Greetings from Yankee Stadium
-
- March
- 31
It’s overcast and 44 here at the Stadium. But not raining, at least.
It was strange pulling into the parking lot and seeing the new Stadium rising and hearing the sounds of construction. Makes you want to get a look at the old place and soak it all in before it’s gone.
Clubhouse opens in seven minutes. Meanwhile, a few little records for you:
The Yankees are 61-43-1 on Opening Day, 28-10 at the Stadium. They are 16-11 in presidential election years. When the Yankees win at home on Opening Day, the GOP is 4-1 in the election. When the Yankees lose, the Democrats are 3-0.
So we know who Obama and Hillary are rooting for.
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on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 9:31 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
what is the Yankees’ record when an opening day falls on a Monday in a leap year ?
According to the radar, all the rain looks to be north of the Bronx. We’ll see.
Hmm….my two loves: The Yankees and the Democratic party…
I’m still rooting for the Yankees!
This is our year. We finally get a healthy group of pitchers that stay healthy almost all of the season and this batting lineup is going to MASH. Thanks, Pete, for all of your hard work. Long live the mighty Yankees !
as much as I want the Yankees to win - I’ll live with an opening day loss if it means getting rid of the GOP in office. One loss won’t kill us but 4 more years of a GOP run government just might.
The big day is finally here! Wish it was a little nicer out but even dreary weather won’t ruin the return of the boys of summer.
Yikes, don’t tell me that most Yankees’ fans are Democrats. Because the opposite party would have to reign over in Boston, and I would rather pull out each of my fingernails myself then ever root for them !
wow, if I was superstitious (I am not) I would now want the Yankees to lose opening day….
Lucky for me I’m not…Go Yankees!
I am so excited, I can barely contain it. I woke up my girls this morning singing “Centerfield” and my kids are in the pinstripes today! Go YANKEES!
“When the Yankees win at home on Opening Day the GOP is 4-1″. Well so the Yankees can win today and the GOP can be 4-2!
3 1/2 hours til opening day!
Opening Day: stand right up and let it shoot right through you.
i’ll take my chances on having a win today AND the fall
rebecca: just heard you picks on yankee fan club radio…good stuff!
more politics is exactly what this blog needed.
oops that URL totally messed up the page - sorry everyone.
I’m about 50 miles of the Bronx and it’s raining.
50 miles NORTH of that should be…
Except in years when there’s a resident squirrel…
Go Yanks! Go Dems!!!
Oh gee I just can’t wait to see the Democrats take office and see taxes raised to 40% of my salary.
You mean Hillary and Barack are rooting for someone besides Islamic fascist terrorists?
i have a question to ask and one of the possible answers is horrifying to me.
but, does anyone know if the game will be blacked out on MLB.TV?… last night the Nats-Braves was on ESPN and i went to check to make sure my MLB.TV Premium was working and that game had a national live blackout…they better not do it for the Yanks game today. I will seriously go to ESPN and [have an angry discussion with] those bastards.
Must we spoil the day by having political debates on this board?
If the game is on nationally I’m pretty sure it’s blacked out on MLB.TV
Umm..
They are 16-11 in presidential election years. When the Yankees win at home on Opening Day, the GOP is 4-1 in the election. When the Yankees lose, the Democrats are 3-0.
4-1 + 3-0 != 16-11
What are you missing?
(btw, go Yankees, and GO MCCAIN! — We don’t need to turn into the United Socialists of America)
woops! I forgot that little… “Win at home” part
LOL!
^ woops Reading > Me. I skipped the “win at home” part!
Just read the post before, they have the satistics for the 2 starting pitchers, wang’s numbers are actually better, I know halliday pitches well against the yankees, but to other teams he is hittable. check out this link.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03312008/photos/sports072.jpg
Lori - my daughters and I heard Centerfield just now as we were getting coffee and hot chocolate. Great song.
Well, it’s 44 degrees here in NJ. We are packing up our fleece blankets and about to head in. I hope the next time I poset, it’s about how great (and perhaps not as cold as I thought) the game was. Catch you all later.
And Rebecca - you were on the Yankee Fan Club Radio? I can get that on podcast, no?
