'The Greatest Game' is another great read

Just finished reading another great Yankees book, "The Greatest Game: The Yankees, The Red Sox and the Playoff of '78" by Richard Bradley. This book is written in a similar style to Buster Olney's "The Last Night of The Yankees Dynasty" - which is one of the best Yankees books ever - and offers great insight into the '78 season, the players on both teams, and the famous "Bucky Dent" playoff game of Oct. 2, 1978. The writing is superb and the picturesque details of the game itself are amazing. Highly recommended.

A theory on Joba ...

Right after the All-Star break, Joba had a few very good starts in a row. In fact, it was probably the best he pitched all year. During his hot streak, they kept saying on YES how he went home to Nebraska during the break and relaxed, recharged and refocused, and they kept attributing his sudden turnaround to his visit at home, where he decided to just be himself and have fun. I think it might be a load on nonsense. He started pitching great when his name came up in a trade rumor for Doc Halladay, and he continued to pitch well until the trading deadline had passed. Once it did, and he realized he wasn't going to Toronto, he immediatley reverted to his old ways. Tonight, he blew a four run lead against Texas, threw a ton of pitches, and was gone by the fifth inning. Pehaps it was the thought of the trade - not Nebraska - that got him fired up and on a roll. Just a thought ...

Mike Francesa is always right

I've been meaning to blog about this for a long time now. Mike Francesa of "WFAN Sports Radio 66" in New York City is always right. I mean, always. I've been listening to this guy for years and watching him on YES, and I don't think I've ever disagreed with anything he's had to say about sports in general, especially the Yankees. He is a Yankees fan, but he is smart, objective, sometimes critical, and always spot on with his analysis and commentaries. The guy simply rules.

CC rolls ... and other Yankee news

1. Yanks took 2 of 3 from BoSox at Fenway and maintained a 7.5 game lead in the standings. They put 20 runs on the board on Friday and took Beckett out of the park five times on Sunday. Yanks have now won 6 of their last 7 games against Boston.

2. CC Sabathia is 5-0 in August and is the first pitcher in the majors to win 15 games.

3. Jim Rice is still as asshole. The old and angry Red Sock - just inducted into the Hall of Fame - recently took some shots at some of today's MLB players, including Derek Jeter. Rice was a fool in the '70s and '80s when he played in Boston, and even many his own teammates didn't care for him, so this is no surprise. Rice is pretty much being ripped apart in the media for his latest malfunction of the mouth, particularly for mentioning Jeter, one of the toughest, most team-oriented, classiest players the game has ever seen. Screw Jim Rice.

4. Being an asshole seems to be a Boston requirement. The Sox claimed Billy Wagner off waivers - a seemingly good move for any bullpen - but pout-face Papelbon has already started to whine about it.

5. There is certainly a problem with Posada and Burnett. They've had some great games together this year, but were clearly not on the same page on Saturday. Jorge is a fiery guy and great leader, and what's not to like about a switch-hitting catcher with power, but sometimes, I think he should just let pitchers - especially veteran pitchers - throw what they want to throw. They better work this stuff out before October.

Yankees now 30 games over .500

The Yankees are now 30 games over .500 - yes, 30 games - with a record of 73-43.

The Yankees have the best home record in MLB and are 41-18 at the new Yankee Stadium. Home finally feels like home.

The Yankees lead all of MLB in home runs with 179.

How sweet it is. They've come a long way from the team that some of us - myself included - described as "unwatchable" at the start of the season. Major props to Phil Hughes for really stepping up and helping anchor the bullpen. And Texiera? Perhaps the best free agent signing in 10 years.

And on we roll ...

Yanks NEPA fan site notes 1st anniversary

The New York Yankees NEPA Fan Discussion Board is noting its first birthday/anniversary this month. Since last August, we've posted 83 short blogs and have had hundreds of comments from local Yankee fans. If you look through some of the old posts from the past year, you'll see that it's been a pretty wild ride. Thanks to everyone for talking Yanks with us and sharing your thoughts. It's always a lot of fun ...

Mickey Mantle in NEPA

The great Mickey Mantle passed away on this date in 1995. I can still remember the Yankees game from that day very well, with Scooter and Murcer sharing their Mantle stories on the TV broadcast. Here is a photo I took of Mickey Mantle at The Woodlands in Wilkes-Barre in 1982. He was speaking at a banquet, and he was very entertaining. Thought some of you might enjoy seeing a picture of "The Mick" right here in NEPA, and this funny story from that night that I've posted in the comments ...

Absolutely beautiful ...

What an excellent, excellent, excellent four days at Yankee Stadium.

INJECT!

It's August. Game on. There will be no big trade. THIS is the team that will take us down the stretch and into the playoffs. THESE are our guys. We need to make statement to BoSox. We need to ROCK the new stadium like we rocked the old one. We need venom.

Boston in town for four games: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Time to INJECT!

Remembering Thurman ...

On this date in 1979, Yankee captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash near his home in Ohio. On the 30th anniversary of his passing, I thought we'd share some memories of the great No. 15 ...