Miranda With the Walk Off!

The Good

Burnett was quite sharp, going 6.1 innings and striking out 8. Its a shame that he didn't get a win. Robertson and Bruney did their duty in relief, combining for 2 scoreless innings. Though the Yankees had trouble scoring throughout the game, Teixeira and Swisher hit solo shots to get the Yankees on the board, before a 9th inning rally won us the game with a single by Hinske tieing the game, and a single off of Farnsworth's leg by Miranda giving us the walk off.

The coolest thing I saw yesterday was when one of the Royals bunted a ball into the air, and Hairston charged in as if he was going to catch it. As the runner on first advanced to second, Hairston let the ball drop, and then threw to Ramiro Pena at second for the first out, and then Pena threw to first for the double play. So by letting the ball drop, Hairston got us a double play. Good baseball right there.

The Bad

Kansas City starter Anthony Lerew was pretty good, keeping the Yankees to 2 runs over 6 innings. It was a shame that we couldn't get Burnett the win, if only just to make his numbers look a little nicer. As it stands, Burnett has a 12-9 record with a 4.10 ERA on the season.

The Ugly

Coke could not figure out where to throw the ball in the 7th inning. There was a groundball hit back to him, which he threw into the outfield attempting to get the lead runner at second. Then, on another ground ball, he threw to first instead of throwing to home, and allowed another run to score. Just not pretty.

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. Teixeira and Swisher, regular contributors to the Children's Health Fund, added a pair of solo shots to give more hope to sick children, and to Yankee fans everywhere.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 39hr = $39.00
Nick Swisher 28hr = $28.00
Robinson Cano 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $1.00
Total = $237.00

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.

What Now?

You've clinched the division, you have a 101 wins, and 5 games left to play with non-contending teams. If you're a player, how do you approach these 5 seemingly meaningless games? On the one hand, you can't just quit on the season. Players need to keep themselves sharp for the postseason after all. As was pointed out by one of our readers, certain players could reach some meaningful personal acheivements. For example, Sabathia could reach his first 20 win season, Damon is one homerun shy of breaking his single season best, and Matsui is 2 homeruns shy of 30, the first time he'd reach 30 since the 2004 season. Several releivers will be using this week as an audition for the playoff roster. But for everyone else, you gotta wonder how they approach the game. I just hope they play hard enough to keep themselves sharp, but not so hard that they risk injury. Here's to a week of meaningless baseball.

I Can't Beleive That Just Happened

The Good

What wasn't good about yesterdays game? (find the answer in "The Bad" section of this post). We paraded out our Triple A team, with Gaudin on the mound, and we walked out with an 8-2 win. Gaudin went 6.2 innings allowing two runs. Aceves pitched two perfect innings in relief. On the offense side, Cano hit a grandslam to help break the game open in the 7th. Ramiro Pena hit his first major league homerun.

The Bad

Poor Juan Miranda was not invited to the hits party last night, going 0-4 with two strikeouts. The only starter to do so.

The Ugly

Though many of the regulars got the day off to work off their assorted hangovers and post-celebration problems, a few had to show up and play. Cano, Melky and Posada were all in the lineup yesterday. I wonder how they figure out who has to come back and play the next day.

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. Robinson Cano hit a grandslam, and Ramiro Pena hit his first big league homerun. Good news for children's health.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 38hr = $38.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $1.00
Total = $235.00

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.

Power Outage for the Captain?

Jeter has been on a tear lately, batting .326 in the month of September and carrying a 9 game hitting streak into today. He's had 10 multi-hit games and 17 walks to boot. That being said, the captain has been experiencing a bit of a power outage. He's had just two extra base hits all month, and has gone homerless since August 28th. Not that he's a homerun hitter, but no homeruns in a month, with all the games they played at Yankee stadium? He's hitting well, so I do not think he's injured, but perhaps a day off or a day as the DH could work wonders for the man.

Yankees Take Division

The Good

Pettitte gave us 6 innings of 2 run ball, while a train of Bruney-Coke-Rivera gave us 3 scoreless innings in relief. The biggest effort was from Brian Bruney who threw 1.2 innings perfect innings.

The offense had some timely hits including a 2 run single from Matsui to take the lead, and solo homeruns from Melky, and Teixeira.

The Bad

How did we not score more against Paul Byrd?

The Ugly

In the 9th inning with Mariano on the mound, and one runner on, Mo induces a ground ball to Cano who ranges left, and goes to grab the ball, but before he has it in his glove he's already turning to throw to second for a double play. The ball bounces off his glove and as he scurries after it, all runners are safe. The play was to first, yet in his attempt to get a web gem, he messes it all up.

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. Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixeira both hit solo homeruns yesterday.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 38hr = $38.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $233.00

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 Can Clinch Tonight

The Good

Sabathia threw 7 shutout innings recording 8 strikeouts. Absolutely dominant. Hughes and Mariano pitched in an inning a piece, and both recorded 2 strikeouts. Cano hit a homerun, and Damon had a bloop single to drive in a pair late in the game.

The Bad

Matsuzaka gave us plenty of opportunities to take a commanding lead, but the Yankee bats became weak at the site of runners in scoring position. Matsuzaka even loaded the bases with 0 outs and we still couldn't score. Terrible.

The Ugly

A-Rod, who was a hero yesterday, just doesn't know what to do with Matsuzaka. He went 0-4, leaving 6 on base. He grounded out to the catcher with the bases loaded, and even was called out for interference when he struck out and started walking in front of Victor Martinez's throw to second base where Jeter was running. I believe A-Rod has one hit against Matsuzaka in his career. Its time he break that spell.

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. Cano gave the Yankees the only run they needed with a solo shot in the 6th inning.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 24hr = $24.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $233.00

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.

Joba Can Pitch Sometimes!

The Good

Joba gave us 6 innings of 3 run ball. A quality start! Aceves-Marte-Hughes-Coke combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless ball. Perhaps Joba can be an effective starter after all. Perhaps.

The Yankee offense came alive scoring 9 runs with A-Rod leading the way. A-Rod went 3-3 with a homerun and 4 RBI's. Its amazing how A-Rod could finish the season with 30 or more homeruns after missing part of the season for the hip surgery, and then experiencing a homerun drought through stretches of the summer.

The Yankees put on a base stealing clinic for the Red Sox swipping 7 bags off Varitek and assorted Boston pitchers. Jeter stole 2, and A-Rod, whose hip has limited him all season on the base paths, stole 3. The worse part of it for the Red Sox is that their future catcher probably wouldn't have done much better.

The Bad

I saw Albaladejo warming up, and I thought, well, there goes the lead. He didn't give up the lead, though he did give up 2 runs while only recording one out. I wasn't sure why we were putting him in to begin with, even with that kind of lead.

The Ugly

David Ortiz is back on the juice. You heard it here first.

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. A-Rod gave the children the only Yankee homerun of the night. We thank him, and his bravery.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $232.00

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.

4th Starter?

Now that the Yankees have a secured playoff spot, I suppose its as good a time as any to start discussing our post season rotation. A lot of attention has already been given to the fact that Joba Chamberlain has sucked. That leaves us with a very uninspiring selection of Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Alfredo Aceves, and Josh Towers. I'm also sure there's other starting pitchers from the minors we could use, but these are the most tenable options. So the question becomes, who do we use as the 4th starter? Here is the breakdown:

Joba Chamberlain

Chamberlain apologists will point to the fact that they've been limiting his innings and he's been pitching on an odd schedule as reasons for his awful performances. I don't buy it. His last 3 starts before they started messing with his inning limits and such amounted to 12 runs in 16 innings. Thats a 6.75 ERA in those starts. His September ERA is at 8.31. He could pitch well tonight, and give us something to think about, but at this point, he really shouldn't be starting a game 4 in the postseason, let alone the world series.

