homeruns were ruled foul balls. A couple of times, Melky hit a homerun, ran the bases, and upon reaching home was handed his bat by the ump and told he had 2 strikes. Also, about 19 steals weren't attributed to him even though he legitimately stole the base. The announcers wouldn't even acknowledge that he was standing on second, and the video score board still showed him at first. Really odd.

Bobby Abreu - Abreu won't be affected too much by instant replay as instant replay doesn't cover defensive plays, but in a shocking discovery, Abreu is actually a gold glove caliber outfielder. Unedited video's show Abreu diving, tumbling, running into walls, climbing up foul poles, the whole show. On several of these plays, the camera shows Abreu running after a ball, and then the image switches to stock footage of Abreu playing Chutes & Ladders. Abreu makes this amazing play, and after he's thrown in the ball it switches back to Abreu in real time, just standing there. I've probably seen it a dozen times, and every time I think Abreu's not hustling, but it would appear we've been misled.

All in all, the Yankees have scored over 1,000 runs already, but have had 400 or so of those taken away by a lack of instant replay. The Yankees should actually have 118 wins already this season. That being said, the addition of instant replay will likely give the Yankees the boost they need to win games down the stretch.

Yankee Off Day Means Slow News Day

With the upcoming series against the Red Sox it is only proper to report any news regarding both teams. Here are some relevant items:

Red Sox Injured Too

JD Drew is headed to the DL. Shocker. In other injury news, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is on the 15 day DL, which is good news for the Yankees. Conversly, Julio Lugo is also on the DL, which takes his bat out of the Red Sox lineup and thus hurts the Yankees. Beckett will be skipped this turn in the rotation. One year removed from being claimed as the best pitcher in the majors by Boston fans, Beckett has an above-4 ERA with an 11-9 record. I guess that's what happens when you let yourself go over the winter.

Papelbon's Okay

Papelbon's been pretty good since getting threatened by Yankee fans during the All-Star break. I think we can conclude that he's gotten over it.

Papi Misses Manny

No one misses Manny more than Big Papi who has batted .237 with 3 homeruns since the trade. Manny on the other hand doesn't seem to miss Papi at all as he's batted .380 since going to the Dodgers with 6 homeruns.

In Yankee Land

The Yankees have an off day today. The Yankes still have 6 games left with the Red Sox, 6 games left with Tampa, and 3 games left with the White Sox. Those are some tough games but also good opportunities to gain on our direct competition. It may come down to our final series with the Red Sox to decide whose taking the wild card.

Lastly, cool interview with Sweeny Murti over at fullcountpitch.com. If you're looking for something to do while you wait out your work hours, give that a read.

Yankees Sweep The O's

The Good

Wow. Robinson Cano had a monster game going 4-5 with the go ahead homerun in the 7th inning. Damon, Abreu, Nady and A-Rod all had multiple hits, with Damon blasting a 3-run homerun and Nady driving in two runs of his own. Marte lasted 1.1 inning of scoreless baseball recording 3 strikeouts. Mariano was used for a third consecutive day and recorded another save.


The Bad

Jeter went on to have an 0-5 day, with a costly error that led to 2 runs. Giambi went 0-4.

The Ugly

Rasner lasted only 3.1 innings giving up 5 runs, 3 earned. Robertson and Ramirez combined to pitch 2.2 innings of 2 run ball. That's 7 runs from our pitchers.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Damon hit a homerun to power the offense early, and Cano hit a solo shot to put the Yankees ahead in the 7th. When asked what their motivation was for those homeruns and they both answered: "Children's Health." Makes sense.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 9hr = $9.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 12hr = $12.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $138.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Pavano Looks Uninjured in Win Against Orioles

The Good

Well, Pavano gave us a win. It wasn't the greatest start in the world, but his 5 innings of 3 run ball was enough for the Yankees, and as his first big league game since April, 2007 I think it was adequate. Bruney-Veras-Rivera closed out the remaining 4 innings by shutting out the Orioles. Rivera got the save. Giambi had a 2-3 game with 3 RBI's including a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning. Matsui hit his second homerun since coming back from the DL.

The Bad

Pavano hit two batters yesterday, Millar, who I don't care about, and Mora who, well, I guess I don't care about either. Go Pavano!

The Ugly

Pudge makes a better Tiger than he does a Yankee. He went 0-4 yesterday and is now batting .214 since coming to New York. Its a shame because he's one of the greatest catchers of all time, and always wanted to be a Yankee. I hope he picks it up. In other acquired players news, Nady is the man.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Matsui made up for lost time by hitting his second homerun since coming off the DL. Giambi hit one of his own to show that he cares for Children's Health too.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 9 hr = $9.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 11hr = $11.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $136.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Yankees Show That Lossings Not the Only Thing They Can Do

The Good

The Yankees exploded for 16 hits and 9 runs last night as they took the lead in the 8th and put it further out of reach in the 9th. 4 Yankees hit homeruns last night including Cody Ransom who is now 2-2 with 2 homeruns in his big league career. Jeter hit his 2,500th hit, and Abreu went 5-5 with an RBI last night. They should bring the Venezuelan Little League team to every game. Veras-Marte-Rivera combined for 3 perfect innings despite Marte being as shaky as he was.

The Bad

Matsui was the unfortunate unlucky Yankee last night who did not receive an invite to the hits party. Sorry Matsui.

The Ugly

Moose was not very sharp last night. His final line of 6 innings and 4 runs wasn't horrible, but he was just having trouble putting guys away. I kind of hoped he'd hit 17 wins tonight to make September easier. By my count, he'll have either 5 or 6 more starts to win 4 games. He's going to have to be real sharp, and this offense needs to be real supportive.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. 4 Yankees aided the cause last night including new comers Ransom and Nady again, as well as Cano and Molina.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 8 hr = $8.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 11hr = $11.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 8hr = $8.00
Jose Molina 2 hr = $2.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 2hr= $2.00
Total = $134.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Yankees Looking Forward

Although the season isn't over, with the way the Yankees are playing and have played all season, I don't have high expectations. That being said, let's take a look at what the 2009 Yankees could look like.