“If the game is on nationally I’m pretty sure it’s blacked out on MLB.TV”
not necessarily- there were plenty of games that were on ESPN last year and the year before that weren’t blacked out on MLB.TV, which is why i was wondering if anyone knew for sure if it would be, because it seems ESPN just picks and chooses which games they want to use a national live blackout for. I’m hoping it’s just a sunday night baseball thing.
JT - Oh gee I just can’t wait to see the Democrats take office and see taxes raised to 40% of my salary.
=========================================================
You are SO right! Why the heck should American taxpayers have to pay for the money America spends? So we owe a trillion dollars to China, big deal. Another few trillion in dept. So a few people (the most since the depression) will lose their houses in the next 2 year. So China now uses as much oil as we do so the price of oil will only continue to go up forever.
So friggin’ what! Our kids can pay for all this stuff later. That’s why we had kids, right. So we can live the good live and pass massive debt and problems to them.
Spoiled brats!
Slightly OT: can you help me with recommendations for the Best 5 Baseball Books to read this year?
Personal preferences:
-non-fiction
-new or recent (rather than older/classic)
-insider/expert perspective
-at least a fair measure of Yankee coverage
I’d appreciate it!
..it’s Opening Day of the baseball season. The Yankees final home opener at Yankee Stadium is today, and on a very popular Yankees blog, people are discussing politics.
Awesome.
For those David Letterman fans tune in tonight to see “Biff Henderson’s Visit to Yankees Spring Training” piece that he does every year. It’s always really funny.
I could never bring myself to vote for the Democratic party. I want to be protected, not give love to the Islamic Extremists and console and comfort them.
Happy Opening Day everyone!! So excited I could barely sleep last night. I’m so glad today is the first day of my spring semester at school so I don’t even have to worry about what I will miss playing hooky
Absolutely cannot wait for this game, LET’S GO YANKEES!!!
And happy birthday to the Wanger, and here’s hoping he celebrates with groundballs galore! Woo hoo Yankees baseball is back…in 3 more hours!!
Winning breeds confidence. A welcome sight will be the return of that good Yankee SWAGGER.
I am almost 100% sure the game will not be on mlb.tv today. If you go to mlb.tv and look up the schedule for today, the Yankee game is not an option
Pete, heard you on WFAN last night, sounded ready to go for the season. I wondered what you thought about Girardi’s line-up…. A lot of people have criticized batting Damon at the top of the order (despite the excused injuries he dealt with last season). So you agree with this? Also, I attempt to disspell the Damnation of Damon over at the Life of Brian. I’m rally interested in hearing what you think. Thanks.
Jim Clark - Steve-
This is a sports blog. If you really want to start a shouting match, there are other places.
DurhamYankee: Where are you seeing that? i went to multimedia guide under audio/video, clicked “go to today” and it lists every game for today but there are no icons up yet to indicate whats on mlb.tv or not.
people who want to politic on this page should be immediately BANNED. Period.
“I want to be protected, not give love to the Islamic Extremists and console and comfort them.”
it’s bad enough reading retarded posts about baseball, can we save the kindergarden politics for another day?
Brian (from PA)
from mlb.tv
National Live Blackout (Regular Season): Due to Major League Baseball national exclusivities, scheduled webcasts of certain games during the regular season (including nationally televised games) will be blacked out. If you live within the following nations or territories, webcasts of games played before 4:30pm EST on Saturday and after 5pm EST on Sunday, will be blacked out: United States, Canada, Guam, US Virgin Islands, South Korea and Japan.
Today might fall under “certain games during the regular season (including nationally televised games) will be blacked out.”
From Peter’s article: “I was in camp three years ago and it wasn’t anything like it is now,” Hughes said. “Everywhere you look on this team, there are young guys playing important roles.”
Anyone know if there is data to back that up? I’d be curious just how different this team is from previous opening days — e.g., average age, median age, # of players
I meant to write “# of players under 25, % of home grown players, etc.”
Agreed Countdown and hmmm.
Politics has no place on this blog. Period.
i also think ESPN can’t black out the game because they don’t have exclusive rights to it, as both YES and RSN are showing it.
Politics / politicians are depressing enough without inviting it on this board.
BASEBALL ….. PLEEEEEZE.
