Yanks 51-37 at break, trail BoSox by 3

The Yanks are 51-37 at the All-Star break. They are 14 games over .500 and trail Boston by three games in the A.L. East standings. However, they're actually four out in the loss column, and Boston is 20 games over .500. Plus, we are not really at the "halfway" point in the season. There are actually only 74 games left, which means Yanks must go 44-30 in second half to get 95 wins. As usual, they beat up on the grabage teams over the past few weeks, but when they ran into a first-place club in Anaheim, they got swept and ended the first half on a downer. What are your thoughts on the Yankees first half? What's been positive and what's been negative?

Mo gets 500th save

The great Marino Rivera earned his 500th career save last night, helping the Yankees sweep the Mets at their own ballpark. 500 saves. That's more games than three FULL SEASONS of baseball. Unreal. There's nothing else that really needs to be said, except "Thank you" to the great, great Mo.

NL baseball sucks

National League baseball sucks. What's so great about seeing a guy that absolutely can't hit at all come to the plate? Fans of NL ball always talk about "the strategy." Give me a f-ing break. Let's say it's a 1-1 game in the 6th inning, you've got a guy on second, and the pitcher is due up. Here is the f-ing strategy: "Hmm ... what's the best way to screw myself over here? Do I take the guy who's pitching great out of the game for a pinch-hitter, or do I let him hit and totally squander my chance to take the lead?" You can have that crap. I'll take a big slugging DH any day. It was funny seeing Mo hit last night, but I'm glad he got out. Remember how Wang got hurt last year? It's all nonsense. I hate the National League.

Joba: starter or reliever?

Though it's discussed all the time on WFAN and in the New York papers, we haven't discussed it here. At one time, I was strongly in favor of having Joba Chamberlain become a starter. I thought he had too much talent to be wasted as a middle relief guy, and considering how bad the rotation was in 2008, we needed him to start. Now, I've changed. I think he's better off in the bullpen. How do YOU feel about this? Should Joba stay in the rotation or move back to the pen?

Are you kidding me?

The great and mighty Washington Nationals - considered to be one of the worst baseball teams of all-time - just took two of three from the Yankees at home. I could not name you one guy on their entire team, and they kicked our ass. Joba, though not awful, loses again. Gardner nearly knocks himself out cold. A-Rod continues to struggle. Swept by Boston, then very, very lucky to have gotten two of three from the Mets ... and now this. The hot streak of May and early June is cleary over. We need to crank it up again. Now.

Dave Eiland a problem?

One of our more frequent comment posters wants to discuss Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland. His thoughts: "I'm calling for Dave Eiland's head. There has got to be an internal problem with this Yankee pitching staff. We have three top starters - Sabathia, Wang and Burnett - and none of them, short of Sabbathia, can pitch all of a sudden. What is going on here?" Joba has also struggled, as has most of the bullpen this season. Any thoughts on Eiland?

Roger Maris is lookin' pretty good ...

To the surprise of absolutely no one, it was announced today that Sammy Sosa used performance-enhancing drugs. So, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sosa were all cheats. Hey, we all enjoyed the big home run boom of 1998, but it's now pretty much a joke. Don't be surprised if Yankee great Roger Maris is once again declared the single-season home run champ sometime within the next few years, and Hank Aaron is again declared the all-time home run king. Who knows? Maybe all of this will actually help get Roger Maris into the Hall of Fame. All he did was hit more home runs than anybody ever did in a single season, win the A.L. MVP Award twice, play Gold Glove defense in the outfield and help his team win World Championships. That'd get my vote.

Subway lucky ...

OK, so last night's game vs. the Mets was a poorly played, poorly pitched mess at times, but damn ... what an ending! Wow! Unreal! Can you believe Tex scored all the way from first? Give him credit for the hustle. Nice that he and Matsui went yard, too. The truth is, I really don't dislike the Mets and actually feel a little bad for this guy. It's Met fans that annoy me, so I think we should all be joyful that they are feeling very low, downtrodden, humiliated and defeated today. And hell, what kind of Yankees blog would this be without posting this photo?

Here is the crazy video:

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090612&content_id=5292206&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

Anger

Look at the two clowns in these photos. One guy looks like "Charo" in his ridiculous batting stance and the other guy looks like a poster boy for Ex-Lax. These bozos are now 8-0 against the Yankees this year. What did Yoda say? "Much anger there is in him." Yes, especially when "Youk" got a gift of a call last night on what should have been strike three. Maybe the ump was too distracted by why a guy in the batter's box was gyrating like a stripper. Most of the anger right now, however, is aimed at the Yanks themselves. They always beat up on the peons of the league, yet still can't play with the big boys.