First, here's a list of the expiring contracts:

Jason Giambi - $21 million
Bobby Abreu - $16 million
Andy Pettitte - $16 million
Mike Mussina - $10 million
Carl Pavano - $12 million
Latroy Hawkins - $1 million

Pavano and Hawkins don't leave any holes and Nady can replace Abreu. That leaves us in the market for 2 starting pitchers and a first baseman. At first base, the easy answer is Mark Teixeira, and the Yankees would be crazy not to go for him. The pitchers are a little tougher. There's no telling whether those guys will want to pitch another season, though Mussina likely will. Pettitte could decide after such a blown season that he wants to officially retire, and who would blame him. Whether or not Pettitte goes, the Yankees need to consider a strong push for Sabathia. Imagine a rotation like this:

Chien Ming Wang
CC Sabathia
Joba Chamberlain
Mike Mussina
Darrell Rasner

The top three are as solid as you'll get, and if Moose can keep up his magic then we could really see alot happen. Plus if you add Pettitte to that rotation it looks that much better. Pettitte hasn't looked all that great this season, but he's still a gamer, and someone you'll want in the post season. Then you still have Hughes in the cut waiting for a chance to break in. Not a bad set up. The Yankees will also have to go for some relief, and Scott Downs may be a good guy to consider next season.

What are your thoughts? I didn't explore any trade ideas, but what are some moves you think the Yankees could make this off season?

Resurgant Yankees End Surge At 1 Game

The Good

Matsui had a 3 run homerun to make it look like the Yankees were still playing baseball. Damon stole 2 bases.

The Bad

Ponson and every other pitcher the Yankees put on the mound last night got shelled. Ponson, Robertson, Traber, and Britton combined to give up 14 earned runs.

The Ugly

Things aren't looking too good right now. I'm talking Carl Pavano is pitching Saturday not good. I'm talking 1992 Yankees not good. I'm talking Billy Traber should be DFA's not good. I'm talking Mike Mussina is the only bright spot on this entire team not good. It's not good.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. As long as they're losing, we at least have charity to feel good about life. Matsui hit a 3-run homer to show what post-operative knees can do for children's health.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 8 hr = $8.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 7hr = $7.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 1hr= $1.00
Total = $130.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Yankees Need Steroids

At this point I really wouldn't mind if they all started juicing. This is terrible. Robot Wars terrible. This is like everyone forgetting it's your birthday so you decide to walk to the store and a mad cow eats you terrible. So we're about to lose badly to Toronto. Granted, they have Halladay (?) on the mound but still, that's pretty bad. I wake up every morning to WFAN on my alarm clock radio (fancy, I know) and I have to hear Carton gloating about how bad the Yankees are and how they're not going to make it to the postseason. You can hear the smile in his voice when he talks about it. So to reiterate, this is Robot Wars terrible. You may not know what that means, but my brother does, and he can tell you that's pretty terrible. Thank God the semester's starting up soon and I can focus on other things.

Yankees' Front Office Hates Fans

So Pavano is set to pitch on Saturday. This can only mean that either A) Brian Cashman hates the Yankees and their fans; or B) Brian Cashman does not want a new contract with the Yankees. I'd call random seat numbers and let the fans pitch before I let Pavano throw for the pinstripes. Hell, I'd bring back Clemens and sign Bonds on the same day before I brought Pavano up from wherever he was pitching before. This like a bad dream, only worse, like the grammar in the earlier part of this sentence. I'd correct it but Pavano is pitching on Saturday, which will pretty much be my excuse for everything for the rest of the week. "I know I said I would clean up around here honey, but Pavano is pitching on Saturday." Actually, now that I think about it, as long as Pavano is pitching for the Yankees I have a valid excuse to do whatever I want. Here's to Brian Cashman.

Jeter Shows What Post-Operative Quads Can Do

The Good

Pettitte went 7 innings and only gave up 1 run. Bruney stepped in for 2 shutout innings of his own. Nady, Damon, and Jeter all had multi-hit games with Jeter having 3 hits including a homerun. He is 2 hits shy of 2,500, and only 3,502 hits shy of 6,000, which he'll undoubtedly reach in the next couple years.

The Bad

Giambi and A-Rod need to step things up. They combined to go 0-7 yesterday.

The Ugly

What's up with Cano? He finished July batting .327 and everyone was excited that Cano was making his comeback. Then August came and with yesterday's 0-3 performance, Cano is batting .262 on the month. I just don't get it.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Yankee legend and life-long hero Derek Jeter hit a homerun last night to show his appreciation for Children's Health.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 8hr = $8.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 7hr = $7.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 1hr= $1.00
Total = $129.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Hits With RISP

If the Yankees want a shot at coming back right now, the one thing they need to do better is hit with RISP. For those who don't know what RISP is, it stands for Runners In Scoring Position. So how the team hits with RISP can determine how succesful that team will be. Not in all cases however, as Baltimore is 2nd in the league in this category and are doing awful, while the Rays are one of the lowest in this category and have ruled first place of the AL East with an iron fist. Nonetheless, for the Yankees, the lethargic offense has been a major problem, but I do think there is a solution that could put us back into contention. Take a look at yesterday's lineup and their batting averages with RISP:

Johnny Damon CF - .341
Derek Jeter SS - .311
Bobby Abreu RF - .291
A-Rod 3B - .250
Jason Giambi 1B - .205
Xavier Nady LF- .320 (With Yankees)
Hideki Matsui DH - .338
Robinson Cano 2B - .270
Pudge C - .000 (With Yankees)

As you can see, some of our better hitters with RISP aren't batting where they should be. Now take a look at what some minor adjustments can do to the overall batting with RISP:

Johnny Damon CF - .341
Derek Jeter SS - .311
Ian Kinsler 2B - .413
Justin Morneau 1B - .382
Josh Hamilton RF - .336
David Dejesus LF - .421
Melvin Mora 3B - .372
Joe Mauer C - .350
Aubrey Huff DH - .308

And all I did was take the best RISP hitters at each position in the American League and added them to our roster. Its as simple as that. And yes, Jeter is the best hitter with RISP in the AL at short. Also, I've assumed that Kinsler's sport hernia is really just athlete's foot, so he's back off the DL. So you see, if you move the lineup around a little you can solve all the offensive problems, but no, keep running out the same guys Joe. That'll win games.

