Yankees Take Two From Mariners

The Good

Damon and Jeter both had 3 hits a piece with Damon hitting a 2-run homerun. Abreu, Matsui and Cabrera all had a pair of hits and each knocked in a run. The story of this game has to be Mike Mussina though. 6 innings, 1 run, 5 strikeouts, no walks. The only run he gave up was manufactured when Betancourt hit a single, stole second, and scored off a single by Ichiro. In the 6th, Mussina struck out Ibanez, Clement, and Sexson, some of the Mariners better hitters, to close out the inning, and he did so working around a throwing error by Ensberg. He left after throwing 84 pitches. Hawkins-Ramirez-Veras pitched a combined 3 innings of scoreless relief, with Hawkins working around a throwing error by Jeter. Molina broke out of his hitless streak going 1-3 today with a walk.

The Bad

Well, a throwing error by Jeter and a throwing error by Ensberg. Also, Ramirez was not sharp. Although he pitched a scoreless inning, he walked Ibanez on 4 pitches, and then walked Beltre after working a full count. He got up to a full count with Clement before striking him out with the 10th pitch of the at-bat. It took him 28 pitches for that one inning.

The Ugly

Cano seems unable to break out. He had an 0-3 night with one intentional walk. Giambi had the same line, only his walk wasn't intentional. Those two are batting .150 and .154 respectively. Ensberg also went 0-4, and was actually the player the Mariners intentionally walked Cano to get to. He's batting .218 on the season.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's homerun 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 homeruns hit and the money donated throughout the season. Johnny Damon hit his 4th homerun of the season as he continues on his quest for his first 30 homerun season:

Melky Cabrera 5hr = $5.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 4hr = $4.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 5hr = $5.00
Johnny Damon 4hr = $4.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 2hr = $2.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $30.00

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.

Phil Hughes Injured and Blind

So it turns out Hughes had a legitimate reason for why he hasn't been so sharp lately. Turns out, he has a fractured rib, and though I'm not a medical expert, I suspect that may have hindered his pitching. It also appears that Hughes is near-sighted and needs glasses. Further more, Hughes discovered that he's actually left handed, and has been pitching with his non-dominant hand all this time. It really does make his recent outings that much more impressive.

Now if Ian Kennedy can discover that he's been pitching on a broken leg, and is legally blind in one eye, then I think this rotation is back on track.

Yankees Beat Mariners

The Good

Wang is amazing. That is his 6th win of the season as he threw 6 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 5. Farnsworth-Chamberlain-Rivera finished the game off with 3 scoreless innings. Farnsworth was especially impressive with 2 strikeouts in his inning of work. Melky hit a 2-run double with Ensberg and Matsui knocking in runs of their own.

The Bad

Jeter went 0-4, though he did score a run. Molina was 0-3 but had a sac fly. All in all, not a bad game.

The Ugly

Bedard gave up two unearned runs and took the loss, but his final line was 7 innings with 1 earned run. Technically a better outing than Wang who did get the win. I guess its not as bad as Roy Halladay pitching 3 complete games and losing 2 of them. That guys on the wrong team.


Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's homerun 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 homeruns hit and the money donated throughout the season. 5 runs tonight, but none off a long ball. Maybe tomorrow:

Melky Cabrera 5hr = $5.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 4hr = $4.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 5hr = $5.00
Johnny Damon 3hr = $3.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 2hr = $2.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $29.00

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 Would Not Imagine Who I Saw Yesterday

Last night, while I watched the Yankees play something that loosely resembled baseball, I decided to switch over to the Red Sox & Blue Jays game to see how it was going. It was the 9th inning and who should I see pitching if not Toronto's closer BJ Ryan. For those who don't know, BJ Ryan had Tommy John performed last June and missed the rest of last season. He was activated this season and pitched in his first game on April 13. Since then, he's pitched in 6 games, recording 8 strikeouts in 6 innings, with 3 saves and has yet to allow an earned run. He used to throw in the mid-nineties, but was consistently around 90 mph yesterday. You're probably wondering why this matters. Well I just recalled that we also had a pitcher who had Tommy John performed last June. The only difference is he's not pitching yet. In fact, he's expected to miss the whole season as he recovers from the surgery.

Have you ever misplaced $41.95 million? Must suck.

Betemit Rehabbing Eye Injury

Wilson Betemit was placed on the 15 day DL some time back with what was believed to be pink eye. It turned out to be corneal ulcers. His recovery from such an injury has been grueling, but he continues to make strides.

"When I bat from the right side, my eyes are okay, but when I bat from the left, they start hurting." Explained Betemit. "I've been doing a lot of eye exercises to stregthen the muscles around the cornea, which my doctors say will help stabilize the injury."

Doctors have referred to Betemit's injury as a "mild strain" of the cornea, suffered from trying to track fast moving objects across his plane of vision. Betemit further excarbated the issue by trying to switch hit.