Chad Gaudin

Since stepping into the rotation for the month of September, Gaudin has actually done pretty well. His last three starts have amounted to 16.1 innings allowing 6 runs. Good for a 3.38 ERA. Good enough for a post season start? Maybe.

Sergio Mitre

He may have a good sinker, but I think I've seen it once, maybe twice. That was his start against the White Sox in August and his relief of Joba this last weekend against Seattle. The problem with Mitre is that when his sinker is off, and its been off more than its been on, its basically a 90 mph meatball floating waist high through the strikezone.

Alfredo Aceves

Aceves has done a lot of good in relief, and is great when you need him to step in and give two or three innings, but its a little too late to have him try to move into the rotation. We'd basically still be stretching him out in the post season.

Josh Towers

Who?

So as you can see there aren't any options that stand out a whole lot, but Gaudin has been pitching the best out of this bunch, and he may be the way to go. Who would you want starting game 4 of the ALCS?

AL Central Still Not Decided

The Twins are just 2.5 games back of Detroit, with an elimination number of 9. Further more, the Twins have a 4-game series coming up in Detroit, sandwiched between two 3-game sets with Kansas City. Detroit has two series with the "tougher" White Sox sandwiching their series against Minnesota. That 4-game set in Detroit could either bury the Twins or give them the edge. The Twins have had an amazing story this year with Joe Mauer having an MVP type season, and the team itself staying in contention despite having Carl Pavano as one of their starters. That being said, I would love to face the Twins in the ALDS. We should be able to beat either team, but we've really dominated the Twins this season (We're 7-0 against Minnesota). Not that Detroit has done much better (5-1 against Detroit).

So who would you rather face in the ALDS? Detroit or Minnesota?

Rally Monkey Catches Flu

The Good

Burnett struck out 11, and though it would have been nice to see him go deeper into the game, it was a good start nonetheless. Marte-Albaladejo-Coke-Kennedy-Rivera combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, though Albaladejo didn't get any outs, he just took up time.

It was nice to see Ian Kennedy playing again. Though he gave up a pair of walks, he pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout. The whole Generation Trey thing didn't really work out, largely because none of those guys had enough experience at the time. I think its still likely we'll see all three guys on the team in the near future, just maybe not all as starters.

All in all, this was a big game to win. After dropping the first game of the series, the Yankees had an uphill battle to take this series, and they did. This series showed us a lot about this team, and its post season potential.

The Bad

Albaladejo came into the game in the 7th to face Torii Hunter. Albaladejo gave up a double.

The Ugly

When I first saw the lineup, I thought Girardi really wanted to lose the game. We had Hairston, Shelley Duncan, Jose Molina, Melky Cabrera AND Brett Gardner all in the starting lineup. With notable absences from A-Rod, Damon, and Posada. But, you can't argue with results.

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. No homeruns yesterday. None!

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 27hr = $27.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $231.00

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.

Rally Monkey Can't Hold Back Gardner

The Good

Does anyone else notice that Gaudin is pitching way better than Joba at this point?

Anyways, big night for the offense as A-Rod and Posada hit a couple of 2-run homeruns in the third inning, with Matsui hitting one of his own in the 5th. The game was won off of Brett Gardners stealthy feet.

The Bad

An error off the glove of Cano led to a run scoring and the game tieing, and against the Angels, you don't exactly want to be giving them extra runs.

The Ugly

These 10:00pm start times on the east coast are killing me.

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. For the second time in as many nights, A-Rod and Matsui both went yard. Posada joined them as well. Matsui might could end up with 30 homeruns by seasons end.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 27hr = $27.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $231.00

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 Don't Like Playing in Anaheim

The Good

A-Rod and Matsui both went yard, but the best thing was that Pettitte threw a quality 6 innings, allowing 3 runs and his arm felt fine.

The Bad

Bruney gave up a monster homerun in the 7th, and Albaladejo gave up another run in the 8th. These guys are easily pitching their way off the roster.

The Ugly

We scored 2 runs yesterday and that was it. I may not be a bona fide baseball guru, but something tells me you need more than 2 runs against the Angels. But their pitching dominated us. Six of our players went hitless last night.

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. A-Rod and Matsui both went yard, as Matsui inches closer to 30 for the year, and though it wasn't enough to win the game, it was enough to bring a smile to a sick child's face. Thank you A-Rod and Matsui.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 27hr = $27.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 26hr = $26.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $228.00

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.

This Just In: Joe Mauer Kicks Old Ladies and Discourages Teammates From Playing Well

In the ever spirited debate of who should be the MVP, it can often occur that the writers who have a vote do not always have all the facts. This is especially true now as the 2009 season is winding down, and several candidates have been in discussion. Perhaps, the two most compelling of the bunch are Derek Jeter and Joe Mauer. Now, if the RJG had a vote, then Jeter would have won 14 MVP's by now, and is why the Baseball Writers Association took away our vote back in 2002. That and they found out the RJG was not an accredited newspaper, but that's a story for another day. The fact remains that Derek Jeter has had an amazing season, batting .329 to date, and scoring 104 runs out of the lead off spot. Joe Mauer has had a decent season. He's batted a mere .374 as of this writing, with a paltry 28 homeruns, and plays the undemanding position of catcher. Of course, other factors should be incorporated when considering the MVP, and one of these factors is that of leadership, or as the Yankees call it, Jetership. Though Jeter is known as a great leader on the Yankees, Peter Abraham of the Journal News downplayed this incredible contribution: "spare me the 'he’s great leader' stuff." Peter wrote. "Do you think Joe Mauer walks around kicking old ladies and discouraging his teammates from playing well? I’ll check to make sure, but I’m guessing he does not."

Well allow us at the RJG to do the checking for you Peter, and here's the shocking truth: Joe Mauer kicks old ladies, and discourages his teammates from playing well.

"I was standing at a cross walk." Began Bertha, a 79 year old grandmother living in Minneapolis. "When this tall young man came over and asked if I needed help crossing the street. He seemed so kind and sincere, and I agreed to let him."

But things turned for the worse shortly thereafter.

"He walked me about halfway across the street, then he turned, and kicked me onto the ground. I didn't know what to do."

How did she know it was Joe Mauer?

"Well he bursted out laughing and ran off yelling 'I'm Joe Mauer (expletive deleted)! I'm the MVP!'"

Unfortunately, this was not the first incident reported in Minneapolis about Joe Mauer.

"I remember Joe Mauer well." Explained Sandra, age 67. "I was coming out of the supermarket with some groceries, and this man came over asking if he could help me carry my bags to my car. 'Sure' I said, and I was relieved to find such a nice man. But once I gave him my groceries, he kicked me onto the curb, and ran away yelling 'Free food for the MVP! Joe Mauer (expletive deleted)!'"

Surprised and appalled by what we heard, the RJG decided to ask some of his teammates about these allegations. What came from this, was just as shocking.

"I don't know if he kicks old ladies." Said Twins first baseman and former MVP Justin Morneau. "But I wouldn't put it past him. He's really mean."

Asked to elaborate, Morneau continued.

"Well, he often times walks into the clubhouse and says things like 'Guys, you all suck. You all wish you could be Joe Mauer.' Just like that in the third person and everything. He once told Nick Blackburn that his fastball sucked so much he should just call it a changeup, and that after the season he should work on his fastball in retirement. Blackburn was in tears. Then this other time, he told Joe Nathan that he was pretty good, for an old lady, and then told him that he wanted to kick him really badly. Its just stuff like that."