A Case For Moose

Yesterday we posted about the possibilities of Mike Mussina winning a Cy Young this year. In all honesty, its the only good story this season. We had several comments about this possibility and what people's thoughts were. So today, we will make our case for Mussina's Cy Young. To begin we need to review the likely competition. By my count there are probably 3 other pitchers who are competing for a Cy Young: Cliff Lee from Cleveland, Roy Halladay from Toronto, and Dice-K Matsuzaka from Boston with Cliff Lee likely being the favorite. Here are their numbers:

Cliff Lee
2.43 ERA, 17-2 record, 134 strikeouts, 24 walks, 170.2 innings, 18 quality starts.

Roy Halladay
2.64 ERA, 14-9 record, 159 strikeouts, 32 walks, 191 innings, 18 quality starts.

Dice-K
2.77 ERA, 15-2 record, 109 strikeouts, 77 walks, 126.2 innings, 11 quality starts.

Mike Mussina
3.35 ERA, 16-7 record, 106 strikeouts, 21 walks, 153.1 innings, 18 quality starts.

Now if you were to look at the numbers, you'd easily put Moose at the back end of this group, but with the Cy Young being a pitching award and all, we need to consider how well these pitchers pitched. Dice-K has a low ERA and a 15-2 record, but throws way too many pitches and walks way too many batters. He walked 77 guys to his 109 strikeouts. Not a good ratio. Also, he's lasted only 5 innings 7 times this season, and has given his team 11 quality starts as compared to the 18 each other candidate has given theirs. Not to mention that his team drives in more runs than Cleveland, Toronto or New York. Sometimes the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Let's move on to the case for Mike Mussina. Moose is a finesse pitcher nearing the end of his career. His velocity dips into the mid 60 mph range on his off speed stuff, and tops out regularly around 85 mph on his fastball. He relies on hitting his spots and outsmarting batters. He can't dial it into the 90's like Lee and Halladay, instead he needs to hit corners and hope it doesn't catch much of the plate. With that said, he avoids the walks, which is surprising (21 walks to 106 strikeouts in 153.1 innings). Halladay and Lee both are smart pitchers, and Lee doesn't rely on power necessarily, but bring both of those guys down to an 85mph fastball, and I wonder how well they'd pitch. The fact is, Mussina has to pitch more than those guys. He doesn't have a great sinker like Halladay, and he doesn't have a deceptive delivery like Lee. He has an 85 mph fastball, and the ability to place his pitches where he'd like. If he misplaces his pitches, they get smashed.

Lee and Halladay are phenomenal pitchers and I take nothing away from them. All three of these pitchers have thrown 18 quality starts for their teams, meaning that all three of them have given their team 18 chances to win. But out of those three players, Moose easily has the weakest stuff, and he still manages to stay in there with them. I would be fine with Lee or Halladay winning the Cy Young, but don't throw Moose out of the race just yet.

More than likely what we see down the stretch will determine who will win the Cy Young. None of these teams are locks to make the playoffs this year with the Yankees being the closest at 6.5 games back of the wild card. If Mussina pitches well down the stretch, wins 20, and lowers his ERA while giving more quality starts AND the Yankees make the playoffs, then I think he becomes the favorite. If he does all that but the Yankees don't make the playoffs, then it will likely go to either Lee or Halladay because I just don't see either of those guys blowing it down the stretch. But, I could be wrong.

Yankees Lose

The Good

Abreu had a pair of doubles, and Rasner, to my surprise pitched 6.2 innings of 1 run ball.

The Bad

The Yankee offense managed just 1 run against Burnett as they went on to lose the game 2-1. I didn't expect much from a Rasner-Burnett matchup, but after Rasner pitched as well as he did they have to find a way to score more than a run.

The Ugly

Damon dropped a fly ball in the 8th that scored the go ahead run for the Blue Jays. In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered much if he had caught it. The Yankees were flat. The Blue Jays were too, but they got lucky. I know that A.J. Burnett's 4.51 ERA seems insurmountable, but you still need to find a way to score more than just 1 run over 8 innings against the guy. The Yankees took the last two from the Royals, which seemed like a good start, but they're playing a lot of games with the big boys down the stretch and games like these kill their momentum. If you want to watch good baseball, watch the Rays take on the Angels. The Yankees just aren't all that exciting.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. No homeruns last night. Shocker.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 7hr = $7.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 1hr= $1.00
Total = $128.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

CY Moose?

At this point in the season with 16 wins under his belt and a shot at 20, its only natural to start considering whether Moose can win a Cy Young this year. As good a pitcher as he has been, Moose has never won a Cy Young and has never won 20 games in a season. Moose's biggest competition likely comes from Cleveland's Cliff Lee who is the AL leader in wins with 17 and in ERA with a 2.43 clip. Many will say that because the Indians are a sub .500 team that Lee shouldn't be considered, but honestly that has nothing to do with how well he's pitched. His 17-2 record is nasty. But there is something to be said about a contender, and if the Yankees do make it to the playoffs, it will be because of Mussina's amazing season. So the question is, do you think Mussina will win the Cy Young award? Sound off!