Top-10 reasons why May was awesome ...

Funny how, only a month ago, when you watched the Yanks, you expected them to lose, and now you expect them to win. Here's some highlights of what's up with the Yanks:

1. Team is in first place, alone, for the first time since 2006.

2. Team has won 14 of last 18 games. They are a fun and loose bunch that seem to enjoy playing together and hanging out off the field.

3. Team , labeled by many as "old and slow" plays great defense and has tied an all-time major league record for consecutive games (17) without an error.

4. Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite just broke the all-time record for pitchers that have combined to win and save games together (58). Love those guys.

5. Texiera still on fire.

6. A-Rod getting into a groove. Picked average up about 80 points this week.

7. Wang decent in last bullpen appearance.

8. CC really looking good.

9. Jorge - the fieriest player on the team - back off the DL and playing great. Our leader has returned, yet in his absence, we discovered Francisco Cervelli can play. A win-win for the Yanks.

10. Naysayers and those that dislike the Yanks have been forced to shut the f-up, or just talk about the wind at the new stadium.

And on we roll ...

Enough about the wind!

Enough of the snickering. Some people in the media are starting to pile on way too much when it comes to all of the home runs at the new Yankee Stadium. Look, they built a new stadium RIGHT NEXT to the old one. It is facing the EXACT SAME direction. The field dimensions are EXACTLY THE SAME. How could anyone have predicted this new "wind pattern" that's causing all of the home runs? The concession area is open to the field, which is better for the fans, but may have inadvertently changed the wind current. Or, maybe something else caused it. Who knows? I'm sure they'll figure it out and fix it. I'll trash the Yanks in a heartbeat for the crazy ticket prices - because they deserve it - but I'll cut them a break on all of this flak they're getting over the freaking wind. Next time somebody calls the place a joke, I'm just going to tell them to "Shut the f- up." Nobody makes fun of our house. The place is gorgeous.

Yankee clubhouse has new culture

Bill Madden, who has been covering baseball for the New York Daily News for more than 30 years, says this 2009 Yankee team has a different vibe to it and has a much looser clubhouse. Hey, whatever ... as long as they keep winning, nobody will care if they throw pies at each other or blast music in the locker room. Here is a link to the Madden story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/21/2009-05-21_close_clubhouse_no_longer_seen_as_pie_in_sky.html

Winning = Fun

Funny how everything can change in only about 10 days. Yanks take two of three from Baltimore, two of three from Toronto, then sweep the Twins four games at home, and all of a sudden, all is right again in the universe. Starting pitching has been good, bullpen has been decent and they're finally getting some clutch hits. Give A-Rod some credit, too. Though he's been inconsistent at the plate, it's no coincidence that the team got hot and Texiera started hitting as soon as he got back. His presence in the lineup is huge. Hope to see lots more "pies in the face" all season long ... HERE WE GO!

I love this kid

Francisco Cervelli is really fun to watch. He's tough, he catches a great game and his enthusiasm is infectious. Check him out when he's being interviewed on the post-game shows on YES. He's so young and green, and you can see he's just thrilled to be where he's at. Plus, there's just something fitting about a little Italian guy being the catcher for the Yankees. I think I even saw a little statue of the Virgin Mary or some saint on the shelf in his locker on the post-game show one night. Scooter would have loved this kid. Yogi probably already does.

BoSox fans feel championships tainted

Red Sox fans are feeling humiliated and downtrodden, and deeply wounded, by the fact that Manny is a cheat. They feel their 2004 and 2007 championships are tainted. Headlines read "History Blown Away" and "My Worst Nightmare." Here's a great story about how lousy they feel:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090507&sportCat=mlb

Enough negativity! Let's go!

Yes, we are 0-4 against the BoSox. And yes, all of the empty premier seats at the new stadium look AWFUL on TV. And yes, C.C. is 1-3, Wang is on the DL and has been terrible and Posada is now hurt. It's been a see-saw month, that's for sure. But - just because I think we all need it - here are a few positive signs from early 2009:

1. Cano is great. Much more focused. Looks like a big year for him.

2. Andy looks good. Better than his record shows.

3. Swisher.

4. Damon is still a very good offensive player.

5. Jeter is getting clutch hits, as always. Seems he likes leading off.
6. Texiera had two bombs last night. Looks like he's finally ready to bust out.