Outfielder Delmon Young agreed citing experiences he's had with Mauer during his rookie season with the team. "Mauer came up to me my rookie year and said 'I'm not going to call you Delmon Young, I'm going to call you Delmon Suck, because you suck. You should just go back to Tampa and spread your suck over there.' Since then he's made several different nicknames for me such as Sir Sucks A-Lot and Sucksmith the Suckster. He's incredibly unfriendly, and discourages me from playing well."

But there is a silver lining in this story. How did Bertha get out of her predicament, laying helpless in the road?

"After I was kicked by Joe Mauer in the middle of the road. This incredible young man ran into the on coming traffic. A truck was heading right for me, but instead collided into this young man, yet he withstood no damage. He then picked me up and in one single bound had me at my apartment steps, and in just one more single bound was on a date with some famous actress. I saw him playing shortstop for the New York Yankees that night. His name is Derek Jeter, and I owe my life to this incredible human being."

So where's your MVP vote going now ladies and gentlemen? Where's your MVP vote going now?

Yankees May be Playing it a Little Close

With how terribly the Red Sox were playing in August, and early September, I sort of assumed that the Yankees would coast into a division title with ease. But after a recent surge from the Red Sox, the Yankees stand 5 games ahead with the Angels and Red Sox making up our next six road games. The Yankees are a lock for the post season, but all of a sudden the division race doesn't seem so finished. It would require quite the collapse from the Yankees for them to lose the division, especially with a magic number of 9, but the Yankees have a lot to prove this week. We're facing two contenders, and one of them will be our ALCS opponents. Combine that with the fact that our 4 and 5 guys look really bad, and the Yankees could be playing it close.

Weekend Baseball Isn't What it Used to Be

The Good

Burnett stopped his recent skid in performance with a 7 inning 1 run performance on Friday, while Sabathia continued his recent spurt in performance with his own 7 inning 1 run performance. The Yankees scored 10 runs on the Saturday game, led by Mark Teixeira and his 2 homeruns. Mitre, surprisingly, gave us a solid 5 inning relief effort yesterday allowing no runs.

The Bad

Mariano Rivera blew just his second game of the season on Friday, and the Yankees took the loss. It was a tough game to lose, especially when we had Mariano on the mound, but it happens.

The Ugly

Joba did not give the Yankees a chance yesterday as he went 3 innings allowing 7 runs. The scary thought is that he's slated to be our number 4. If I were the Yankees I'd start stretching out Aceves.

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. On Saturday, Matsui hit his 26th homerun of the season becoming the DH with the most homeruns in Yankee history. The previous record holder was Hitsy McSmacksmith, who hit 25 homeruns in his second year as DH for the Yankees. Teixeira homered twice that game as well, proving his love and commitment to children's health.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 26hr = $26.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 37hr = $37.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $226.00

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.

We Wish You the Best

We here at the RJG blog often take our inspiration from other writers in the Yankee blogosphere, and there are plenty of good writers to read out there. One of our favorites in the Yankee blogging world has been the Lohud Yankees Blog of Peter Abraham. Peter Abraham is a journalist for the Journal News, and his blog has grown very popular with the fans. Along with in game posts and updates, Peter has frequently given us exclusive interviews, insights, and audio of the Q & A sessions the media has with players. Some who read this blog may have stumbled across us from Peter Abraham's site since he was one of the first people to link to us.

Peter Abraham recently took a job for the Boston Globe, and will soon be taking his talent and energy to the Red Sox side of the rivalry. Red Sox fans don't know how lucky they are. It was Peter Abraham that actually inspired us to start this blog back in the winter of 2008. The way he mixed humor and sarcasm with the realities of the baseball world was what attracted us to his site, and helped mold our own approach when thinking about how we would author this blog.

The truth is, we are going to miss him. There are many great blogs to read out there, but losing this one hurts. We'll miss Peter Abraham, and we'll make sure to heckle him at whatever Boston blog he starts writing in the future. Good luck with everything Pete! I hope this move will prove beneficial for your career, and that you will find success in all you do! Don't forget about us out here!

Late Inning Heroics Lift Yankees

The Good

Chad Gaudin put up a decent start going 5.2 innings and allowing 3 runs. Why is Mitre still in the rotation? Marte-Coke-Hughes-Rivera combined for 3.1 innings of shutout baseball. Matsui went 2-4 with a homerun and 3 RBI's. The ever energetic Francisco Cervelli hit a walk off single and it was glorious.

The Bad

You'd think we'd do better when the starting pitcher is out after 2 innings but alas Shawn Camp proved to be a reliable backup to Tallet.

The Ugly

Brian Bruney came in and gave up a pair of hits and a run without recording an out. He may very well be pitching his way off the post season roster, if he hasn't already.

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. Matsui hit his 25th homerun of the season last night.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 25hr = $25.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $223.00

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 and Blue Jays Brawl

Last nights fracas between the Blue Jays and Yankees has created quite the stir, and the question remains as to whether there will be further conflict tonight. To guage the potential impact of this fight, the RJG conducted field interviews with some of the players involved.

"Last nights fight got pretty heated." Explained Toronto outfielder Adam Lind. "I was in the middle of it all. Its exciting. The closest thing to gladiatorial combat we can get to in modern times."

When asked if he believed the fighting would continue tonight. Adam Lind had this to say:

"When a fight starts, I come running out of the dugout full speed. Then I set my eyes on the players involved. I try to find someone that I'm going to push really hard. Then I run into the center of everything and start pushing people like crazy. I can push pretty hard. I practice pushing punching bags in the off season just to be ready for these moments. Sometimes people will push you while you're trying to push them, and it becomes a shoving match. It gets pretty crazy in there."

Asked about his experience in these fights Johnny Damon had this to say:

"Me, I usually like to be the guy who pulls a random player out of the crowd and then pretends to hold them back. It makes it look like I'm a peace maker."

But would the fight continue tonight or is the matter settled?

"Well I sat the team down and told them that I was dissapointed in what happened." Said Yankee manager Joe Girardi. "I mean, this isn't how we practiced it spring training. When there's a fight, we're supposed to form a phalanx with each man's bat protecting the man to his left. If we don't fight in a phalanx, then were just animals, and who wants to be just an animal?"

The Blue Jays disagreed.

"Its each man for himself out there." Said second baseman Aaron Hill. "Like yesterday I was pushing AJ Burnett, but then I turned around and clocked Carlson right in the head. Left him a big knot too. Posada was in shock, but that's how I roll."

Tonight at 7:05pm we will see what this will all come to.

Schilling Respects the Gangster

One of our loyal readers pointed out this post that retired Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had about Jeter passing Gehrig on his blog. Say what you will about Schilling, and he was probably one of the Sox players I hated most in his time there, but he pays proper respect to Jeter, and you can tell he cares about the game.

Overreactions and Conflict Put Damper on Cy Young Matchup

The Good

The Torrid Yankee offense put together 15 hits. 5 for extra bases!

The Bad

Well, Mitre was pretty much as advertised, and the mop up squad of Ramirez, Melancon and Dunn didn't exactly help get the Yankees back in the game.

I never knew how you could have 15 hits and only drive in 4 runs, but the Yankees showed us how last night.