Nady: The Greatest Power Hitter of All Time?

Its been no secret that since his acquisition, Xavier Nady has been one of the most productive hitters in the lineup. In the month of August, Nady has hit .322 with 5 homeruns and 14 RBI's. Compare these stats to the following big boys in August:

A-Rod

.241 average, 5 homeruns, 12 RBI's.

Abreu

.303 average, 1 homerun, 7 RBI's.

Giambi

.214 average, 4 homeruns, 10 RBI's.

So in conclusion, Xavier Nady is the greatest power threat of all time. The numbers don't lie. The end.

If Only They Did This Every Game

The Good

Mussina had a rocky first inning where he gave up 3 runs, but then went on to shut them down over the next 5. This win gives Moose 16 on the season, and just 4 shy of his first 20 win season. This is the quickest he's ever made it to 16. Derek Jeter had a 4-4 game while A-Rod went 3-3 with 5 RBI's. The offense came alive for 17 hits and 15 runs. Even Gardner hit a triple to drive in a run. I must say that Gardner has been more than impressive since his call up, though admittedly it is a short sample size.

The Bad

Johnny Damon was not invited to the hits party today as he went 0-4 with 2 walks.

The Ugly

Traber and Britton combined to give up 3 runs over 3 innings. I smell another demotion for Chris Britton in the near future.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. 4 homeruns from the Yankees today with contributions from Giambi (Grand slam), A-Rod (3-run game tieing shot), Nady, and new comer Cody Ransom.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 7hr = $7.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Cody Ransom 1hr= $1.00
Total = $128.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Boy, Do My Words Taste Good

In my last post I stated that I did not think the Yankees would take the last two games of the KC series after dropping the first in the ninth inning like cowards. The Yankees disagreed with me and have forced me to eat my words. I willingly admit that I was wrong. Now, in line with the vagaries of New York fan optimism I must state that after this weekend I expect the Yankees to not only make the playoffs but to win the World Series. I don't see how else we can interpret a series win over Kansas City, perhaps the most dominant last place team in the history of baseball (or is that Tampa Bay?). Go Yankees!

Yanks Blow It Again

Another Mariano misfire results in a loss at Yankee Stadium against the ever dangerous KC Royals. Can this team take two straight and take the series (which I'm assuming is three games but I'm not going to bother to look it up)? Probably not. Pettitte pitched well today but Mo seems to be of the opinion lately that such performances shouldn't be rewarded. The offense seems to agree with Mo. When's Pavano coming back?

Melky Sent to Triple A, Sexson Gone

According to Peter Abraham, it appears the Yankees have optioned Melky Cabrera to Scranton, and have let Sexson go. In a corresponding move the Yankees are bringing up Brett Gardner and infielder Cody Ransom. Sexson for Ransom I can understand. Sexson was a first baseman who had lost his pop, and we could stand to gain a real utility infielder due to the lapse known as Wilson Betemit. Now Melky for Gardner I'm not so sure about. Don't get me wrong, Melky was awful, and he needed to get sent down to the minors no question. But does someone in the Yankee upper management really believe that Brett Gardner can hit better than Melky? The man is fast, which is great, but he is much worse at the plate than Melky. I mean, for a supposed contact hitter, he struck out 17 times in 59 at bats. Not to mentioned that he drew only 5 walks. His speed is null and void unless he can get on base, and the fact of the matter is that we already have a late inning base runner in Justin Christian. With Damon, Nady and Abreu, we basically have the outfield on lock, so Christian and Gardner become the 4th and 5th outfielders respectively. That's a lot of inexperience in two extra outfielders. So again, I believe Melky should be in the minors, but they needed to come up with a better call than Gardner. As long as they're bringing up players who won't have an impact on this team, why don't they bring back Shelley? At least he gives the team good energy, and might hit a couple out of the park. Just a thought.

What the Yankees Need Today

It is a well known fact that the Yankee brass frequents the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog on a daily basis, and gets the majority of their good ideas from this site. As a result, we bear a responsibility far greater than most Derek Jeter's Gangster related sites. With that said, I think we need to provide some of that surface puncturing insight that our page is known for in the Yankees upper management. So here is our free advice to the Yankee brass. First, the thing you need most today is a win. Its a ground breaking concept I know, but losing doesn't seem to be getting you closer to your post season goals. Second, Justin Christian cannot start over Johnny Damon. Damon's one of the few batters in this lineup batting over .300. Third, A-Rod needs to give way to Nady. I'm sorry to say it, but Nady's been hot, and A-Rod's decidedly not. Lastly, the candy needs to come back. At this point, its clear the loss of sugar and sweets has taken its toll on this team. The healthy snacks aren't cutting it, and who can blame them? Have you ever had natural peanut butter? It sucks. Trail mix without chocolate drops? Who comes up with this crap? So there you have it Steinbrenner fam. Get on it.

Yankees Horrible Season Explained by Loss of Secret Weapon

For the 12 previous seasons the New York Baseball Yankees have been a constant in the postseason. And just like E=mc^2 nobody could really explain why. Theories abounded. Was it Torre? Was it the huge Yankee payroll? Was it Derek Jeter's gangster? No. It was none of those things.

The true secret to the Yankees success was only made evident when a brash young manager decided his team needed to eat healthier. Once the candy was removed from the Yankees clubhouse their level of play diminished to that of a glorified little league team. Not the one that wins the Little League World Series on ESPN2, but the one that gets their arses kicked just about every game they play. Without candy the Yankees cannot be expected to play good baseball. It's that simple. Bringing in Girardi was the most disastrous decision in Yankees history. Not because Girardi is a bad manager, but because of his counterproductive healthfood crusading.

There you have it. Investigative journalism at its best.