7. Yanks took two of three from the Angels. When was the last time that happened? 10 years ago?

8. A.J. Burnett seems like a great pick up. Yeah, he wasn't that sharp his last two starts, but I still see him easily winning 15 games.

9. BoSox have problems, too. Papi looks old. Beckett has been shelled.

10. The reviews on the A-Rod book have been very so-so and sales are slow. It seems nobody cares. Good.

I still say they win at least 92 games and make the playoffs. Stay positive! Let's go!

A-Rod book: It's bad. Really bad.

The book we've been hearing about on A-Rod is about to be released. And, so far. it's not good. It alleges that A-Rod:

1) First used steroids in high school and essentially never stopped.

2) Was such a pampered prima donna in Texas that he had the clubhouse attendant put his toothpaste on his toothbrush for him, and also insisted the team deliver special food baskets to his hotel room every day.

3) Carried on with skanks and strippers while his wife was pregnant.

4) Used to hit on girls in clubs by asking if they thought he was better looking than Jeter.

5) Used steroids with the Yankees, and as a result, developed "man boobs." Some Yankee teammates mockingly refered to him as "B.T," or "boy tits."

6) May have actually tipped off pitches to opponents in some blow-out games, hoping they'd return the favor for him someday, and if he were slumping, feed him some easier pitches.

This is gonna be bad ....

Foiled at Fenway: Yanks get swept

Yanks scored plenty of runs in first two games and should have won both of them. They are really starting to miss A-Rod, the middle relief pitchers are erratic and the team seems to lack some fire sometimes. The BoSox are a grittier team, or at least that's how it looked this weekend. Andy has pitched better than his record shows, and he didn't look to happy with Jorge after that steal of home. Sometimes, it still feels like Mattingly may have been the right guy to manage this team. He's a lot more fiery than people think, and part of the reason Torre was so respected by the players is because he was such a great player. Mattingly was even better. Hope they get hot soon.

0-1 at home

Yanks got pounded, 10-2, in their first official game at the new Yankee Stadium. It was a great game until the 7th inning, when the bullpen completely imploded. Opening ceremony was nice. And at least a Yankee got the first hit in the new stadium (Damon) and the first homerun (Posada). Sabbathia was also decent. Other than that, it was awful.

Wang is awful

Wang's ERA, after giving up another nine runs on Monday, is now so high that he must throw 150 consecutive shutouts to get it down to respectibility. The only bright side is that the only TV show I really like to watch is "House," and with the score 9-0 in the second inning last night, it was pretty easy to flip the channel.

Here we go again ...

Yanks have started the 2009 season at 0-2. They've scored some runs, but the starting pitching has been awful. (Sabbathia and Wang) Remember last year, when they had such a horrible April that they buried themselves into such a deep hole they couldn't ever get out of it? And that was before the injuries started. Still, no need to panic. This team is very good. (But the truth is, though you can't win the pennant in April, you can lose it.) If it's any consolation, the 1998 Yankees - perhaps the greatest baseball team of all-time - started the season at 0-3.

Jeter to start season as lead off hitter

Joe Girardi says that Derek Jeter will lead off this year and Johnny Damon will hit second. One reason the Yanks are giving is that Jeter hit into more double-plays last year than Damon. Nothing against Damon, but couldn't the reason Jeter hit into more double plays simply be because he was hitting No. 2 and Damon was leading off? It's pretty hard to hit into a double-play when there's nobody on base.

A-Rod has surgery, will miss all of April and probably most of May

A-Rod had surgery today to fix the problem with his hip. He'll miss 6-9 weeks. Oddly, reports say the surgery is only a quick, temporary fix, and that he'll need another surgery at the end of the season. I'm bummed that our cleanup hitter is out, but have to admit I'm so sick of reading about the guy, I'll enjoy the break. (Of course, that will end in April anyway when the book the SI reporter has been working on comes out.) Whatever ... the fact is I'm glad he won't be in the lineup the day the new stadium opens. No one player should overshadow such a great event, and somehow, A-Rod would. He won't be on the field. He won't be the guy to hit the first home run. There will be no analysis of whether or not he is cheered or booed. And that's fine with me. Any thoughts?

