Next up: The Hokies
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 17, 2008 
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The Yankees-Virginia Tech game tomorrow will be seven innings and the Hokies will use wooden bats donated by Louisville Slugger.
The teams will use MLB baseballs that the Yankees are bringing.
The players on the trip are leaving Legends Field at 8 a.m. for a charter flight. They are scheduled to be back in Tampa at 9:15 p.m.
Pete are you going commercial up to VA Tech or are the beat writers satying put in Tampa with perhaps some other NY writers going down to cover?
8 AM flight? Dang, I’d leave Florida now, by car…probably get there before the plane lands!
Of course, I like to drive insane distances without stopping, but that’s just me.
Maybe Pete can hitch a ride as a guest of Phil.
You think those kids have ever swung a wooden bat?
This was a great idea by the Yankees. I’m sure it will mean a lot to the student body [and especially the V-Tech team]..
Hopefully Shelley Duncan doesn’t hip check anyone on the basepaths.
One of my friends is a bat boy for the Yankees during spring training. A friend of his was lost during the VT shootings. Usually the Yankees wouldn’t bring there spring bat boys on a trip like this. But they are doing it for him.
I thought it was a nice thing for the club house to do.
gayle:
The Yankees very nicely are allowing the beat writers to take the charter with the team as getting there commercially would be difficult.
I, however, am not going. My paper is sending a reporter and a photographer down from New York. I’m going to go watch Moose throw in the minor league game and then take the rest of the day off.
Hey Jim PA – I’m sure some of the kids have. I know people at my school who play in wooden bat leagues over the summer, so some of them probably have.
and Pete – why 7 innings? Do you know?
Probably only 7 so VT doesn’t tire during the regular season…
For us Yankeeholics. Is the game going to be on mlb.tv?
“I’m going to go watch Moose throw in the minor league game and then take the rest of the day off.”
Transation: Pete’s hitting the strip clubs (and will hopefully post some pics).
MONS VENUS!
A friend of mine from high school is now playing ball for the Hokies as a red-shirted senior… what a thrill it will be for him to take on some of the guys we used to joke about back when we played together. Keep an eye out for first baseman Sean O’Brien #8… great guy all-around, and one hell of a ballplayer. I sure hope he is taken in the draft this year. Pete, if you’re looking for one of the Hokies to interview, Sean is your man.
Heard the yanks are giving them all team signed baseballs…
Did anybody else see this—
http://tinyurl.com/2wszt2
A-Rod is on cover of April Mens Vogue mag..
Goodquotes on AROD from Jeter, Schilling, Cashman and others
has his daily workout schedule, i think it would tkae me a week to do one his days work and im in shape
jeters on the cover of mens health too…
Eric,
I like Cashmans quote. “Kings wear the heaviest crown.”
Good for you Pete, you deserve a day off. And I’m very glad I don’t have to hear that stupid ping sound all game. YAY for wooden bats!
Eric,
Thanks for the link. Good stuff. 2 things from the article I hadn’t heard before: his relationship with the life coach – Jim Fallon (and interesting that he cut the guy off last season), and the allegation that when Trot Nixon was making those comments about ARod he was “egged on” by Yankee veterans. Ouch.
My prediction is that ARod has another monster year this year and gets his first ring (with at least a couple more to come in the next ten years).
Nice article on Traber. You just want to see guys like this succeed The idea of being a reliever still seems a little foreign to him. Did you guys know he threw a 1 hit shutout over the Yankees in ’03?
http://tinyurl.com/2m2975
“For us Yankeeholics. Is the game going to be on mlb.tv?”
Yes, according to mlb.com.
mel mentioned this in last thread.
Skip to my lu had a field day with your Lakers yesterday. 22 STRAIGHT WINS. Unreal. Kobe was shooting like he was last year(everytime up). How bad is Gasol. I dont believe its just a 3 game stint.
I just hope my Spurs can find themselves again before the playoffs start. I hope they didnt get old overnight.
I just updated the New Stadium Photos page, check it out http://tinyurl.com/25x7lc
SoS,
Yes, I was bummed. Just watch the officiating when you play the Rockets. I guess Stern wants them to beat the record which the Los Angeles Lakers hold.
Home court will be nice, but as long as Kobe’s relatively healthy with a front line of Odom, Gasol, and Bynum it’ll be okay.
And who the hell is Skip to my lu?
Just got in from the game….spoke to Morgan Ensberg after he was done running.He does not intend to keep #21,he wants to switch with Wilson Betemit for #14,the number he has worn all his life.Im sure #11 or #12 will be fine with Wilson.
Traber looked good again.
Lots of REDSUX Nation were in the house.
Greg,
I know its not ready yet,but it looks like the field is a little wider. More foul room? Do you know if the dimensions to the fenses are the same?
Wasnt as HOT today as it was yesterday.
Pettitte ws pretty good today
S.O.S.27,
The outfield walls are supposedly the same dimensions, but there will be a little more foul ground. Take a look at the new artist rendering I posted, you can see the difference there.