New Ad On Respect Jeter's Gangster

You may or may not have noticed, but we have added a new advertisement in the right hand menu for Grace Collector's memorabilia website. You might be asking yourself, why would I want memorabilia? I don't want to remember this season. Its a valid question, so to this end, on behalf of our new advertisers, we would like to call attention to the benefits of memorabilia:

1) Next time A-Rod strikes out with runners in scoring position, you can take solace in the fact that a Derek Jeter autographed ball is worth over $100 more than an A-Rod autographed ball.

2) When the Yankees lose a series to another third place team, you can use memorabilia to remind you of a better past. You can own memorabilia from a different era of Yankee history, one where we weren't playing so bad, and then talk about how good we were back in those days to your grandchildren.

3) With the economy floundering as it is, memorabilia presents itself as a phenomenal bartering tool. If the dollar ever collapses entirely, you can trade a Derek Jeter autographed ball for a new house, and a Josh Beckett autographed ball for a severe beating in New York City. What better way to protect your family in this unlikely yet still possible event than to stock up on Derek Jeter autographs?

In any event, this all serves to call attention to a new contributor to our page. Welcome them kindly.

Let's Call it the Curse of Joe Torre

The Good

Don't care.

The Bad

Careless errors, a Yankee offense with no pop, and a starting pitcher that threw way too many pitches in a 5 inning span.

The Ugly

I think at this point we have to consider the possibility that Joe Torre put a hex on the Yankees, which can only be broken by lighting his good luck charm, Scott Proctor, on fire. On Peter Abraham's blog he has a poll on whether or not we think the Yankees will make the playoffs. There were 49 yes's to 182 no's as of this morning. That doesn't represent much fan confidence, but I really can't blame them. This team is awful. It has been awful all season, and right when it seemed that they would break out of their awfulness, they fell right back in. The only joy I have following this season is seeing if Mussina can win 20, but this team seems opposed to that plan as shown by Tuesday's game. I know Torre made it look easy, but apparently its much harder to take a $200 million team to the post season than it would first appear. But what can you do? Wish for the best? Wait for this team to turn it around? Even Hank seems to have thrown in the towel for this season. Who knows? Maybe this off day will be the start of an epic 20 game win streak for this team. Even then, I don't think this team deserves to be in the playoffs. You can't play hard for a couple weeks and expect to be a contender. This team has played without urgency, without care, and without HEART all season, and that's how they're closing Yankee stadium.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. No homeruns yesterday.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 27hr = $27.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 6hr = $6.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $124.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Yankees Win Bittersweet

The Good

Mussina pitched 7 innings of 3 run ball last night, while the offense went on to have 16 hits including 3-hit games by both Damon and Jeter. Damon, A-Rod and Nady all hit homeruns. Veras and Ramirez combined for 3 innings of no-hit ball.

The Bad

Damaso Marte and Mariano Rivera gave up Moose's lead and extended the game into extra innings. We won in the 12th in dramatic fashion, but it still makes you wonder what's wrong with our closer. He gave up a homerun blowing his first save of the season. I know we can't expect him to be perfect, but his recent outings have been awful. Marte is just a disaster.

The Ugly

The game was bittersweet because although the Yankees won, they didn't preserve the win for Mussina. This should have been Moose's 16th win and would have put him in very good shape to get to 20. He can definitely still get there, but the Yankees need to back him better than this.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Damon, A-Rod and Nady all hit homeruns last night.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 27hr = $27.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 8hr = $8.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 6hr = $6.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $124.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

PS3 Update

Crazy game tonight for the Yankees, but I feel like talking about something else, which may or may not interest you. We know our readers look to us for insightful commentary like "the Yanks suck right now," and "Posada's out for the year," and "Holy $#!%." But our readers also look to us for all the latest in video game news.

Today I picked up Madden '09. I traded in Metal Gear 4 which was probably the worst game I've owned for the ps3, out of the two that I have ever owned. It was largely uninteresting and the cut scenes were way too long. Anyway, Madden has proven to be a pretty enjoyable game, but I'm sure I'll be bored of it by Friday (there's only so much you can do in a football video game).

But I read today that a new Bond video game is coming out on the same day as the upcoming film, Quantum of Solace. The developer is trying to live up to Goldeneye, the greatest video game ever made, and there will supposedly be a multiplayer option for this new game. I really don't play many games, in fact, I never own more than one at a time (I trade in each game when I get a new one). But I loved the multiplayer feature in Goldeneye as it was really what made that game worth owning. Hopefully, this new game will have a similar multiplayer option.

Anyway, the Yankees won an interesting one tonight, but I'm upset that they didn't preserve the win for Mussina. I want him to get twenty, he needs five more. If he can win two more this month he's in great shape, but the Yankees blew one of those opportunities tonight. The bullpen needs to shape up.

Yankees Fear of Dinosaurs Leads to Another Loss

The Good

Ponson pitched 7.2 innings of 4 run ball against the Twins last night, although he took the loss. Edwar Ramirez got the last out of the 8th. Abreu had 2 hits yesterday.

The Bad

4 hits is all the Yankees could muster yesterday as they went on to get shut out. There was not 1 extra base hit yesterday, and the Yankees even managed to squander a man on third with 0 outs.

The Ugly

The New York Yankees. Pete Abe had a good article about the Yankees hitting problems this season. He outlines that the Yankees were batting .259 with runners in scoring position before going 0-3 last night. A-Rod is batting .239 in these situations and Giambi is at .204. That's good for 11th in the AL. We've lost 4 straight, we're 9 games out of the AL East, 7 games above .500, and 5 games back of the wild card with Boston and the White Sox ahead. All I really know is that this season has been a disaster.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. No homeruns last night.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 26hr = $26.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 5hr = $5.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $121.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Ponson Deals, Offense Phones It In, But It's Not Their Fault

So Ponson pitched another good game only to have the offense do nothing. This team is so listless right now that it doesn't seem that they have any shot at October. The worst part is, with the injuries to Kennedy and Hughes and them subsequently getting very limited MLB experience, this year will have been a complete waste. Oh well, I suppose I've been spoiled by 12 consecutive Octobers.