Time to inject!

Lost amid all of the hype and flack of Joe Torre's book and A-Rod's steroids is the fact the Yankees had an amazing off season. Watched some of the pre-season game on YES last night and liked what I saw. Sabathia, Texiera and Burnett are huge. Jorge looks good. The lineup is menacing. Let the drive for 27 begin!

Your thoughts on A-Rod?

It's been almost a week since A-Rod met wth the press in Tampa. Most say it did not go well and there have already been some holes poked in his story. Mattingly came out today and defended him, while others in the media are really throwing him under the bus. What are your thoughts on A-Rod? Please just click on the word "comments" below to share your thoughts ...

A-Rod to meet the press

A-Rod will address the media today at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. More than 200 reporters are expected to grill him about the fact he tested postive for steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers six years ago. As a sign of unity, Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Pettite, Texiera and Girardi are expected to attend. If you are anywhere near a radio or TV, you should be able to check it out. Hey, remember when the first offical day of camp was all about the excitment of the upcoming season? Yanks added three great players this winter and are going into a glorious new stadium, yet none of that will probably be even mentioned today. Oh well, let's just get this over with ...

A-Rod was juicin'

BREAKING NEWS - Sports Illustrated is reporting that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steriods in 2oo3 while playing for the Texas Rangers. Here is the story from the New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/02/07/2009-02-07_star_yankee_slugger_alex_rodriguez_teste.html

Pettite back with Yankees

Andy Pettite has signed a one-year deal with the Yankees. The contract, with incentives, could pay him $12 million, but the base is only $5.5 million. This is a pretty smart deal for the Yanks and, with pitchers and catchers only two weeks away, helps shore up the rotation. Here is the story: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/01/26/2009-01-26_andy_pettitte_signs_oneyear_incentivelad.html

Torre book grabbing headlines

Joe Torre is set to release a new book, "The Yankee Years," which is already grabbing huge headlines in NYC and creating quite a buzz in the world of sports. In the text, Torre supposedly talks about A-Rod's odd fixation on Jeter and his problems in the clubhouse, where he was referred to as "A-Fraud" by some teammates, plus his disappointment in Brian Cashman at the end of his tenure as Yankee manager. He also says some of his players were prima donnas and -perhaps most shocking - how doctors had actually informed Yankee officials that he had cancer before he was informed himself. This is all over the New York papers and WFAN. The book will be released on Feb. 3

Rickey voted into Hall of Fame

No suprise here. Rickey Henderson, MLB's all-time stolen base leader, was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. What some Yankees fans might not realize is that Henderson is still the Yankees all-time stolen base leader, and he did it in just four years. From 1985-1988, it seemed every game started like this: Henderson walks or gets a hit. Henderson steals second. Mattingly or Winfield drive in Henderson. 1-0 Yanks in the first, every game.

Congrats to Rickey. Since he left the game, nobody else has come even close to dominating the basepaths the way he did.

Yankees sign Texiera

The off-season ass kicking continues! Oh baby, has this team reloaded! Sweet! Sweet! Sweet!

Merry Christmas, from the Yanks! Here's the breaking story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3790141

A.J. Burnett to sign with Yanks

The Yanks aggressive off-season continues with the signing of another top pitcher, A.J. Burnett. I would have preferred a three-year deal over five, but good pitchers always get want they want these days. And we didn't need one arm, we needed two, so it looks like a good move. Let's not forget, though, that this team was pretty lousy offensively last year and had a hard time scoring runs. Now that we've got the rotation shored up, we need another big bat.

NY Post: Yanks land CC

The New York Post is reporting that the Yankees and star pitcher CC Sabathia have come to terms on a contract. Here's the story:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12102008/sports/yankees/yanks_close_in_on_sabathia_deal_143481.htm

So long, Moose ...