"Baseballs were moving really fast from the right side, then they were moving really fast from the left. Then suddenly there's a curveball in the dirt, and my eyes have to look down really quick. That's when I heard something in my eye snap, and it hurt to look at things."

Betemit tried to play through the injury, but the pain was effecting his play. Yankee officials claim that they never saw a decrease in production from Betemit, but more like a continuation of his lack of production and never suspected an injury.

"We appreciate Betemit trying to play through his injury." Said general manager Brian Cashman. "But I think we can all agree that having Betemit on the DL is better for the team. We don't want him back until he's completely healthy. In fact, he should take a couple weeks after the recovery for mental health. Take a vacation if you will."

Yankees Swept By Detroit

The Good

Jeter and Abreu both had 2 hit games with Abreu hitting a 3-run homerun in the first inning of the game. Shelley Duncan knocked in his first run of the season. Britton pitched a scoreless 2.2 innings, though at that point the Tigers seemed eager to get the game over with.

The Bad

Ian Kennedy lasted 4.2 innings and gave up 4 runs. Not to be out done, Jonathan Albaladejo gave up 4 runs in 1.2 innings. The Yankee offense waisted several opportunities to score as has been the case all season.

The Ugly

Last night's loss means a sweep. The Yankee offense finds 2 run leads insurmountable, and there is just no fight left in this team. With the rotation we have, it seems like the team needs two long relievers, and Albaladejo shouldn't be one of them. After tonight, I find it hard to believe that Kennedy gets his next start, but I also don't know who they'll replace him with.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's homerun 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 homeruns hit and the money donated throughout the season. Last night, Bobby Abreu hit one out to support the cause:

Melky Cabrera 5hr = $5.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 4hr = $4.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 5hr = $5.00
Johnny Damon 3hr = $3.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 2hr = $2.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $29.00

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.

Kennedy Pitches a Gem . . . For the Tigers

So Ian Kennedy did what he does best last night, spare the bullpen from having a day off. I didn't really bother to study the box before writing this but I assume he went something like 3.2 innings with 130 pitches thrown and 9 runs. That's more or less the pattern with Kennedy. It's strategy really, you lull them with a first pitch ball, then you blow a second pitch ball right by them. They never see it coming. Will Kennedy eventually live up to expectations? Well, based on the number 5 guys we've had in the last few years (Wright, Igawa) Kennedy has actually exceeded expectations. He is by far our best 5th starter since that first game Al Leiter pitched against the Red Sox when we signed him to a three week contract in 2005. So if you run into Ian Kennedy, ask him how the Shrivers are doing, and then congratulate him on his fine season thus far.

Peter Abraham: Beat Writer, Blog Author...Legend?

This feature interview will remain at the top of the page for the remainder of the week. Scroll down below to read our new posts, and catch up on everything related to Jeter's gangster.

Before the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog ever existed, us authors regularly visited and got our insight from beat writer and blog author Peter Abraham. For those of you who don't know, Peter Abraham is a beat writer for the Journal News, and has one of the most popular Yankees blogs around. The truth is, I got my inspiration to start blogging from him. So we were quite delighted when Peter Abraham agreed to answer some questions for our blog. What does Peter respect most about Jeter's gangster? Read on to find out...

1) You have one of the more popular Yankees related blogs, and regularly get thousands of comments a day. What made you want to start blogging, and why do you think its become so popular?

I did a feature story on baseball bloggers in 2005 and that inspired me to start my own. I had to convince the paper to let me do it. I think it's popular because I have no life and I update it often. Plus a lot of people like the Yankees. I don't fool myself.

2) In the time you have covered the Yankees, which player has given you the best stories? Which player have you liked covering the most?

Nobody really gives you stories, you sort of dig them up and hope the guy cooperates. Because I helped write a book on the guy, I'd say Chien-Ming Wang. The player I have liked covering the most is Jason Giambi. He is a really good guy and very funny.

3) Who has been the most difficult Yankee to cover during your time with the team?

A-Rod.

4) As a fellow Umass grad, what would you say the best hang out spot was: The Pub, Barsie's, Delano's, Charlie's or the Spoke?

I used to hang at Barsie's or Mike's Westview Cafe.

5) If you were in a bar fight, which Yankee player would you want on your side, and why?

C'Mon. Shelley Duncan. Shelley is an animal and impervious to pain.

6) Last season was filled with freak injuries, slumping bats, and underperforming overpaid pitchers, and yet the Yankees made it to the playoffs. What was it about that team that got them so far?

Their relentless 968-run offense.

7) What has been your favorite interaction with a Yankees player?

I like talking about things other than baseball (like 70s TV shows) with the Moose. Or about baseball with Giambi. Or about most anything with Damon.

8) What has been your favorite interaction with Carl Pavano?

Who? The Yankees have a player by that name?