So what is wrong with our beloved Yankees? Is it a new manager who is not totally sure how to motivate his team? Too many injuries to guys named Wang, Posada, Hughes, etc.? Not enough offense? Not enough pitching?

No. It's not any of these things. Clearly, every other team in baseball is on the juice again except for the Yankees. Bud Selig, desperately wanting his Brewers to succeed, has allowed, no, ordered every team in baseball to get back on the juice in order to dethrone the Yankees. Every Yankee player gets tested twice a day for PEDs, while none of the other teams get tested at all since all the testers are busy with the Yankees. The tell-tale sign that this is true is that the Yankees are suddenly incapable of beating anyone. That can only mean everyone else is cheating and that Bud Selig has given his explicit support.

Alternatively, it could be that the Red Sox claimed to have cloned a dinosaur and threatened to release it in New Yankee Stadium on opening day if the Yanks didn't stop chasing them for the wild card. That too is a possible cause of the Yanks erratic play.

Yankees Swept by Angels

The Good

Pettitte pitched 7 innings of 3 run ball putting an end to his recent bad games pitched streak. A-Rod and Damon both had two hit games.

The Bad

The Yankees got swept by the Angels. At some point Girardi needs to understand this one very important thing: Marte can't pitch 2 innings. He's stellar for 1, but every pitch he throws after that is wrought with danger. Also, Mariano can not pitch in non-save situations. Very odd, but accurate.

The Ugly

I know A-Rod was safe at third when he went for the steal, and I know he was unjustly called out, but with Nady batting and you're standing at second, you need to stay put. Nady has arguably been the best hitter on this team since the all-star break.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. What better way to cap off this series with the Angels by not hitting any jacks for the children. For shame!

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 26hr = $26.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 5hr = $5.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $121.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

I Met Samuel L. Jackson Last Friday

So I'm sitting in this common area at my school, Union Theological Seminary, known as the pit last Friday night. I was studying at the time and a wedding was going on at the school's chapel. Somebody walked up to me and asked where the bathroom was. I looked up and it was Samuel L. Jackson. Normally when someone asks me where the bathroom is I say, "down the hall, take a left and it's on your right." This time, I said, "Holy $#!%." You gotta understand, it's not everyday someone asks you for directions, you look up and its Samuel L. Jackson. So I say, "Holy $#!%," and he goes, "it's just a question." I come to and tell him where the bathroom is and go back to studying.

What does this have to do with baseball? Well, I'm guessing that the Yankees also ran into Samuel L. Jackson recently, in a similarly unexpected manner. They, unlike me, were unable to overcome the initial shock quickly which explains their recent performances. Expect them to continue to play craptacular baseball until they come to.

Had I kept my wits about me, I would've asked Sam (I call him Sam now since we're good buddies and all) if he'd do an interview for the blog. I missed my chance. However, I assume he reads the blog and so, Sam, you should feel free to contact us to set up an interview. Any time buddy.

Giese Amazing. The Yankees? Less so.

The Good

Giese of all people, pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball against the winningest team in the majors. He recorded 5 strikeouts with 1 walk and only allowed 3 hits. A-Rod and Giambi both knocked one out of the park, and Pudge and Damon both had a pair of hits. Melky had a 3 hit game to help raise his average, and Jeter went 1 - 3 with an RBI as well.

The Bad

Abreu and Cano both went hitless, but even worst, Jeter was ordered to bunt with runners on base to help move runners over. They needed to let him swing. He's been much better since he had his procedure, and as Peter Abraham pointed out, he's not paid $20 million to bunt.

The Ugly

When the most unlikely guy on the team to pitch 6 innings of 1 run ball pitches 6 innings of 1 run ball, you need to find a way to win that game. Veras, Ramirez and Robertson pretty much assured that that would not be the case. They combined to allow 10 runs. Ramirez couldn't even record an out. Ugly pitching makes for ugly baseball.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. A-Rod and Giambi hit back to back homers because their love for children's health. On Friday night, A-Rod and Nady also hit homeruns to help the sick children. At least their helping kids as they lose.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 26hr = $26.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 5hr = $5.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $121.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

I Told You So

So IPK lasted 2 innings and more or less sucked. I told you he wasn't going to recapture last season's late season magic and I was right. At least for this game. He's still a AAAA pitcher. He does not have the control or the nerves he needs to pitch in the major leagues. Maybe that changes, but don't hold your breath for that changing this season. You see, opposing teams have this crazy practice of watching what they call "tape." Apparently they've learned from this "tape" that Kennedy isn't very good. Anyway, as much as I wish IPK was better so that we might have a chance to win when he pitches, I probably derive just as much pleasure in pointing out that I was right about his overall craptacularness.

Here's some random reading for you. When I saw the headline I thought it had something to do with a mystery about a breed of dog. Boy was I wrong.

Giles Blocks Trade to Boston

It would appear Padres Outfielder Brian Giles has blocked the trade to go to the Red Sox. Although Giles has not publically given his reasons for this decision, our "Respect Jeter's Gangster" reporting team managed to get this exclusive interview with the outfielder:

"Several reasons come to mind immediately." Began Giles. "First, they're all the way on the east coast, which is far from my home here in California. Second, I don't want to be on a Manny-less Red Sox ball club. Third, my hero Derek Jeter doesn't play there. Fourth, I don't want to wear communist colors everyday. Fifth, I'm not down with clubbing baby seals. Sixth, I'm also not down with eating children or creating oil spills. Seventh, Youkillis' face is not something I want to see every day. Eighth, Papelbon is a douche. Ninth, I'm not fond of clam chowder, cream pies, or alcoholism. And tenth, I wanted to see Epstein whine."