Mike Mussina, coming off his first 20-win season, has decided to retire. He'll probably win another Gold Glove and "American League Comeback Player of The Year," so I guess it's a nice way to go out. Never got a ring, but got to pitch in the World Series in 2001 and 2003. His relief appearance in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was totally huge, and frankly, I never thought he had it in him to turn it around last season and pitch so well. Yanks have called press conference for today at 4 p.m. Should be carried live on YES and WFAN. Here's a link to pretty good Lupica column from today's NY Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/11/19/2008-11-19_in_end_mike_mussina_does_earn_title_yank.html

Yanks target Sabathia

Rumor started yesterday that the Yanks were not going to mess around in the Sabathia sweepstakes. Rather than dance around and play coy, the plan was to blow everybody out of the water, right out of the gate, and find out now if he really wanted to be a Yankee. Today, on the very first day free agents could be made offers, the Yanks have reportedly offered him a six-year, $140 million dollar contract. Sweet! I love this approach. "If you want to be a Yankee, here is the offer. We know and you know that nobody will match it." This is how they should always approach this stuff. Get it done now, or not, and move on. Don't be played. Here is the story from the NY Post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142008/sports/yankees/yanks_make_first_pitch_to_sabathia_138712.htm

Saluting the 1999 World Champions

On this date in 1999, Oct. 27, the New York Yankees won their 25th World Championship. Of the four World Championship teams from 1996-2000, the 1999 team seems to get talked about the least. The '96 team was the first, so it was special. The '98 team is considered the best of the four and won 125 games. And of course the 2000 team beat the Mets in the legendary "Subway Series." But the '99 team was an ass-kicker as well. Let's not forget they beat Boston in the American League Championship Series and then swept Atlanta in four. God bless the 1999 New York Yankees, now and forever.

Saluting the 1996 and 2000 World Champions

On this date, October 26, in 1996 and 2000, the Yankees won their 23rd and 26th World Championships. The '96 team was the first Yankee Word Championship team in 18 years and took out the heavily favored Atlanta Braves in six games. And the 2000 team dusted the Mets in the memorable, emotion-filled "Subway Series." Of the four World Championship teams from 1996-2000, I think I wanted that one the most. God bless the 1996 and 2000 New York Yankees, now and forever.

Saluting the 1998 World Champions

In 1998, ten years ago today, the New York Yankees completed a four game sweep of the San Diego Padres in the World Series to clinch the team's 24th World Championship. This team, with 114 season wins and 125 total wins, is considered the best of the great 1996-2003 Yankee teams and, in the opinion of many, the greatest baseball team of all-time. God bless the 1998 New York Yankees, now and forever.

Reg-gie! Reg-gie!

On this date in 1977, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the World Series. He hit them all on the first pitch off of three different pitchers. He was the MVP of the World Series and led the Yankees to their first World Championship in 15 years. God bless Reggie Jackson, now and forever.

Some Yankees news ...

Things are slow right now, but the hot stove should heat up in November with free agent signings, trades, contracts expiring, ect. Here's a few quick items:
1. Cashman has signed a new three-year deal to remain GM of Yanks. Says that, as of now, Wang is the only starter guaranteed a spot in the rotation next season.
2. Mo had successful surgery on his bum shoulder. He'll be throwing by January. No problems expected.
3. Yanks have decided against holding a second Yankee Stadium sendoff in November. There was talk of a concert, or having more old players come back, but they now feel that the ceremonies held on Sept. 21 would be hard to top, and that the last event at Yankee Stadium should be a baseball game. Jeter's speech to the fans and the team's tip of the cap and salute to the fans was the final moment. Nice move.

Deep to left ...

In 1978, 30 years ago today, Bucky Dent sank the hearts of New England with one of the most famous home runs in Yankee history. God bless Bucky Dent, now and forever.

Lou or Joe?

Two all-time favorite Yankees, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre, will square off in the NLDS. Who are you rooting for, Lou or Joe?

Moose gets 20, Yanks finish with 89 wins

Mike Mussina won his 20th game on Sunday. It was the first time in his career he got 20 wins. Most of us had him penciled in for about 10-12 wins this year, so you've got to give the man tons of credit for making adjustments and continuing to battle. Congrats to Moose. Also note this: The Yanks finished the season with 89 wins, about the same number of wins, if not more, than playoff contenders such as the Dodgers, Brewers, White Sox and Twins. In fact, the last Yankee team to win a World Championship, the 2000 team, won only 87 games. Hey, there's no doubt that over the course of the season, the injuries to Wang, Posada, Hughes, A-Rod, Matsui, Damon, ect. could have been the difference in the lousy six games they missed the playoffs by, and the clutch-hitting sucked for most of the year. But the fact is that although 89 wins isn't that bad, this year, the competition in the AL was simply much better, and that's not going to change. There's a lot of work to be done.

