new-york-yankees
[Written shortly after the Yankees swept the Red Sox]
Nothing fastballs, hanging curves, flat sliders, maddening walks, cheap hits, big bombs, did I mention walks?
Frail swings, meek grounders, zero cohesion, dead sox.
Imminently questionable, utterly inconsolable, thy name is Tito.
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Here, for your reading pleasure, are five observations gleamed from Armageddon. Shards of insight from a diehard Yankee fan, temporarily unburdened from this media fed beast known as Yankees-Red Sox.
Dear A-Rod,
I am sure you are already well aware, but the frustration level of your performance on the baseball diamond has reached an all time high. I am not here to remind you yet again of your 0-10 performance the last two games in Anaheim, which includes seven strikeouts. Instead, please think of this as a simple form of motivation.
By Billy Fellin
The New York Yankees and other prestigious members of the New York hierarchy were across the street from Yankee Stadium on Tuesday around a loosened pile of dirt. All donning Yankee hardhats, they broke ground on the $1.2 billion stadium that will be completed and ready for the team to move into in 2009.
So what does this mean for baseball? Just as the title says, another great stadium bites the dust.
As the MLB Trade Deadline enters its final hour, we have already been exposed to a plethora of trade possibilities. However, some questions still loom, including the futures of Nationals’ MVP candidate Alfonso Soriano and Philadelphia’s overpaid Bobby Abreu. While the fate of these trades may surge one team into the playoffs, it is the issue of Alex Rodriguez that appears to have the whole league talking.
Growing up a kid in New York, you would think I would have been immediately drawn to the greatest franchise in the history of sports. The only problem was that early in my life the New York Yankees were playing like anything but the great teams of their storied past. In fact, it wasn’t until 1996, when my Dad bought me the Official 1996 World Series Home Video that I really started to understand the Yankees and like baseball. I’ve now watched that video so many times, it’s only a matter of time before I wear out its viewings. But even before I learned who the Yankees actually were, I already knew of a man who seemed to be quite popular, but dead now for over a year. His name was even mentioned in the video, as on his birthday, October 20th, the Yankees lost Game One of the 1996 World Series 12-1 to the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves. This mythic figure turned out to be Mickey Mantle. A fan favorite and the first real sports icon of the television era, the Mick had all the characteristics of a great player. Obviously, Mantle was a first ballot Hall of Famer, but it is the story off the field that will forever link Mickey with generations to come.
My mission here is simple: Explain why Mickey Mantle really is a positive role model, not a negative one like he stated shortly before he passed away in 1995.
Alex Rodriguez, a loaded name. A name that conjures up images of 450 foot home runs, baserunning prowess, diving defensive snares of sure-fire doubles, however for some it also conjures up images of late inning strikeouts, boneheaded plays, and postseason failure.
Act One: Rise
Four hours. Sleep is the price I pay for negligence. I put off doing my English research paper, on the delightful art of sportswriting, until one in the morning, eventually concluding it’s subtly insane contents at 3:00 AM. There I was, scattered sources splattered all over my desk, one corner nestling a brilliant Best of book featuring the work of Tom Verducci, in another, a hard as nails pigskin pamphlet written by Mike Freeman. The paper was decent, despite an out of nowhere diatribe against Mike Lupica featured on the bottom of page three. Bitterness is a powerful thing, my friends.
Since the beginning of the 2004 season, I’ve liked Gary Sheffield. I didn’t like him in 2003 when George thought it best to sign him over Vlad Guerrero, but it only took a few screaming foul balls down the third base line to change my opinion of Sheff. In fact, I think I can pinpoint the moment that I moved from “grumble grumble, we should have signed Vlad,” to “man, Sheff rocks!” I was on the phone with my father, and it was right around the time he rhetorically asked, “man, does anyone hit the ball harder than Sheffield?”
And I remember thinking to myself, “no, no one hits the ball harder than this man.” It just kept getting better from there, with Sheff putting up monster numbers, even trumping those of fellow new acquisition Alex Rodriguez, on his way to runner-up in the AL MVP voting. Actually, the downward spiral of Sheff began right there, with his misunderstanding of the meaning of Most Valuable Player.
By Billy Fellin
The 2006 New York Yankees stumbled out to the game, posting a 7-8 record as of last night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. So why are the Yankees 4th in the East and a game under .500? I think I know why.
The date is February 27, and that means baseball season is indeed upon us. For lovers of the national pastime the long winter is finally over, and we can take solace in the fact that our teams are now engaging in full workouts. It is shaping up to be a very entertaining 2006 season, but it may be hard to match the last few. MLB’s parody has been incredible in recent years, with two ancient curses being broken with the last two World Series champions.
However, all this parody has had George Steinbrenner bumming for the last few seasons. Not since 2000 has his team won a title. Even with his payroll reaching record amounts; it was approximately 205 million dollars in 2005, more than 80 million dollars higher than any other team. Yet George’s Yankees couldn’t even get to the World Series. They didn’t even get out of the first round! With such a travesty at the end of the season, it was an oddly quiet offseason for Steinbrenner. The only big-name change was the signing of Johnny Damon from the hated Red Sox. People need to remember though that the Yanks won 95 games in 2005 and won the division for the 8th straight year, so one could argue that not many changes needed to be made.