I wish they would leave the shape of the field alone, including foul territory.
mel,
Skip to my lu is Rafer Alsons nickname in streetball.He comes from those and 1 streetball shows. He was very famous there. I guess he tried out for Toronto i believe and made the team. The rest is history.
IMO Battier scares me. He can shut down your best player. I think their streak ends in Boston.
Is Bynum going to be ready?
VT game is on YES NETWORK tommorrow
S.o.S.: I believer it’ll be on YES.
I remember finding out about VT last year; I had been in London (where I spent a semester) and had been in an incredibly good mood as it had been in the sixties or seventies all day and I walked the length of Oxford Street to get from my class to my flat, and the first thing I see when I get back was the news.
It was intense, given that there were a bunch of us Americans in London, and many of us knew people at VT…one of the guys in my art class said his friend was okay, but his friend’s friend wasn’t…scary. It felt so much different than Columbine because, well, it hit home.
Greg,
Maybe now we wont have to see Jeter or Matsui dive into the stands and come out bloodied. I can understand your point of view but we seem to be the only team who smashes into seats.
SoS,
Last I heard, Bynum was jogging on a low gravity treadmill (@ 65% of his body weight) and Phil caught him shooting and dunking when he wasn’t supposed to. I’ll believe it when I see it, though. Gasol sitting out this trip after spraining his ankle in NO.
Gasol’s injury looked worse than their saying. If he is not healthy come playoffs and Bynum isnt in games in the next couple weeks.(Ariza might be done for the year)Lakers are in trouble. Its really is all about Gasol. You need him at 100%.
I think the shape of the Stadium itself (the bullpen/monument park in left with the bleachers pushed far back) and the field are part of what makes Yankee Stadium so unique. The new stadium is losing both of those things. The major complaint about the new place will be that the place looks to generic on the inside.
OK. Two beefs with the MensVogue article. At least one veteran Yankee called Trot Nixon to spur him on. First of all was it one or more than one? One seems more likely if it happened at all. Second, did they call before or after Nixon made the infamous deadbeat dad quote? Third, who the hell would be calling Nixon? Don’t they hate him? I wonder if Nixon was trying to deflect attention away from himself.
Second beef, writer took every opportunity to take shots at Jeter.
The game is on YES tomorrow starting at 3 PM. but it will not be broadcast in HD. Michael Kaye is calling the game with Bob Lorenz.
Greg,
We were talking a few weeks ago about making a statue of Jeter(once he retires)outside the new stadium(jordan like). Maybe him doing that flip play to posada.
Who’s Trott Nixon? Isnt he a bat boy or something? Seriosly for someone who didnt accomplish anything. He shouldnt get an oppinion.
from espn.com
“I haven’t felt any pain in my arm,” Colon said through a translator. “That’s what I need right now, to stay healthy.”
Colon did hit 96 mph on the radar gun but said that he struggled to locate his pitches.
“I felt good, really strong, but you have to give credit to the batters who take advantages of my mistakes,” Colon told ESPNdeportes.com.
Colon told ESPNdeportes.com that his contract contains a clause that would make him a free agent if he is not in the majors before May 2.
“I can’t promise to come back to the way I was before,” Colon told ESPNdeportes.com. “I was 24 years old and now I am 34, but I am working to regain my form.”
They should definitely have a Jeter statue.
Greg,
Why? He’s the worst defensive shortstop in history! Why should they celebrate mediocrity? lol.
I can picture it now. A bronzed sculpture of Jeter and George in a congo line.
Just kidding. The flip would be cool. I love that the Scooter loved that play.
I never said it should be a statue of him fielding.
Patterson, a.k.a. the Governor, will make the team.
Bet $4300 on it.
Sorry, Greg, it was just a running joke from earlier about the Penn State statheads. Just ignore me.
so his name is John Tyler Kepner.
OP,
Is it true that Patterson is legally blind and African American? Would that be two firsts?
I’m so pumped for this game tomorrow. I bought a bag of 12 baseballs at the store yesterday so I can try to get some autographs tomorrow. The game starts at 3, but they are opening the seating at 12. I’ll be there by 11:30.
mel, I think those are firsts in NY but not US. But definitely first to be both.
Mel – Paterson is NY’s first African American governor, but the 4th in the US. He is I believe the first legally blind official.
I don’t want to see any of our players hurt by nervous college kids trying to do too much.
Thanks, guys. Lots of firsts. What was Spitzer thinking? Didn’t he want to be president? Should’ve stuck with interns, maybe he would’ve survived politically.
Kyle,
Are you a student? Is there anticipation on campus or is this just a baseball thing?
I hope there will be a live blog of the game.
mel,
Yes, I’m a senior here at VT. I would say the campus is crazy about the game. There were only 3,000 tickets eligible for ~35,000 people. People have gotten in trouble for trying to sell the tickets online, averaging around $200. I’m sure most people aren’t as excited as I am, but it seems that it is a big deal to people that I know that aren’t really baseball fans. I don’t know a single person that got a ticket other than myself, it is a hot item.