The Ugly

By now, I'm sure everyone has heard or seen the fight that broke out. A couple pitchers threw at a couple of hitters, which is pretty much what you would call baseball. Posada got upset after Toronto pitcher Jesse Carlson threw behind him about waist high. This was after Mark Melancon had drilled Aaron Hill in the back, and not for nothing but we got Hill good. Posada had some words with Carlson and the benches cleared, but nothing came of it. It happens, and it should have ended there. But then later, when Posada was crossing home plate on a double by Gardner, he threw a little forearm at Carlson who was backing up the throw on the play. Carlson swore at Posada, the umpire tossed Posada, Posada charged Carlson, and a brawl broke out. Though people have seriously exagerated Posada's elbow, the point of the matter is that nudge or not, he should have just crossed homeplate, gone to the dugout, and sat down. It really didn't need to be anything else. If Carlson was standing on homeplate, I could sort of understand it, but he wasn't. It was immature on Posada's part, and frankly I agree with what most beat writers are saying (See Pete Abe, Mark Feinsand, and Tyler Kepner) that the Yankees can't risk injuring one of their players because a middle reliever on a 4th place team threw behind you. Not to mention that it was in retaliation, and he did it cleanly (ie. he didn't throw at the head).

Carlson had a monster knot on his head after the brawl, and apparently Girardi has a bruise and a small cut over his ear. It was dumb.

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. No homeruns as Halladay did his thing, and the Yankees didn't.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 24hr = $24.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $222.00

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 Got Dunked On By Michael Jordan

Antone, from the You Got Dunked On blog forwarded this link to a video compilation of Michael Jordan's greatest dunks. Its a cool mix, so give it a look if you can watch video on your work computer and have head phones to hide the audio from your supervisor.

Cy Young Matchup of the Season Tonight

The moment we've all been waiting for will arrive at 7:05pm tonight. The most anticipated pitching matchup of the season will be aired on MY9, and the world will be watching. Yes ladies and gentleman, we are finally going to have the privilege of seeing Roy Halladay take on Sergio Mitre.

Sergio Mitre's journey to his first potential Cy Young began 6 seasons ago in Chicago. As a starter for the Chicago Cubs, he logged just two starts before his 8.31 ERA was deemed too high. Though his ERA hasn't changed much, his desire to win a Cy Young has.

"I would say the first time I thought of a Cy Young award was when I made that quality start a few weeks back. I thought to myself, 'how many of these would I need to win a Cy Young?' I figured at least one, and so far I've thrown that many." Said Mitre.

But opposing Mitre's dream is the former Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, and though Halladay has already basked in the glory of a Cy Young award, he is far too greedy to let others have a chance.

"I want to win." Said Halladay. "And since that can't happen with the Blue Jays, I figure I should just win some Cy Youngs."

So tonight, these two dreams are on a collision course of destiny. There's only one Sergio Mitre.....one Roy Halladay.....one Cy Young. Who will be deemed worthy? My votes on Halladay.

So We Can Beat the Angels

The Good

Joba stood up for 4 innings and only allowed 1 run, a homerun by Vlad, and who doesn't give up a homerun to Vlad? Swisher and Cano went 2-4 with Swisher hitting a homerun. Aceves went 2.1 innings and allowed 1 run in relief. Mariano Rivera recorded his 40th save of the season. Teixeira went 3-4 with a triple and 2 RBI's.

Lastly, the fleet footed Brett Gardner stole third and scored on an error to break the tie the Yankees were in. Cano then went and drove in another run to put the Yankees ahead 5-3, but it was Gardner's fleet footedness that gave us that win. Cheers to Gardner!

The Bad

Phil Hughes came in the 8th and recorded both a blown save and a win. He gave up a run, allowing the Angels to tie, but then the Yankee offense got it back.

The Ugly

Teixeira was a homerun short of the cycle, and batting lefty at Yankee stadium, how did he not hit one? Marky T needs to think about what he did.

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. Nick Swisher, who has been quite the contributor this season, hit yet another homerun for the children.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 24hr = $24.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 27hr = $27.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $222.00

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 Refuse To Be Swept

The Good

The Yankee offense combined for 20 hits and 13 runs off of the Orioles including 3-5 nights from Jeter and Matsui. Matsui drove in 5 runs and Jeter scored 3. Sabathia went a solid 7 innings allowing 3 runs, and was relieved by Hughes-Bruney-Ramirez who combined for 2 innings of scoreless baseball.

The Bad

Johnny Damon made a catch in the 4th inning, and was about to throw it into the crowd and head back to the dugout, which would have been fine only it was the second out of the inning. The Orioles scored from second base as he struggled to noodle arm a throw to Jeter, who also wasn't quick on the relay. It cost the Yankees a run, but in the end, it really didn't matter.

The Ugly

A-Rod came up to bat with the bases loaded, and was called out on strikes on a pitch that was just off the outside corner. Definitely a ball, but too close to take in that count. A-Rod argued with homeplate umpire Marty Foster until he tossed him. Not to be outdone, Girardi threw a fit and was also tossed. I personally appreciate Girardi getting tossed in this situation. He stood up for his player and got tossed. I also appreciate A-Rod getting tossed because it shows that he really cares.

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. Hideki Matsui hit a homerun as part of a monster game yesterday. I suspect he wants a new contract.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 24hr = $24.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 26hr = $26.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $221.00

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.

MLB Network Press Release

MLB NETWORK TO PREMIERE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PRODUCTIONS WIRED FOR BASEBALL ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 AT 8:00 P.M. ET

September 11, 2009 – MLB Network will televise the premiere of Major League Baseball Productions Wired for Baseball on Sunday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hosted by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Kevin Millar, the show focuses on the behind-the-scene sounds of the game that have been recorded thanks to players wearing wireless microphones. Wired for Baseball takes an inside look at conversations exchanged among players and coaches during Spring Training, All-Star week and the Post Season throughout the past five seasons, including Millar during the 2004 American League Championship Series, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder.

The show also contains vintage clips of MLB Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Jimmie Fox, Tommy Lasorda, Yogi Berra and Ted Williams as well as footage of Cal Ripken Jr., wearing a wireless microphone during his final All-Star Game in 2001.

Wired for Baseball will re-air on MLB Network on Wednesday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m. ET and Sunday, September 27 at 11:00 a.m. ET.

About MLB Network

MLB Network launched on January 1, 2009 as the largest debut in cable television history and is currently available in approximately 53 million cable and satellite homes. With live games, original programming, highlights, classic games, and coverage of baseball events, MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans. For more information and to find MLB Network in your area, go to mlbnetwork.com.

A Weekend of Baseball Abbreviated

The Good

Jeter passed Gehrig!

The Bad

Pettitte and Burnett's pitching performances.

The Ugly

Two dropped games to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Apology

We apologize for our absence this weekend as things got a little busy, but we are excited to see Sabathia take on the Orioles to try and avoid a sweep. We're also happy that Jeter passed Gehrig on the all-time Yankees hits list. We all knew he would do it, but it was nice to actually see it. Here's to another 20 years of Derek Jeter at shortstop.

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. A-Rod hit one this weekend, but the dominating Orioles pitching staff has kept the Yankees in yard for the most part.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 26hr = $26.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 25hr = $25.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $220.00

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.

Bud Selig Talks to RJG

Recently, Fox Sports put out an interview with baseball commissioner, Bud Selig done by RJG arch-nemisis Ken Rosenthal about baseball economics. Not to be outdone, the RJG sat down with Bud, and conducted a way better interview about baseball economics. Below is the outcome.

RJG: You have been known for bringing revenue sharing, and the luxury tax to baseball. When did you first realize you were a communist?

BS: The first time was shortly after I read the Communist Manifesto. I was enthralled by its unique philosophies and the idea of living as a community, for the greater good of the community. I attended a few rallies, and I was hooked. The sickle and hammer lives strong to this day.

RJG: Yet on the other hand, you have been fervently opposed to a salary cap. A position that seems rooted in capitolism. What's the deal with that?