“it’s bad enough reading retarded posts about baseball, can we save the kindergarden politics for another day?”
Sure we can. If you know of another place that you and I can discuss politics. Name the place. If I’m not reading about the Yankees, I’m reading about the political front. Actually, I read more politics than baseball.
People, close out the Daily Kos, Huffington, FOX or whatever else you may have open on another browser. Step away from your soapboxes. If you can just hang on another couple of hours, you’ll have plenty of live baseball to argue about once again.
In the meantime, remember these two fundamental principles:
1) Baseball is a refuge from politics, and
2) Politics is not a team sport.
Yazman,
Someone posted a cut from Baseball Prospectus (BP)a few days ago which showed the average age of the Yankee teams of the past few years. This years team is slightly lower than the past but not much (I think it’s around 31 if I remember correctly). Anyway BP should have that info if you want to see it.
Ummm… Why does everyone on here flip out if Pete adds ANY political spin to his writing? Last time I checked, the banner on the blog reads The Lohud Yankees Blog by Peter Abraham… Let the man write what he wants!
Is it because you’re afraid the poster who goes under the handle ‘Love Sax(ophone) and Cheeseburgers’ from Little Rock, Ark. will come in here and stand on his soap box and start screaming pro-donkyisms?
Or because an old, oil man from Tex will come in and preach about the family values of the GOP?
Who really cares?– ITS OPENING DAY !!!!!
PS– Did anyone else find Bush in the booth with Miller and Morgan to be hilarious?
FOR THOSE WONDERING DESPERATELY LIKE I AM WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL BE ON MLB.TV
I’ve been looking around an all indications are that it WILL be. i’ve found nothing that says it WON’T be, but i did find in the Yankees and Blue Jays game previews, it says ON TV: YES, RSN, ON RADIO: WCBS 880, FAN 590, ON INTERNET: MLB.TV, Gameday Audio
:):):)
Guiseppe Franco-
Yes.
And that goes for each side.
Concur with Murphy and hmmm, it is well established we have political junkies of all persuasions on this blog. Let’s all agree to enjoy our team as it starts on it’s path to a 27th championship.
oh, speaking of the batting order, I love that Cano is batting 6th and that the slugishness of Giambi and Jorge are seperated by Cano. I saw where some people posted Matsui and Giambi should be switched, but I like it the way it is for now - Giambi seemed to have a better spring while Matsui spent a lot of it recovering, so I’m happy Big G is getting the chance to hit 5th. I think he will show that he can still be one of the most dangerous hitters in the game and the thought of Alex being surrounded in the lineup by 2 OBP monsters just warms my heart!
As for Damon, he has always been a leadoff hitter and despite his problems last year, is still a force on the basepaths. Especially vs Toronto who barely throws out anyone. I don’t think there is any reason to revoke his leadoff spot right now, although I would watch out for Brett Gardner when he comes up if I were Johnny…the competition seems to be good for him though.
To all who love The Game, enjoy Opening Day -
“The Green Fields of the Mind ”
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Of course, there are those who learn after the first few times. They grow out of sports. And there are others who were born with the wisdom to know that nothing lasts. These are the truly tough among us, the ones who can live without illusion, or without even the hope of illusion. I am not that grown-up or up-to-date. I am a simpler creature, tied to more primitive patterns and cycles. I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.
From A Great and Glorious Game: Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti, © 1998 by A. Bartlett Giamatti.
You’re right Murphy Dog. Let’s go Yankees! I’m psyched!
Good Morning, fellow Yankee fans.
First of all, Pete, please put up a new thread. Confucius said, “No harmony for those who talk politics and religion with friends and family.” and “Discord on LoHud Blog is bummer for birthday boy on mound”.
Secondly, on the mlb.com scoreboard there is indeed a tv icon. Then again there was one for the opener last night.
Try this page for P2P listings over the course of the season. http://myp2p.eu/index.php?part=home
HAPPY OPENING DAY everyone! Guess what? It’s raining up here, too!
Motown: Yeah, The Sommer Frieze has it on podcast. I wasn’t aware it was a big deal…I mumble through most of it!