Kyle,
I thought that I heard that they were going to do a live broadcast of the game in the football stadium to accomodate all of those that can’t get into the baseball stadium. Is that true?
Enjoy the game. Hope you get some autographs.
jennifer,
Pete’s staying behind to watch Moose in a minor league game.
Trot Nixon is a racehorse that’s been put out to pasture. Not to be seen at Aqueduct.
Fran,
I have heard that and I’m pretty sure it’s true but not positive.
Kyle,
That’s great that you got a ticket and that the school’s excited about the team honoring the school. I’m sure the college girls will be on the prowl, too. haha.
Maybe who ever is going? I hope. I’ll be at work so I can’t watch
I hope you guys are kidding about a statue of Jeter. He’d hate that.
I think the iside bars etc (from the artist rederings) look like something from Star trek NG.
“it was just a running joke from earlier about the Penn State statheads.”
mel, you spelled University of Pennsylvania wrong
just thought i’d correct you before someone else did.
For those interested the vt game came be seen for free on mlb tv.
Pete Hughes, the VT coach, is one of the real good guys in college baseball.
He used to be the coach at BC and left prior to last season to coach VT.
He left because the cost of living in Boston was killing him. He lived almost 50 miles from campus (couldn’t afford to love closer on what BC was paying him) and commuted every day.
He never complained and was really beginning to turn around the BC Baseball Program.
VT came up with an offer he couldn’t refuse and he took it.
Of all the coaches that recruited my nephew, he was the only guy who told the unvarnished truth to us during his recruitment.
My nephew almost went with Pete to VT but honored his commitment to BC.
Still doesn’t diminish the fact that I hold Pete in very high regard.
He’s great guy and I’m really glad the Yankees are doing this for VT. I know the folks in Blacksburg really appreciate it.
Scott Patterson is not blind OR african-american. He is, however, one heck of a pitcher.
I’m watching the game on tivo and the Sox-love is killing me. Kay and Flaherty were waxing poetic about Lowell (which I can almost understand, although I don’t like him) but now they’re going on and on about Varitek’s leadership. I think I’m going to throw up.
i’m watching on nesn.
i didn’t think it was possible without extra innings package. but i guess the usual legal stuff (home market… bla bla bla…) doesn’t apply during spring training.
Girardi looked p[eeved] after Jeter got hit.
Clare, I’m watching too. I can’t stand it! I mean you want to some props fine. But to sit and wax poetic about them it is sickening. Stop trying to prove you aren’t homers!! You are supposed to be!!
http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/l.....kees/7385/
jason varitek is a homeless mans jorge posada
Pettitte backs Papi off the plate
Posted by Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff March 17, 2008 03:43 PM
TAMPA – Andy Pettitte admitted he did try to back Big Papi off the plate in his second at-bat today which seemed to IRRITATE the Sox slugger.
Pettitte, who hadn’t pitched in 10 days because of elbow soreness, came in tight to Papi’s midsection, but didn’t hit him.
“He’s a great hitter,” said Pettitte. “No doubt I backed him off. You just can’t lay it in over the plate for him. Got to move the ball in and out. Got to hopefully make a hitter feel uncomfortable. He’s a great hitter and you have to hopefully pitch him inside.
“When you’ve got great hitters,” added Pettitte, “you’ve got to throw the ball inside to them. Not balls for strikes because they can handle those balls. You’ve got to show them different looks; move the ball up and down and change speeds on them if you want to get them out and keep them in the ballpark.”
Can someone tell Kay that the joke about Joe G’s show is old. It wasn’t funny the first time, it certainly wasn’t funny the 20th time!
Thanks for the Pettitte quotes Jen.
http://www.whyilikebaseball.com/?p=46
DANGER ROBINSON
Every inning in baseball is almost universally preceded by the first baseman tossing grounders to the other three infielders while the pitcher throws eight warmup pitches. After the final pitch, the catcher throws down to second as if catching a base stealer, and then the inning can begin. Well, at the start of the second inning, Robinson Cano was chatting away with Jeter all through the warmup tosses, and when Jorge was ready to throw through, Cano wasn’t in place. He waved his arms until Cano got in position and then threw down. Before the third inning, once again Cano missed his cue to cover second and Jorge, apparently fed up with waiting, just threw the ball into center field.
i especially liked how pissed papi was fir the heater high and tight then flailed at the off speed pitch low and away
as a long time red sox fan, yankee hater and the father of a VT student I am just just thrilled beyond words at the generous yankees contribution to the Hokie Spirit fund and their even bigger gift of their time to help the healing process in blacksburg by flying up for the game. Every other day of the year I am a Hokie and Sox fan but for the rest of my life on March 18, I am a Yankee. Thank you Yankees.
Invent the future