The harm done to baseball by steroids was more than statistical. Think of the clean players whose excellence was unfairly dimmed by the bulked-up competition. The journeymen and minor-leaguers who risked and ruined their health to play at the impossible level set by cheaters. Or players whose otherwise clean reputations are stained by innuendo, like Mike Piazza, the former Mets catcher, who also failed in this year’s ballot and feels robbed. NY Times editorial, “Shutout in Cooperstown“
He’s only batting .233 so far this season. As compared to other starters Brett Gardner who is batting .150. Or Mark Tiexeira who’s at .225. Of course there’s Nick Swisher at .211, Jose Posada at .189 and Curtis Granderson at .194.
Yet the Yankees are sitting on top of the A.L. East.
It’s kind of eerie for both of these icons of the New York Yankees to go within days of each other. But that’s an unexceptional observation. Sheppard was the stadium voice of the Yankees since Mickey Mantle was a rookie. When I first started going to games there in 1980 …
One of the highlights of our trip to Baltimore this weekend was a game at Camden Yards. A great place to see a game.
The voice of the Indians for as long as I can remember. The obit in this morning’s Times was all about his sadly abbreviated playing career, but didn’t mention his thirty-plus years as a broadcaster. My earliest baseball memories were of him on the radio, doing play-by-play for teams that …
Here’s a mash-up of a couple of sports articles that were in the paper this morning. Michael Phelps, in an almost scripted move, shatters eight world records and wins eight gold medals in the Olympics. Other world records — the men’s 100 meters for example — are falling like rain. …
As a parting gesture to Manny Ramirez, here’s his famous “high five.” Catches the ball up against the fence, high-fives a fan in the stands, then pivots and throws a runner out. Does everything but put mustard on the guy’s hot dog and boy am I glad to see him off to the National League.
This year’s All-Star Game is being played at Yankee Stadium here in New York, in tribute and farewell to a great park, and the park that hosted the very first such game in 1939. Just two players from the rosters at that game are still living. This morning’s Times has …
Cleveland Love has a gripping account of the infamous ten-cent beer night riot, which happened at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium 34 years ago. If you’re not familiar with this little bit of sports history, you should be. Remember it next time you wonder why there are restrictions on alcohol …
When I first moved to New York City back in 1979, I was stunned to discover that I lived in a city with a winning baseball team. The guy that really stuck out for me on the Yankees was Rich Gossage, their closer. I remember hearing Phil Rizzuto describing how Gossage had just retired something like 28 consecutive batters — the equivalent of a perfect game — over several appearances.
To paraphrase the title of a famous Broadway musical. I was not pleased when the Yankees got bounced from the playoffs, but since I grew up in Cleveland I could still root for the Indians, right? And they did thoroughly outplay the Yankees after all. When the Indians went up …
I can’t even. This is too frustrating.
The Bergen Record reports George Steinbrenner saying that Torre won’t be back next year if the Yankees don’t win this series. Meanwhile, it looks as though the road to the World Series is going to run through Boston, which is up 9-0 over the Angels in the eighth. Back to …
As the late, great Scooter would have said, “holy cow!” A monster pitching matchup tonight. A few random thoughts: Lofton is having a great series, but twice tonight he broke one of the cardinal rules, never make the first or last out at third base. Quote of the day from …