Yogi

Here's a great newspaper photo of Yogi Berra from the last game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. As I said in the previous post, it was one of the most moving moments of the night.

Thank you, Yankees ...

Caught the last game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. As I'm sure everyone has heard, they let fans come on the field before the game. This was pretty surreal. Here's a photo of me in right field, the same area once patrolled by Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and Paul O'Neill.

Note this: That wall was a lot higher than it looks on TV or even when you're at the game. I'm 6'2, and even with my arm fully extended, wearing a glove, and leaping as high as I could, it would be very hard to rob somebody of a home run. For now on, whenever I see an old clip of Winfield or anybody scaling that fence and pulling one down, I'll have an even great appreciation for it.

More thoughts on the final game in the comments area:

Yankee Stadium: Memories ....

The final game at Yankee Stadium is set for Sunday night. ESPN will do a retropspective Yankee Stadium special at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The YES Network will also do a two hour pre-game show, beginning at 6 p.m. ESPN will then broadcast the game nationally. Many former players are expected to attend and the pre-game ceremonies should be amazing. WFAN radio has a very cool audio clip which compiles the 25 greatest moments of all-time. The clip includes the audio of the TV or radio broadcast of almost every moment. You can hear it on their website, which is linked on this page. It's really worth a listen.

What are your favorite memories of Yankee Stadium?

Derek Jeter passes Lou Gehrig as the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium

Derek Jeter singled in the first inning last night to break Lou Gehrig's record for most hits ever at Yankee Stadium. Shown here is a photo of hit number 1,270, which set the all-time record. I've read books and have watched movies about Gehrig, and I really think"The Iron Horse" and "The Pride of The Yankees" would love Derek Jeter. I am very happy for him, and even he admitted yesterday that this one means a lot. Jeter is now less than 200 hits shy of Gehrig's all-time Yankee hits record and could break it next year. In modern times he has been, without question, "The Pride of The Yankees." What are your thoughts on the great captian?

Cano benched

Joe Girardi, tired of Robbie Cano's lack of hustle, pulled the second basemen out of the game on Sunday and then benched him on Monday. Some in the New York press are saying it's too late, and that Girardi should have dropped the hammer at least a month ago. Doesn't Cano see much bigger stars like Jeter and A-Rod bust ass on every single play? Didn't the Yanks just give him a nice four-year deal for big money? Maybe Larry Bowa - who always pushed him the most - will give the kid a call and tell him he better start acting like he wants to earn his money. We can only hope.

Yankee Stadium: 10 games and counting ...

The Yankees are now set to begin their final homestand at Yankee Stadium. I can't believe there are only 10 games left there. Thankfully, I do have tickets for the last game on Sept. 21, and with no playoffs, it will indeed be the last game. It should be fun, but it also kind of feels like I'll be going to a wake.

Interesting little piece from today's NY Post: "When the Yankees open the final homestand tomorrow night against the Rays, the clock on the historic ballpark begins to tick loudly ... Yankees players have been given the opportunity to purchase things from the ballpark. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez would like their lockers; Andy Pettitte wants to use some of the outfield padding in his gym at home. Joba Chamberlain requested two seats, one with No. 6 and another with No. 2 on them. Mariano Rivera wants a seat, a pitching rubber and dirt from the mound. Mike Mussina wants the center field flagpole."

The games pretty much mean nothing, but there is one cool thing to watch for: Derek Jeter needs just 10 hits to be the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium. He's at 1,260. Gehrig is at 1,269. I'd love to see him get it. Jeter always downplays such stuff, but even he'd have to admit that having the most hits, ever, at Yankee Stadium would be pretty damn cool.

Coddling of Joba is getting ridiculous

Personally, I think Joba should be shut down for the year. Why risk such a great talent on such a busted season? Well, in a completely baffling move, the Yanks have him pitching again, but are now saying that he can't start games, and that he will not be able to start games NEXT season. They're talking some nonsense about having a limit on the number of innings he can pitch NEXT YEAR. Ridiculous. Totally ridiculous.

What's Joba, about 22 years old? Big, young, strong dude. Tell him now that he's a starter again next year. Have him start all through spring training, get him ready, and them give him the ball on Opening Day. Tell him that you believe in him and that you think he can get 17-20 wins and throw 180-200 innings. What's with all of the coddling? Old-school guys like Whitey and Gator must just roll their eyes at this stuff. Just give the kid the damn ball and tell him to go win some games.