Happy birthday Wang!
hmmm
March 31st, 2008 at 10:14 am
“I want to be protected, not give love to the Islamic Extremists and console and comfort them.”
it’s bad enough reading retarded posts about baseball, can we save the kindergarden politics for another day?
———————————————————–
As someone who not only has members of my family diagnosed with DS, but also spends countless hours working and trying to help people with DS, I find your comments, as usual, Hmmm, to be completely offensive.
Perhaps you can use another word other than ‘retarded’ when projecting your unhappiness in life onto others.
I typically agree with most of the stuff you write in here, regarding baseball, but perhaps you can try to find a word that is less offensive to a community of 1.3 million Americans.
Thanks for the class….
Politics? Meh, I’m voting for Edwar (what is it good for?) as a write-in. Other than that I agree, let’s try to keep our political persuasions out of here. Quickest way to ruin an otherwise-good discussion!
Anybody know of a streaming radio website that I could listen to the game on?
I can’t get MLB tv here at work =[
On a brighter note… Go Yankees ! I’m feeling number 27 in 2008!!!
Good luck this season Pete, have fun covering the greatest team in sports!!!
And to all the regular posters in here, the Rebeccas, the CBs, the Brandons, everyone else and even Brian (the Red Sox Fan), lets hope this year is next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is ridiculous talking about politics on Opening Day.
Let me guess, Obama’s a communist, Hillary is in bed with the terrorists, and McCain is going to go to war with Russia.
Go Yankees.
jeez. Opening Day, you think this would be a place of excited joyful people. instead there seems to be a lot of anger in this thread.
i’ll be back later when there’s a new thread and people may be enjoying the game. then again this is a Yankees’ blog, i’m sure with the opening of the season the trolls will come out, and people will feed them and arguments will ensue.
good times!
CMW will throw a no hitter today
Can I ask a question?
What jersey’s/tee-shirts is everyone rocking today? I’m wearing my Jason Giambi 2004 spring training jersey that he signed for me in 2006…
Gotta have a big year from the Big G this year… I think he’s due… Keeping fingers crossed for…
.285 30 HR 110 RBI in 150 games played (a majority of them at 1B hopefully).
Who’s wearing what today?
The game’s probably blacked out on mlb.tv because it’s on ESPN. Which stinks because I have class till two and that was my method of catching the first few innings. Oh well.
Have to go get clean. Hope it doesn’t rain in New York like it’s raining here.
I swear this place is so depressing it makes you go crazy.
DMan,
Here’s a list of radio stations. http://www.thegamelive.com/baseballmlb.html
It’s difficult to find a station though, especially for the Yankees. The iron fist of Selig & all that. Doesn’t care about steroids, but thank goodness he’s thinking about our poor ears. Sometimes an opponent’s station will sneak through.
Bronx Bomber: My own with the interlocking NY on front and blank back.
I am very pumped for today. I couldn’t make it down to the stadium, but I have a television in my office.
For anyone that’s interested. I am trying to sell 2 tier box MVP seats for this Saturday (4/5). They are nice seats (section 6, Row D) right around the home plate area. The game day price is $70 per ticket, but these are only $60 per ticket.
i’m heading up to the bronx right now…full of optimism. i’ll try to drop in from my I Phone
go yanks!
see you later guys
“Perhaps you can use another word other than ‘retarded’ when projecting your unhappiness in life onto others.”
you are 100% correct and i completely apologize.
seriously.
I’m about 10 miles south of the Bronx and it definitely doesn’t look good out there. Everyone who’s heading to the game: hope you stay dry and stay warm.
Dangit, I really want Obama and the Yankees to win. So….I am hoping for an upset. Anyone else leaving work for the game?
Please Pete, no politics.
Im wearing a black t-shirt with a ping pong paddle on it and it reads “Who is Barry Badrinath?”
mel-
Ahh thanks for that link, Ill run through and see if I can find the game someplace.
Be great if I can!
“I typically agree with most of the stuff you write in here, regarding baseball, but perhaps you can try to find a word that is less offensive to a community of 1.3 million Americans.”
i agree that we have become mostly desensitized to what the word actually means, and it has unfortunately become an accepted part of American slang.
i typed without thinking, and for that i apologize. i consider it a lesson learned and i promise to not repeat it.