9) Is it true Derek Jeter has two lockers in Yankee stadium, one for his gear, and one for his Gold Glove Awards?

He has three lockers: his gear, his Gold Gloves and one for suggestive photos of hot babes he gets in the mail.

10) Yourself, Mark Feinsand, and Sam Borden wrote a book about Chien-Ming Wang that was released in Asia. Are there any plans for future books?

We're working on "What the hell was Brian Cashman thinking? The Wilson Betemit Story." Seriously, no plans. But I would love to work with those guys again. I learned so much during that project and have tremendous respect for both of those guys as writers and reporters.

11) What is your honest opinion of Fenway Park (fans and stadium) and covering games in Boston?

Fenway Park is nice once you sit down. But it's a dump otherwise. I like covering games in Boston because I can stay with my sister and her family.

12) In your opinion, is Mussina done as his Boston start would indicate, or can he still be effective as his White Sox start would indicate?

I think he can help. He's pretty smart, he can still throw his fastball and their offense will score for him.

13) You are a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, and even berated me once for misspelling his name on your blog (I googled it this time!), but its your secondary music choice that really stands out to us. Would you say that cash rules everything around you?

As in Johnny Cash? I love the Man in Black. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Ludacris and Ying Yang Twins. Plus some old skool Wu-Tang Clan.

14) With the Lohud Yankees blog being as popular as it is, how many times a day do you frequent the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog, and why is it your favorite blog?

In all seriousness, I think it's way cool that people who read my blog were inspired to start their own. You guys have passion for the game and for writing and I respect that.

15) And lastly, what do you respect most about Jeter's gangster?

His Jordan Brand jackets. A new one almost every day. Plus his Kid N' Play fade.



There you have it! Peter Abraham respects Jeter's gangster, and loves old skool Wu-Tang. We are very appreciative of Peter taking the time to answer our questions, and if you haven't seen his blog, do yourself a favor and take a look. Not only is it a great place for your Yankees news, its also a really cool place to chat with knowledgeable Yankee fans. His wit is legendary, and we appreciate the amount of insight and commentary he provides on his blog. If you're like us, it'll become a daily stop in no time.

Ian Patrick Kennedy

Tonight we have Ian Kennedy pitching for us, and its probably the most important start of his season. He pitched 5 innings of 3 run ball his last time out, and all 3 of those runs came in a dull second inning. He returned to pitch 3 very sharp innings, giving the Yankees enough reason to keep him in the rotation. Tonight, Kennedy can ill afford to have a bad start. There is no more patience left in this team. It is now May, and the Yankees are below .500. So what can we expect? I for one think Kennedy will have a good outing. He needs to. Kennedy doesn't have a blow away fastball and relies heavily on finesse. He comes from college ball, so he's faced a decent level of competition before going through his minor league spots. Unlike Hughes, he has experience, and he needs it since his stuff isn't as explosive. Kennedy has a larger repetoire of pitches than Hughes, and more confidence in his pitches. That is partially why I don't think he needs more time in triple A. All Kennedy needs to do is throw strikes. Strike one is essential. After that, curves, changeups, and well placed fastballs will lead the way.

If Kennedy doesn't pitch well, you can expect a demotion, or perhaps the same pink eye Betemit came down with. The team has to see what Rasner can do in place of Hughes, but if Kennedy is gone, what options are there? Kennedy has to pitch well, and he has the stuff to do it. All that remains is for him to eat his lucky charms, pray to his maker, and save orphans out of a burning building for kharma purposes. After that I expect to see his best outing yet.

Oh, and this offense needs to wake the crap up. Wake the crap up. WAKE the crap UP.

Yankees Drop Two to Detroit

The Good

Melky had a couple hits and an RBI, and Johnny Damon hit the only extra base hit with a double going 1-3 with a walk. Hawkins and Ramirez pitched a combined two-innings of scoreless relief with 2 strikeouts.

The Bad

Andy Pettitte gave up 5 runs in 6 innings of work. Cano went another 0-3, and the Yankees had 5 players go hitless in this game. Farnsworth gave up a solo homerun in his inning of relief, but also struck out 2.

The Ugly

The offense. The lethargic, slumping offense. Pettitte wasn't good, but he can't be expected to stop every skid the Yankees fall into. Especially when the skids tend to fall between when Wang pitches and when Pettitte pitches. This is a team effort, and the bats need to wake up. It doesn't matter how well you pitch, if you don't score runs, you won't win games.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's homerun 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 homeruns hit and the money donated throughout the season. Unfortunately, no homeruns last night:

Melky Cabrera 5hr = $5.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Hideki Matsui 3 hr = $3.00
Bobby Abreu 3hr = $3.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Jason Giambi 5hr = $5.00
Johnny Damon 3hr = $3.00
Morgan Ensberg 1hr = $1.00
Robinson Cano 2hr = $2.00
Chad Moeller 1hr = $1.00
Total = $28.00

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.