BS: You gotta make money to go shopping.

RJG: That makes little sense. What's your take on some of these small market teams habitually not competing? I'm thinking of the Pirates, Royals, Athletics, Mets, and Nationals, teams you don't really see succeeding.

BS: Well, I don't know that that's entirely fair. The Athletics were in the post season a couple years back as were the Mets. Plus the Mets aren't a small market team by any definition. Then you have small market teams like Colorado making a run for the wild card, Tampa Bay last year, there are small market teams competing.

RJG: Yeah, but lets be honest, the Pirates haven't been competitive since Roberto Clemente. The Royals since George Brett. The Nationals are a new team, but they don't seem to have any luck. If baseball had a FEMA, it would be operating out of Citifield right now. How do teams like these compete under your regime?

BS: Look, its up to these teams to build their own winners. I can't build it for them. Mainly because I don't know how to, and I'm too ashamed to ask Brian Cashman. But I'm willing to bet that if you went and looked at these teams farm systems, you'd see barren deserts.

RJG: Alright, well let me ask about this. I know that a salary cap at the major league level won't fly with the player's union, but what about some sort of salary cap for the draft? Its ridiculous that Strasburg got millions of dollars without having to prove himself in the majors first. If small market teams are going to compete, they have to be able to sign the best players available in the draft without being concerned about price.

BS: Revenue sharing already gives these teams free money to sign players with. What else can they want from me?

RJG: A salary cap for drafted players.

BS: Some of the responsibility has to fall on the teams for managing their own finances. Have you ever seen the Pirates front office? They have six doctors on staff. Six! What the (expletive deleted) do you need six doctors on staff for? That's like a 4-1 ratio of doctors to players! Or what about the eight special assistants to the general manager? What do you need eight special assistants for!? Does the GM for the Pittsburgh Pirates really do that much work? You're telling me that they can hire eight special assistants and six doctors and can't sign a player in the draft?

RJG: They could if there was a salary cap on the draft.

BS: What's your obsession with a salary cap for the draft?

RJG: I'm still ticked that Andrew Brackman was signed to a major league contract and is collecting major league service time, while laboring away in class A Charleston.

BS: What's it to you? A young man is making money, and you're angry?

RJG: Don't even question me about money, the RJG is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with corporate jets, lavish spending, and government bailouts. We're a true blue American company.

BS: What does that mean?

RJG: It means were nearly bankrupt. But anyways moving along... Since this is an interview about baseball economics, what do you think about the recent state of the economy and its impact on baseball?

BS: The honest truth is free agent spending had gotten out of control. The Yankees were still out of control last off season, out bidding themselves for Sabathia, and giving big money contracts to Burnett and Teixeira. But in general, it seems the invisible hand of the market has regulated what had been a potentially damaging trend in baseball. Free agent contracts decreased and now small market teams have chances at some players.

RJG: The invisible hand of the market? That doesn't sound communist.

BS: Who says I'm communist?

RJG: You did.

BS: No I didn't.

RJG: Well, I forgot to turn on the tape recorder for the first question so instead, I decided to fabricate your answer. So now the interview reads like your a communist.

BS: Is that legal?

RJG: Are you a snitch?

BS: I am if it damages my reputation.

RJG: What reputation? The steroid era happened under your watch.

BS: And that's a reputation I fight hard to maintain!

RJG: Being the reigning commissioner of the steroid era?

BS: No, being the reigning commissioner on steroids! RUAWAA!!! (Selig yells as he picks up interview table and hurls it through conference window)

BS: You will rue this day forever RJG! So long suckers! (Selig jumps through conference window, and runs down RJG headquarter hallway screaming).

RJG: Geez.

BS: RUAAAWAA!!! (Selig screaming runs past conference room heading the opposite direction down the hallway)

RJG: For crying out loud. Selena, can you show him out!?

BS: (Selig, stops by shattered conference window) Excuse me, can you show me where your exit is?

RJG: Yeah, Selena will show you. You're going to owe us for this window.

BS: Good luck collecting it.

RJG: Whatever, just go.

BS: Rue this day you will! Ruwaahaaha!!!!!! (Selig screams running down hallway)

BS: (Selig reappears by shattered conference window) Can you validate my parking?

RJG: Give it to Bucky on the way out.

BS: How do I get back on the highway from here?

RJG: Can you leave?

-The End-

So there you have it. A way better interview than what Ken Rosenthal did. The economics of baseball have never been so interesting.

Bronny Gets a Long Distance Call

As I recently moved to the UK and was feeling a little home sick, I decided to give good friend of the blog Brian Cashman a call from my new home overseas. Below is a transcript of our conversation:

BC: Hello?

RJG: G'day guvna! Put anotha shrimp on tha barbee!

BC: You're not in Australia.

RJG: How would you know?

BC: Because I just accepted the charges for a collect call from Britain. What the #%@$& is wrong with you?

RJG: You can afford it Bronny. So Jeter tied Gehrig, huh? I wish I could've been there to see that.

BC: Yeah, it was a pretty special accomplishment.

RJG: Almost like getting internet service in the UK. Can you believe it's going to take me three weeks to get a phone line installed? That's crazy.

BC: At least you have health care.

RJG: I know. I put myself on an organ transplant list just because I can.

BC: That doesn't seem ethical.

RJG: Neither does a complete lack of baseball coverage in this country, so now we're even.

BC: Miss the game do you?

RJG: Yeah. I tried to get a national team together but they kept trying to kick the ball around and into a goal. It was very frustrating. Think 2008 regular season.

BC: Yeah, we really shouldn't have signed David Beckham that year. But we've moved on.

RJG: You sure have. I can't wait til October, it's going to be great. I know I've told you that you suck at your job on a regular basis, but you've put a great team together.

BC: All that Steinbrenner money helps.

RJG: Don't be modest bloke.

BC: Yeah, you're right. I'm pretty much the greatest GM ever.

RJG: No, it's really the money. So, can you fly me out to New York come October for every playoff game and then back to the UK?

BC: I don't think the Steinbrenner's would approve of that.

RJG: It's not all about you Bronny.

[Click]

There you have it folks. The Yankees' purse is not bottomless after all, but we're still going all the way!

Jeter Ties Gehrig

The Good

I'll leave the obvious for last, but on a night where the Yankee world was focused on Jeter, the Yankee team clubbed out a win with an 8th inning pinch hit homerun by Posada. Aceves and Albaladejo combined for 5 no hit innings. Bruney and Coke combined to pitch the ninth with Coke getting the save.

And last, but certainly not least, Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig's record for all-time hits as a Yankee. Its just like Jeter to go 0-12 and feign a slump, and then go 3-4 with a walk to tie a record. I suspect he passes it on Friday since he more than anyone else, wants this hype to be over.

The Bad

The Yankee offence had a hard time against Jeff Neimann, who has proven to be one the Rays best starters this season. Not that I mind the late inning heroics, but the old saying that good pitching beats good hitting was proven with this matchup.

The Ugly

Another 3 inning, 2 run effort from Joba. In fairness, the damage was done in the first inning, but still, Joba has given us 3 good starts since the all-star break, and this certainly wasn't one of them.

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. Posada came in the 8th inning and hit a pinch hit homerun to put the Yankees ahead.