We at the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog thank Giles for his forthright and honest answers.

Cy Moose on the Prowl

The Good

Moose pitched 7 innings of shutout ball while giving up 8 hits. He was masterful. I saw him get a strike on a 67 mph changeup, and then follow it up with a 90mph fastball. It was the only time I saw the gun shoot up that high. There's nothing more amazing than watching 6 Rangers flailing at 85 mph heat and striking out on it. This is only the 2nd time this season the Rangers have been shutout. Bruney-Marte-Rivera pitched the remaining 2 innings and kept the shut out.

In his second game after removing the knife en lodged in his leg, Derek Jeter had 3 hits including a homer, 2 RBI's, and a stolen base. In the 9th, Jeter had an RBI single and then was thrown out trying to go to third on the throw. The replay looked like he was in, but whatever. He then came up limping as he walked away from second base, but by the time he reach short, his walking straightened out. When he got to the dugout Girardi asked if he was okay but everyone already knew the answer. This is the same guy who played with a knife in his leg all season. So as always, he's not injured.

The Bad

A-Rod and Molina went hitless, but in reality the Yankees missed several opportunities to score. We left way too many runners in scoring position, and A-Rod finished this series going 0-14. He's now batting .120 for the month of August.

The Ugly

In the 9th, with Betemit at first, Molina hit a one hopper to Kinsler. Thinking it was going to be caught in the air, Betemit didn't run to second. Instead he stayed put at first. Kinsler threw to first baseman Chris Davis who stepped on the bag to get Molina out. He then tagged Betemit, but Betemit was called safe. Because Davis had stepped on the bag first, it opened the base up for Betemit. He needed to tag Betemit first then step on the bag. Maybe next time Davis. Also, Wade Boggs son, Brandon Boggs got struck out by a nasty Mo pitch. Nasty.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Derek Jeter continues to make his comeback from knife removal surgery with a homerun tonight. Expect to see this more from the man.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 7hr = $7.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 4hr = $4.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $117.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Meet Your New Stopper: Sidney Ponson

For the second start in a row Sidney Ponson has come in and reversed a losing trend. This stretch of bad play falls squarely on the starting pitching, as the offense, for the most part, has scored runs. One would not have expected Ponson to end up being the guy who was keeping us in this thing. Hell, one wouldn't have expected him to be on the team past the trade deadline necessarily. But here he is, saving our arses, like some sort Arubian super man. I for one, am glad he's here.

Jeter Knifeless Leg Bounces Back

The Good

Sydney Ponson pitched a quality 6.1 innings of 3 run ball to secure a win for the Yankees. That's two good starts in a row for those tracking Sydney Ponson's career closely. He was followed by a chain of Ramirez-Marte-Veras-Rivera who pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Mariano closed the game with a 1 inning 2 strikeout performance. Marte only recorded one out, but it was against Josh Hamilton. I think that if used properly, Marte could be a huge asset to the Yankees. He can get lefty's out, and he's good for one inning at a time. More than an inning, and you're really pushing the man.

4 Yankees had multi-hit games including the Yankee captain Derek Jeter. It was reported here yesterday morning that Jeter had discovered a knife en lodged in his leg and had removed it Tuesday evening. As a result he expected his production to increase. One day back from the self-performed surgery, and Jeter had a walk, a single, a double, and 2 RBI's. Expect much more of that from him. Damon, Abreu, and Molina were the others with multiple hits. Molina wasn't even expecting to play yesterday, so much props to him.

The Bad

Everyone in the lineup had a hit yesterday except for Alex Rodriguez. For the month of August, Alex is batting .143. On a day when even Wilson Betemit has a hit, you gotta find a way to get on base. That's all I'm saying.

The Ugly

The collision with pudge looked pretty bad, but Murphy looked to get the worse part of that. At first look it appears that their knees bang together, and Pudge's shin guard protected his knee somewhat. On second look, it looks like Murphy gets kneed in the crotch right after their knees bang together. Altogether, I think Murphy took the worse part of that.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Jason Giambi showed his enthusiasm for children's health by hitting his 22nd homer of the season.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 6hr = $6.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 4hr = $4.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $116.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Jeter Finds Root of Season Long Slump

After last night's loss to the Rangers the Yankees as a whole have been looking for answers. No one took the loss worse than the Yankee captain, Derek Jeter. After an 0-3 night where he hit into a double play, lined out with the bases loaded to squelch a rally, and brought his average down to .279, Jeter began wondering what the cause of his underperforming bat has been. And that's when he realized it.

"I was starring down at the ground deep in thought, when I saw something protruding from my quad right above my knee. I pulled the pant leg up, and yep, there was a knife stuck in my leg." Explained Jeter.

Apparently, the knife, which belonged to Kyle Farnsworth, had gone missing a few months back from Farnsworth's locker where he had been keeping it. No one had known where it went until now. But why didn't Jeter notice it before?

"I actually did notice before." Explained Jeter. "I saw it there a few weeks ago and had planned on taking it out, but I started playing a game of Tetris, and it completely slipped my mind. Then I saw it there again last night and thought 'oh yeah! I was going to pull that out.'."

Jeter feels that without the knife en lodged into his leg, he will be able to swing, run, and play much better than he did before. But the question is still how he ended up with a knife in his leg.

"It might have been the knife throwing fight we had in the clubhouse some time ago. We found Farnsworth knife collection and started hucking them at one another. It was actually a lot of fun."

Apparently, Jeter wasn't the only player who was effected by the knife throwing fight.

"I was running the bases and noticed that my foot really hurt me. Once I got to home I thought I had a sprain, but on closer examination, the trainers found a knife en lodged into my foot." Explained Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang through an interpreter. "They said its amazing that I could even put my shoe on. They decided to tell the media that it was a foot sprain since that's much easier to explain than the whole knife throwing thing."