Oh, Joba Rules t-shirt, Arod home jersey and the classic hat….
Anyone see the Boston College hockey game last night again Miami (OH)… AMAZING… FROZEN FOUR BABY!!!
Now gimme some baseball… YANKEES!
I’m sorry if I snapped at you Hmmmm.
This is one of my favorite days of the year (along with All-Star break, trade deadline, wife’s birthday, kids’ birthdays, and Halloween) and the last thing I want to do is drop any anger or negativity on anyone…
As I said though… I typically do agree with your baseball thoughts and ideas. And I will take Hmmmm over Hmmmm (the kinder, gentler version) any day !!!!
GO YANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well since I am working today I couldn’t wear a t-shirt. But I did wear my Yankee hat to work today.
Dman,
Good luck!
BTW, mlb.com is saying that all 14 games will be shown live on mlb.tv today.
I wonder if I have to pony up the money today. Last year I did the monthly, should I do the annual?
I’m not ashamed to say that I have Lupus, Pulmonary Hypertension and a brain injury and that’s because I realize that there are other people out there that need to talk to some one. Names don’t hurt me anymore like they used to so I usually take things with a grain of salt and I consider the source. bronxbomber77, I’m glad you work with people wth DS. Every person, no matter who they are or what they are diagnosed with, need attention and support. I commend you for that.
Anyone up for picks/predictions? Lets steer clear of the politics?
If I had to guess, I’d say
AL EAST: NYY
AL CENTRAL: DET
AL WEST: SEA
AL WILD CARD: CLE
NL EAST: NYM
NL CENTRAL: CHC
NL WEST: COL
NL WILD CARD: LAD
WS: NYY over CHC in six games
A-Rod bats .340 in postseason, with 5 HR and 13 RBI, including a walk-off homer to win game two at Yankees Stadium. Wins WS MVP en route to number #27 !!!!
Nice predictions BB, but it seems like the Braves are a strong dark horse, and Cleveland outpitches Detroit by a lot. Is Seattle beating a better Angels team based on Angels injuries?
“I’m sorry if I snapped at you Hmmmm. ”
nope, i completely deserved it. you have nothing to be sorry for.
I am on the West Coast now, in good ol silicon valley (I swear I am not a HUGE dork). Found out that I don’t even have to be at work today! Cesar Chavez day, amen to that! So I am out of here at 9am PST.
Pete, pls. wish CMW a Big Happy Birthday.
Thanks-
Thanks Sean.
My sister and an uncle in my immediate family have DS, and while I’m not a rich man (yet) and I don’t have a lot of extra cash on hand to make proper donations, I try to donate what I can and what I have… time.
I love volunteer work, I live in Maine on the coast (the Lion’s Den!) and I’ve managed to organize several group outtings to Hadlock Field over the past few summers for people to see the Portland Sea Dogs play. Its very fun and rewarding for people who normally wouldn’t be able to get out to a game.
This is one of the reasons I love baseball so much. It is a game that can reach anyone, in any walk of life.
But I do appreciate your words… Who ya got in the WS this year ?
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Mariners
AL WC: Detroit
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: D-backs
NL WC: Dodgers
(Old Yanks Fan: yes to Seattle over Angels b/c of injuries. Bedard probably comes out of his fog and they were a WC contender last year)
AL
East - Yankees
Central - Indians
West - Mariners
WC - Tigers
NL
East - Braves
Central - Reds
West - DBacks
WC - Rockies
as for Alex in the postseason
07- .279 1HR (Long)
06- .267 0HR (Donnie)
05- .071 0HR (Donnie)
04- .320 3HR (Donnie)
2008-
Found this on SI’s site, hope this doesn’t mean trouble for my favorite Yankee blog.
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/45099
MLB battling competing media
Posted: Monday March 31, 2008 06:35AM ET
As the Reds ready for the first pitch of the 2008 season, Major League Baseball is battling an opponent of its own: the news media that cover its teams. Baseball has been negotiating for months with sports editors over the terms under which reporters, photographers and bloggers can hold media credentials and what news outlets can do with the content they gather during games. The spat started when baseball issued its annual credential guidelines, which include tight restrictions on digital content such as photo galleries, audio and video on Web sites and blogs. The issue hasn’t gotten much traction among fans, many of whom may be unaware of its potential ramifications for how and where they get information about their teams. But sports marketing experts say the dispute is rooted in a larger issue in professional sports. They didn’t print newspapers and we did that, so we weren’t competitors. Now, we have Web sites, they have Web sites and so they view us as competitors,” said John Cherwa, chair of the legal affairs committee for the Associated Press Sports Editors.