Jorge Posada 21hr = $21.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 26hr = $26.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $219.00

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 Want the Sox

Peter Abraham had an interesting question and poll on his blog yesterday. He was wondering whether the fans wanted to face Texas in the ALDS or the Tigers. The implication was that if the Yankees faced Texas, then the Red Sox lost the wild card, while if they are facing the Tigers, then the Red Sox won. It made me think of what kind of ALCS I would want to have. Its likely that we'd be facing either the Sox or the Angels, unless of course Texas wins the wild card. Personally, I want to face the Red Sox in the ALCS. A lot of fans seemed scared of this, probably because of what happened in 2004, but for me, it seems like even if we win the world series, if we do so avoiding the Sox, it just won't be as sweet. No, I say bring them on. Let's have another classic series like the ones in 2003 - 2004 were. If this team is tough and not intimidated then we'll have an '03 outcome. If they're intimidated, then we'll see an '04 outcome, only probably not as dramatic. Either way, beating the Red Sox to go into the world series would be a huge boost, and it would shut Sox fans up for a little while. Emphasis on little.

Jeter Not Hitting, but Yankees Still Winning

The Good

Who better the Nick Swisher? Nick the Swish went 2-3 with 2 homeruns including a walk off hit, his first at the stadium. Gaudin made a good start going 6 innings and allowing 1 run with 6 strikeouts. Certainly his best of the season. From there, Marte-Bruney-Coke combined to pitch a hitless inning (yes, one inning). Mariano got the win, pitching a perfect 9th before Swisher hit his homerun.

The Bad

Hughes gave up the lead when he gave up a homerun in the 8th. It was a matter of time before he gave up a run. Every reliever not named Mariano Rivera will give up runs from time to time.

The Ugly

Jeter went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts, which was an ugly performance, especially on the heels of Gehrig's record. The truth is though, Tampa Bay pitching was extra stingy yesterday. The Yankees combined for 5 hits over 9 innings. With 4 other players besides Jeter going hitless. Either way, 3 strikeouts in one game is rare for the man, and the fact that he didn't meet with the media after the game, may suggest that this is wearing on him. Nonetheless, he's going to break it, but I'm a little worried about the homeruns. I really want him to hit 3 so the 2009 Yankees can become the first team to have 8 players with at least 20 homeruns. Here's hoping.

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. Nick Swisher was the champion of children's health last night as he hit homeruns from both sides of the plate and at Yankee stadium, where he never hits homeruns. It just goes to show the power of charity.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 26hr = $26.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $218.00

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.

Quick Update

Just a quick update on my progress here in England. I won't likely have regular internet access until the 23d, so I won't be updating much. I'm glad to see that the Yanks are still playing well and have a commanding lead in the division. That race may be over. I look forward to getting home internet access and blogging about the post-season.

Rays Probably Out Of Post Season Race

When Michael Dunn's fastball sped past the flailing Gabe Kapler last night, the signaling of the final out of an 11-1 game likely marked the end of the Rays post season hopes. The Rays lost two games yesterday and though they stand a possible 7.5 games behind the wild card leading Red Sox, they simply are not playing the way a contending team needs to play. What further sinks this team is the fact that one of the biggest bats in their lineup, Carlos Pena, is now out for the season after breaking his fingers on an inside pitch from Sabathia. The season is not totally lost for the Rays, as they were able to see Longoria put up strong numbers in his sophomore season, and were able to get blue chip prospect David Price to start regularly. Personally, I think trading Kazmir was a huge mistake for their 2010 chances, but apparently they feel they got the right prospects for him.

It was a rough season over all for the Rays. Kazmir didn't perform up to his standards and never pitched right after his injury. BJ Upton, who had hit .273 with a .383 OBP in 2008, has hit .237 with a .310 OBP in 2009. They lost their middle infield of Jason Bartlett and Akinori Iwamura, for a stretch of time. Grant Balfour, who was the bridge in that bullpen has a 4.77 ERA after posting a 1.54 ERA last season. Andy Sonnanstine has a 7.23 ERA on the season, and Pat Burell who was supposed to be an added power bat for them, hit just .234 with 13 homeruns, as opposed to the .250 average and 33 homeruns he hit in Philadelphia the season before.

It seems like everything went right for the Rays in 2008, and nothing is going right for them in 2009. In other words, the 2009 Rays are the 2008 Yankees. Though everything seems to be going right for the Yankees, lets not forget that early on, many people thought we weren't going to compete this year. We started the season with an ineffective bullpen, with a stumbling rotation, and an inconsistent offense. A-Rod missed the first few weeks, Nady's been out all season, Teixeira had a slow start, Sabathia had a slow start, Wang never got on track and then we lost him for the season. We had both Posada and Molina go on the DL at the same time, Joba continues to pitch horribly, etc. But it just goes to show how a well built team can overcome such obstacles. Where would we be if we didn't have Swisher to replace Nady early on in the season, and also fill the power void left by a slumping Teixeira and an absent A-Rod? Remember when Sabathia was pitching awfully early in the season? Where would we have been if we didn't have Pettitte posting a 2.96 ERA in April? Where would we be without Cervelli filling in brilliantly for Posada? Or without Hughes and Aceves locking down the bullpen after Ramirez, Veras, and Albaladejo couldn't get it done at the beginning of the season?

The Yankees have come a long way, and now they have a legitimate shot at the world series. Now the team is not perfect. We have two big weaknesses on the team, namely our 4th and 5th starters. Hopefully between Joba, Aceves and Gaudin, we can peice together that 4th start in the postseason, but no team is completely without weaknesses. I personally feel good about this team, and I'm excited to see what the rest of the season tells us about this squad.

Yankees Take Double Header, and Rays Hopes of a Postseason Berth

The Good

What great pitching performances out of Sabathia and Burnett yesterday. The two combined for 13 innings of 2 run ball with 18 strikeouts. Burnett bounced back from some tough outings to go 6 innings of 1 run ball with 8 strikeouts. Releif was good too, with Hughes, Rivera, Edwar Ramirez, Albaladejo, and Dunn pitching 5 scoreless innings.

The Yankee offense ralied in the 8th inning of the first game to break a 1-1 tie, and put the pressure on in the second game winning 11-1. No one did more than Teixeira who hit 2 homeruns and drove in 4 runs to lead that charge. Melky was right behind him with a 3-4 night of his own, driving in 2. Even Molina had a 3-3 night with 2 walks.

The Bad

The young Michael Dunn came in the 9th inning of an 11-1 game last night, and walked two of the first three batters he faced. The sad thing is that he has good stuff. He was hitting 94 mph pitching lefty, and struck out Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler to end the inning. Now in fairness, Nick Swisher struck out Gabe Kapler to end an inning, but still, Dunn has good stuff. He needs to trust it more.

The Ugly

Derek Sanderson Jeter failed to get any closer to Gehrig's record despite playing in both games of a double header. Could it be getting into his head? Maybe, maybe not, but I largely suspect he'll be breaking it within the next couple games, and I'm hoping he hits 3 homeruns before this homestand is over.

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. After a homerless first game, Mark Teixeira took the initiative and hit two in the second game as he remembered the children. Thank you Marky T.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 35hr = $35.00
Nick Swisher 24hr = $24.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $216.00

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.

RJG Joins Sports Blog Network

The RJG has recently joined the Sports Blog Network, which is a network of sports blogs joined together for the common purpose of getting greater visibility. One of the challenges we face as a sports blog is how to get more people to see what we do. One of the funnest parts of having a blog is the back and forth we have in the comments section of our posts. We love to connecting with fans from all over the world. Our blog, based on the writing style and often satirical approach, doesn't typically appeal to your usual sports fan. Hopefully, joining this network will help bring more people with a similar mind set and sense of humor to our blog, and get the RJG name out there a little more.

Also, if you're looking for more blogs to read while you're pretending to take notes on your laptop in class or work, check out the network.