"I found one in my shoulder." Said Jorge Posada.

So have the Yankees learned their lesson about knife throwing fights?

"Well, we probably won't have one again since Farnsworth isn't here any more." Said Jeter.

And if Farnsworth is there?

"Oh yeah, without a doubt. It was a lot of fun."

Yankees Find New Ways to Suck

The Good

The offense scored 6 runs including a grandslam from Sexson who went 2-4 with a double. At least Veras didn't give up any runs.

The Bad

Every pitcher not named Veras gave up runs. Pettitte was just flat out awful. So was Robertson and Bruney.

The Ugly

Honestly, Derek Jeter killed every rally we had going. In the third inning it was the two on 1 out double play he hit into and later in the game he came up with the bases loaded and lined out to second. The crazy thing about the third inning is that there was a huge gap between the first and second basemen, good for, I don't know, an opposite field hit maybe? Instead he pulls it to third base where it gets turned into a double play. Maybe Jeter didn't have a date the night before, or maybe the Texas heat just got to him, either way, he is far too gangster to play this way. Let's get it going Jeter!

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Although last night's game was a disaster for the team, it was a good night for children's health. Richie Sexson hit his first for the cause. A grandslam no less.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 21hr = $21.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 6hr = $6.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 4hr = $4.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Richie Sexson 1hr = $1.00
Total = $116.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

The Yankees Suck

The Good

Sucks is easy to say.

The Bad

The Yankees wearing out their bullpen as of late.

The Ugly

The Yankees starting pitching as of late.

Okay, so this is not the actual game summary. But it could be. The Yanks are pretty bad right now. Just when I thought I was going to have to write a post eating my words from an earlier post where I said that the Yankees may not be much more than a mediocre team, the Yankees played the Orioles. Since then they have been craptacular. This team just can't seem to find a way to perform on all cylinders. When it's not the offense it's the pitching. When it's not the pitching it's the offense. Hopefully Pavano can come back and save us soon.

Lupica Column on Posada

Good column by Mike Lupica on Jorge Posada, who I assume reads this blog. Check it out. And Jorge, my invitation to guest blog at RJG is still open.

Yankees Miss Yet Another Opportunity

The Good

The offense scored 5 runs while hitting 3 solo homeruns. Jason Giambi had a breakout game after shaving his mustache going 3-4 with a homerun, two singles, and two RBI's. Brian Bruney and Edwar Ramirez combined for 2.2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts.

The Bad

Joba gave up 5 runs in 4.2 innings and left the game with a sore shoulder. He is likely to miss his next start.

The Ugly

The Yankees needed to win this game. Both the Red Sox and the Rays lost last night and provided the Yankees a prime opportunity to gain a game on both teams. Instead they lose in dramatic fashion by serving up a walk-off grand slam in the 9th. Damaso Marte was not sharp but in fairness to him, he's a one inning guy. Peter Abraham reported that the last time he threw that many pitches in a game was back in 2006. Last night, he walked 3 players while only getting 4 outs, and got progressively worse as his pitch count rose. But the Yankee offense missed some prime opportunities to score in the 9th (Hamliton robbed Jeter of an RBI single), and with the lack of healthy relievers, Girardi needed to save Robertson in case it went to extra innings. The Yankees need to pull it together tonight.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. We will keep a running tally of the home runs hit and the money donated throughout the season. Although last night's game was a disaster for the team, it was a good night for children's health. 3 Yankee players hit solo homeruns to help raise money. Newest friend to the homerun club, Xavier Nady, has been especially helpful. Thank you Nady.

Melky Cabrera 8hr = $8.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Hideki Matsui 7 hr = $7.00
Bobby Abreu 15hr = $15.00
Jorge Posada 3hr = $3.00
Jason Giambi 21hr = $21.00
Johnny Damon 7hr = $7.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 10hr = $10.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Wilson Betemit 5hr = $5.00
Derek Jeter 6hr = $6.00
Shelley Duncan 1hr = $1.00
Xavier Nady 4hr = $4.00
Jose Molina 1 hr = $1.00
Ivan Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Total = $115.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

#@%&*$!@

A walk-off grand slam. Really? A walk-off grand slam? Wow, way to lose in style boys. This is just ridiculous. It was nice winning seven in a row after the all star break, but since then our pitching has gone back on break and now Joba may be hurt. He left with a sore shoulder which = bad. Hopefully it's nothing, but shoulder problems are much more serious than elbow problems, which usually only require major ligament replacement surgery. Anyway, the point is you don't leave Marte in to face Marlon Byrd. If I'm Joba I'm medicating my shoulder with guiness and jager shots, that way I don't remember this mess. Likewise for Marte.

Reviewing the Manny Trade

I've had the chance to speak to a few Red Sox fans about the Manny trade and the majority of them feel relieved that Manny is gone and that the team won't be distracted for their playoff push. But what the fans I spoke to failed to see is how bad a trade it was. Now I know that they had to get rid of Manny, but for what they gave up they definitely did not get fair value. The Red Sox traded away Manny, Hansen, and Moss plus approximately $7 million to acquire Jason Bay. That's 3 players plus some major dough for Jason Bay. Bay is a good player, definitely was the best bat on the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 30 homerun player with a decent average. He's been phenomenal for the Red Sox thus far. Plus he's under contract through next season for $7.5 million, which isn't bad. Bay is relatively young too (turns 30 this September). However, Bay isn't Manny even in Manny's decline years, and it was a steep price to pay for what is essentially one player under contract for one more year. Bay racked in his first series against the A's, but Braden (5.10 ERA) Eveland (4.46 ERA) Embree (5.13) and DiNardo (6.55 ERA) aren't exactly the best pitchers in the American League, and those are the guys he racked against. I'm not saying that Bay isn't good, or that he won't be good, I'm just saying that the Sox got ripped off pretty badly. What do you all think?