Cincinnati Enquirer
Now I feel guilty… Am I the only one who called in *sick* to work today???
I try to avoid hatred and negativity in my life, but man oh man: I hate Skip Bayless to no end. Anyone else see what he just said about the NYY? Joining the Mets on the golf course in early October? The list of Yankees-haters at ESPN is as long as my leg.
I’m shocked Buster Olney is still up and walking after picking the NYY to win the East. Totally shocked that Steve Phillips, Skippy Bayless, Peter Gammons, John Kruk and Eric Young didn’t drag ol’ Buster into the parking lot at Bristol and go Tony Soprano on him!
Found out that I don’t even have to be at work today! Cesar Chavez day, amen to that!
You ARE kidding right? What else do you folks out there get days off for, Earth day? The swallows returning to Capistrano?
Jeez, I guess I picked the wrong state to live in.
bronxbomber,
You must be tall, then. About 7′7″?
Now I have 2 reasons for the Yanks to win today. Just for the fact that they win and then we have a better chance of having a country not run by either Hilary or Obama.
YankeesLuv,
Not surprising, the NFL has already done this with their coverage. Local reporters are no longer allowed to use anything but the standard highlight feed from the NFL. No more live shots on the sideline, etc. It was only a matter of time before baseball did this as they increasingly have tried to emulate the more successful NFL.
BronxBomber, I have the Yankees in the WS. Is that biased or what? I go to a brain Injury program every day called Universal Insitute -> http://uirehab.com/ and they know I’m not coming in because it’s opening day. I didn’t even have to call in sick.
Boston looks good on paper. Toilet paper that is.
It’s pouring here in Queens. I heard on the radio that the tarp is on the field at the Stadium.
Anyone ever check out that ‘It is High, It is Far, It is Caught’ blog?
Pete had them as guest bloggers this past winter and he’s got them tagged in his fav sites on the right hand side of this wonderful blog.
The reason why I ask is b/c I love the way they go after Jacoby Ellsbury. They have a pic of him online right now all muscled up and above the photo it reads “Jacoby had a monster spring…. .209 BA”
Priceless….
NCAA’s got restrictions. Mark Cuban’s also jumped in the fray. He banned the Dallas paper, the LA Times paper, and Henry Abbott of ESPN from the locker room. It’s a battle he’s going to lose though. Because Stern’s a real commissioner who doesn’t let the owners push him around and try thwart his best efforts to make professional basketball a global game.
“Boston looks good on paper. Toilet paper that is.”
That’s a great saying. I like that a lot.
HAHAHAHAHA Not kidding at all. I just started out here in San Jose about a month ago and I am originally from Elizabeth, NJ. I just looked at the calendar and there is at least 1 paid holiday every month. It is insane. I am so ignorant I was like, Cesar Chavez, like the boxer Julio Cesar Chavez? You get off for his birthday? Turns out it is a farmer who organized a union or something. All I know is it works out for me. Let’s go Yankees!!!!!
( with tears in eyes )…Can’t we all just get along ???
ya KNOW,,,this is all the King of the Blog’s fault….HE started it !!! 
Yankees win 10-2 today…watch it happen !!!
Happy Opening Day everybody.
To another season of the greatest game around.
I can’t believe with all that’s going on this is what MLB is concerned about. You would think they would be happy with all the coverage but they have to make every last cent themselves. You can find out all sorts of little details on blogs like this that you can’t find elsewhere. It’s a great place to discuss the Yankees, booo MLB if they mess this up.
Don Vito -
your prediction is music to my ears!
Hey Yazman-
If you’ve never read “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton, that should be at the top of your list, even though it’s been around for 30 years or so. It’s tremendous.