Jeter 4 Hits Shy of Record

Jeter is just 4 hits shy of breaking Gehrig's all time hits record for a Yankee, but its the other record that I'm more interested in. If Jeter hits just 3 more homeruns this season, the 2009 Yankees will be the first team to have 8 players in the lineup with at least 20 homeruns. It speaks to the balance and consistancy of our lineup. That we lead the majors in homeruns hit on the road is further evidence that this lineup is the real deal. Now its not to say that its the greatest lineup ever to see the light of a playing field. Only two players in the lineup are batting over .300 (Jeter is one of them), and its not like we have a Mantle and Maris finishing with 61 and 54 homeruns respectively. However, this lineup is the best we've seen in years, and may be one of the few that can stand up to good pitching on a regular basis.

Either way, unless something goes horrifyingly wrong, I know Jeter's going to break Gerhig's record. The 3 homeruns is a little less certain. Hopefully he does both during this home stand.

That Wasn't Pretty

The Good

If you're going to lose a game, you might as well lose it the way we did today. We were exceptionally good at losing todays game. Jeter went 3-3 with a walk, which puts him 3 shy of Gehrig's career hits total. Swisher also had a good game going 2-4 with 3 RBI's, hitting both a double and a homerun.

Josh Towers did decently in relief.

The Bad

Mitre's final line was 4.1 innings with 11 runs, 9 earned. You can't even spin that.

The Ugly

4 errors, lazy plays, and all around horrible play is what stands out with this game. That and Mitre's inability to get an out with the bases loaded.

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. Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera hit homeruns to make it look like we could win, but the pitching gave it all back. At least the children still benefit.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 33hr = $33.00
Nick Swisher 24hr = $24.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 12hr = $12.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $214.00

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 Pick Up Pettitte

The Good

The bullpen, namely Robertson, Bruney, and Hughes, combined for 3 innings of scoreless hitless baseball, with 5 strikeouts. The Yankee bats came alive with Melky driving in a pair, and Robinson Cano going 3-4 with a homerun.

The Bad

Pettitte wasn't at his sharpest, 6 innings and 4 runs with 5 walks, but it was good enough for the win yesterday.

The Ugly

Toronto DH Randy Ruiz hit a ball that everyone thought was a homerun, everyone but Derek Jeter and Jerry Hairston Jr. who challenged that the ball hit off the concrete. Upon review, the homerun call was overturned and the Yankees made a mortal enemy.

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. Cano and Teixeira hit homeruns yesterday and helped get the Yankee offense back on track after a rough game on Friday.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 33hr = $33.00
Nick Swisher 23hr = $23.00
Robinson Cano 23hr = $23.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $212.00

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 Get One Hit

The Good

Well, at least bullpen castaways Jonathan Albaladejo and Edwar Ramirez pitched a combined 2.1 scoreless innings. Also, Ramiro Pena broke up Halladay's no hitter with a double in the 6th.

The Bad

Is it redundant to say that Joba Chamberlain is absolutely awful of late?

The Ugly

You know, there's not much shame in getting no hit by Roy Halladay, but there is some shame in having your no hit bid get broken up by Ramiro Pena. Hopefully Halladay will see the power that is the Yankees and will beg Toronto to come here.

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. No homeruns as the Yankees combined for one total hit, and it didn't leave the park. This is what happens when you leave Derek Jeter out of the lineup.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 32hr = $32.00
Nick Swisher 23hr = $23.00
Robinson Cano 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $210.00

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.

That's a Lie

Some of you may have noticed that Albaladejo had two black eyes when they showed him in the bullpen yesterday, and apparently he has a cut on his head too. How did he get them? According to Peter Abraham, Albaladejo "was playing catch with Edwar Ramirez on Monday and missed a ball that cut. It conked him in the noggin." Now, I know Peter Abraham has to report what he's told, and he did just that, but two black eyes and a cut on your head from one ball? I mean, how many times did this one ball hit him? No, I'm willing to bet Albaladejo got drunk, picked a fight, and got the crap kicked out of him. Maybe even by Shelley. Their stated explanation just doesn't make sense. I'm calling it now. Its a lie.

Release from MLB

THIRTEEN 2009 MLB ALL-STARS AMONG FINALISTS FOR THE
ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHEVY

30 Club Nominees Announced for Award Recognizing Community Service Excellence

Major League Baseball and Chevy, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, today announced the names of the 30 Club nominees, including 13 MLB All-Stars, who are finalists for the prestigious 2009 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy. The award is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines a dedication to giving back to the community with outstanding skills on the baseball field. Tomorrow will mark the eighth annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially recognize local Club recipients of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy is named for the 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The award perpetuates Clemente’s achievements and character by recognizing current-day players who truly understand the value of helping others.

Fans can once again participate in the selection process of the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy. From September 2 through October 4, fans are encouraged to log on to www.chevy.com/clemente and vote for one of the 30 Club nominees.

“I would like to congratulate and thank each of the Club nominees for the 2009 Roberto Clemente Award for their exceptional play on the field and dedication to their local communities,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “Major League Baseball and Chevy have continued this joint partnership in honoring Roberto Clemente, one of the game’s greatest players and a remarkable humanitarian. It is a great achievement for these players representing each of the 30 Major League Baseball Clubs to be mentioned alongside Roberto Clemente. I commend all of the nominees for representing Major League Baseball with honor and embodying our game's commitment to its communities.”

“Chevrolet is proud to share in the spirit of community, and carrying forward the legacy that Roberto Clemente established,” said Kim Kosak, General Director, Chevrolet Advertising and Sales Promotion. “We look forward to partnering with baseball fans everywhere in honoring these athletes who display great commitment on the field, but also in their respective communities.”

The 30 Club recipients of the 2009 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy feature 13 players selected for the 2009 All-Star Game:


Arizona Diamondbacks – Eric Byrnes
Milwaukee Brewers – Jeff Suppan
Atlanta Braves – Tim Hudson
Minnesota Twins – Joe Mauer*
Baltimore Orioles – Nick Markakis
New York Mets – Johan Santana*
Boston Red Sox – Kevin Youkilis*
New York Yankees – Derek Jeter*
Chicago Cubs – Ted Lilly*
Oakland Athletics – Kurt Suzuki
Chicago White Sox – Paul Konerko
Philadelphia Phillies – Cole Hamels
Cincinnati Reds – Aaron Harang
Pittsburgh Pirates – Paul Maholm
Cleveland Indians – Jhonny Peralta
St. Louis Cardinals – Albert Pujols*
Colorado Rockies – Aaron Cook
San Diego Padres – Adrian Gonzalez*
Detroit Tigers – Curtis Granderson*
San Francisco Giants – Barry Zito
Florida Marlins – Hanley Ramirez*
Seattle Mariners – Miguel Batista
Houston Astros – Hunter Pence*
Tampa Bay Rays – James Shields
Kansas City Royals – Mark Teahen
Texas Rangers – Michael Young*
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Torii Hunter*
Toronto Blue Jays – Vernon Wells
Los Angeles Dodgers – Orlando Hudson*
Washington Nationals – John Lannan

*2009 MLB All-Star

The winner of the fan poll will receive one vote among those cast by the selection panel, which includes Vera Clemente, wife of the late Hall of Famer, and Commissioner Selig. Participating fans will also be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip to Game Three of the 2009 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy will be announced.

All Clubs playing at home on September 2 will acknowledge their local recipients as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies. Visiting Clubs will honor their local Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy recipient during an upcoming homestand. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and the official dugout lineup cards. MLB celebrates Roberto Clemente Day as part of its broader “MLB Going Beyond” platform, an initiative that strives to integrate community service and the importance of giving back.

Celebrities for Charity Raffle

Currently, we are raffling off two premium seats to the Sox / Yankees game at the new Yankee Stadium on September 26, 2009. The seats are right behind home plate and are in section 105. The winner also gets a $500.00 travel voucher as well as $100.00 for meals and other expenses.

Proceeds from the raffle go to charity and tickets start at just $2.00 a piece with a minimum purchase of 5 tickets. I was contacting you today to see if it would be possible to get some sort of mention regarding the raffle on your site. Any sort of mention is extremely helpful and appreciated and goes towards a good cause. For further information regarding the raffle, as well as ticket purchases visit:

https://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffles/alphaomega_sox.cfm

Entry deadline for the raffle is September 23, 2009 @ 11:00am EDT

Yankees Keep Rolling

The Good

Solid relief efforts from Aceves, Robertson, Bruney (yes, even Bruney), and Marte, kept the Yankees in the lead all game long. Aceves gave up 2 runs in 2.1 innings of relief but only 1 was earned and he struck out 3. Robertson pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. Between him and Hughes we have some solid right handed late inning relievers we can use.

The offense came alive again last night, scoring 10 runs. Posada led the way going 4-5 with a double, a homerun and 4 RBI's. With that homerun, Posada became the 7th player in the lineup to have at least 20 homeruns for the season.

The Bad

Chad Gaudin pitched 3.2 innings allowing 3 runs. He wasn't great, and threw a lot of pitches in that time. Gaudin really is just a reliever at this point, so its tough having him start. I'm willing to bet that once his spot start role is over, he'll have success pitching 1 or 2 innings at a time.

The Ugly

Some guy threw a foul ball that had been hit into the stands back on the field near Aceves. Security then came and threw him out of the game. According to Pete Abraham, its been a fairly common occurence this season. I guess the fans get really drunk off the light beers.

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. Just when I thought the Yankees would go homerless in a game, they go and hit two in the 9th. So many thanks to Posada and A-Rod for not letting the children go a day without a donation.

Jorge Posada 20hr = $20.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 32hr = $32.00
Nick Swisher 23hr = $23.00
Robinson Cano 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 24hr = $24.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $210.00

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.

New Leadership Motto Pays Dividends for 2009 Yankees

The 2009 Yankees are on pace to win over a hundred games, and take the division by a substantial lead. This of course is a complete turn around from the disaster that was the 2008 Yankees, a team plagued by injuries, and an inability to win. Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman worked tirelessly over the off season to build a better team, and did so by adding two quality pitchers, and a slugging first baseman among other pieces. But was this what turned the 2008 losers into 2009 winners? Not exactly. From interviews with different players and coaching staff, RJG has found that everyone was unanimous in their belief that a few simple slogan changes was all they needed.

"I remember last year, when the season started, Joe (Girardi) wanted to come up with some motto's or slogans we could use to pump ourselves up before a game." Recalled Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon. "But for some reason, our team agreed to some pretty crappy motto's."

"I think the three motto's we used the most last season were: 'We'll get them tomorrow.', 'Can't win them all.', and 'Better luck next year.'" Explained Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano. "I'm not really sure why we agreed to those motto's, but we took a vote at the beginning of the season, and that's what took."

"Yeah, I remember I voted for 'Let's get them today.' as our team slogan, but everyone turned it down. They said it didn't sound right." Stated Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. "I argued that 'We'll get them tomorrow' sounded like we were giving up on the game today, but people kept saying 'you can't win them all'. I said 'Maybe not, but we should try to win every game', and they were like 'well, better luck next year.' It was so frustrating."

After the season ended with the Yankees missing the playoffs, Yankee manager Joe Girardi made the executive decision to change the motto's.

"I mean, I know we voted on these, but I had to make an executive decision here. Last year I wanted our team slogan to be 'Remember the Alamo', because of its place in American history, but no one voted for that. In fact, 'Let's not be swept in Kansas' got more votes than that one. This season I changed our team slogan to, 'Derek Jeter', and its made all the difference. We stand around before the game chanting 'Der-ek Je-ter', and that gets us super pumped up. We all start wanting to play like him."

Just a simple slogan change has brought the New York Yankees back from despair, and into the bright shinning lights of victory.

Another Day, Another Dollar

The Good

Damon, Swisher and A-Rod really came alive going a combined 9-14 with 5 RBI's and 5 runs scored. The Yankees scored 7 runs in the 9th to turn an otherwise close game into a blow out.

Sabathia pitched a solid 7 innings allowing 1 run with 9 strikeouts. 9! Hughes got a 4 out save.

The Bad

In comes Bruney, out goes the ball. Is anyone else noticing this trend?

The Ugly

Can't really say there's much ugly from this game. It was a well played game, and the Yankees continue to roll. With the Rays victory over the Red Sox, the Yankees now stand 7.5 games ahead in the division. At 85 wins we are just 4 games shy of our season total in 2008.

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. Hinske hit a homerun, his second in as many days, as he's trying to make up for lost time spent in Pittsburgh.

Jorge Posada 19hr = $19.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 32hr = $32.00
Nick Swisher 23hr = $23.00
Robinson Cano 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 23hr = $23.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $208.00

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 Could Take Over the World At This Point

The Good

The offense really came alive today, with 4 different Yankees combining for 5 homeruns, including 2 from Posada who is now 1 shy of being the 7th player in the lineup with at least 20 homeruns. Jeter needs just 3 more to join that list too. Cano was a triple shy of the cycle, and though Jeter only went 1-4 he drew 2 walks.

A train of Marte-Robertson-Coke-Rivera pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in relief of Burnett.

The Bad

Burnett was once again, not hitting his target today. Almost every pitch you'd see Posada set up in one place and catch it somewhere else. Burnett needs to get a hold of his command and quick.

The Ugly

Posada came up to bat and drew a walk, only he had lost count and stood there all confused. He made up for it with two homeruns, but the team still laughed at him and called him names. It was sad.


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. Four Yankees went deep last night with two from Posada, and one from each of Cano, Swisher and Hinske.

Jorge Posada 19hr = $19.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 32hr = $32.00
Nick Swisher 23hr = $23.00
Robinson Cano 22hr = $22.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 23hr = $23.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 6hr = $6.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $207.00

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.

Almost Perfect

The Good

Pettitte pitched an amazing game going 8 innings with 8 strikeouts and only allowing 2 runs. He was perfect through 6.2 innings. Mariano got the save.

Swisher was a triple shy of the cycle, and drove in 2 runs while Cano went 2-4 also driving in 2.

The Bad

Bruney really lost something this season. He cannot pitch a clean inning anymore. Its a shame given how dominant he was early on.

The Ugly

With 2 outs in the 7th, Jerry Hairston Jr. let a sharp hit ball go under his legs for an error, and the end of Pettitte's perfect game. Pettitte then gave up a hit to lose the no hitter as well. Its hard not to think that if Hairston had made that play, Pettitte would be out of the inning and just 6 outs shy of a perfect game. It just goes to show how difficult a perfect game is and how it really is a team effort.

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. Nick the Swish hit his 22nd homerun of the season, and has thus forced my hand to give $22 to children's health so far. Hopefully, he'll bankrupt me by seasons end.

Jorge Posada 17hr = $17.00
Hideki Matsui 23hr = $23.00
Derek Jeter 17hr = $17.00
Mark Teixeira 32hr = $32.00
Nick Swisher 22hr = $22.00
Robinson Cano 21hr = $21.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 11hr = $11.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 23hr = $23.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 5hr = $5.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Total = $202.00

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.

Correction: As a reader pointed out, Pettitte gave up one run on two hits. Not two runs as I had written.