Oh politics. They’re all a bunch of cynical power mongers, the lot of them. Whoever you’re voting for, it’s what you judge to be the lesser of two evils, and almost certainly you’re holding your nose as you pull the lever. So long as people can keep their shirts on, why not have discussion? Still a couple hours to game time…
Sean…you may want to consider the notion of Islamic extremists being something of a hydra. You cut off one head, and two more sprout up. War in the Middle East is precisely what Islamists want, because it plays into their rhetoric of Western occupation and hegemony and it’s the leading poster for new extremist enlistment. Each time an innocent is killed, his moderate brothers are led to extremism.
“Anyone ever check out that ‘It is High, It is Far, It is Caught’ blog?”
I just put John Sterling in my daily Bloggers report blog. I have to finish up but I keep reading here and I’m not getting anything done! His blog makes me laugh a lot and it’s great reading. I’m going to wait until the baseball season is over before I ask Peter Abraham to consider putting me on his blog roll because I want to prove that I’m in it for the long haul.
Guys, Gameday is up with lineups. And Cano is indeed batting 6th.
Seems the majority of the NYY position players had a good spring. Its the pitching I constantly worry about.
Cano .446 BA 2HR
Melky .322 2 HR
Giambi .413 2 HR
Abreu .333 2HR
A-Rod .422 4
Jeter .269 1
Damon .255 0
Posada .227 1
Duncan .354 3
The teams that have been beating Wang lately are aggressive teams that swing at everything. I hope that CMW has a few tricks up his sleeve. And that he’s not too strong.
As for the pitcher’s ERA:
Hughes 3 W, 5.82 ERA
Kennedy 1 W, 2.00 ERA
Wang 2, 8.04
Moose 0, 6.00
Joba 2, 4.66
Pettitte 1, 5.63
But then again… Every ‘pro’ on TV is always saying that ST numbers don’t matter…. right ?
So I am superstitious as the day is long and I gotta give you this information - but then add a good note, and another superstition of sorts!
Did you know that the Yankees have not won a WS while republicans are in the white house since Eisenhower was president? Something like that. I always think of that as the curse of the republicans.
Did I believe in the curse of the Babe and 1918? You bet your boots I did. So how to explain the 2004 “aberration”. Well don’t you know that the Sox organization had a catholic priest bless the little green crapbox as one of the things they tried? As a good catholic, I naturally saw that as the reason the curse disappeared. Well try this one on for size. The Pope will be saying mass at Yankee Stadium! Hardee har har har har, all is well in my Yankee world. The republican curse will be broken, so it doesn’t matter if we win today’s game.
GO YANKEES!
The bullpens may play a big role in today’s game. The forecast is for rain on and off and there may be delays.
The yanks have never won a champion when a gop is pres., so we all have to root for the dems. GO DEMS. GO YANKEES, BRING HOME #27 THIS YEAR….
It is kind of funny that two Mets fans (Joe and Evan) are forced to be at Yankee stadium today for the opener
“Ball Four” - if you haven’t read it, it is a great book. funny, insightful - no doubt the best baseball book i’ve ever read. several Torre jokes actually - for those not old enough to remember, Torre was the butt of lots of jokes for having the ugliest face in baseball.
it also seems very contemporary in terms of describing ballplayer behavior - as far as i can tell, the only thing that’s changed since then is that the players make tons of money now.
Anyway, here’s what happens when u mix politics and baseball:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/30/president-bush-booed-at-b_n_94153.html
Can’t this game freakin start like now, I am so hopped up on Espresso and Coffee that I might go into convulsions. I feel like it’s an affair that I have been hiding.
bronxbomber77 - nope, you’re not the only one playing hooky today
The Yankees would do the same for us, right?
“HAPPY OPENING DAY everyone! Guess what? It’s raining up here, too!”
rebecca, it’s snowing where i’m at for the last 2 hours or so (kingston). i was all set to read a post from you telling us how you woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground. but i was wrong.
catching up on weekend posts. great cashman q/a and great news on Cano moving up in the lineup and LaTroy being awesome.
vote for Edwar!
New drinking game: Every time you hear Michael Kay say the words ‘generation trey’, break a beer bottle over his head.
BBB March 31st, 2008 at 11:26 am
vote for Edwar!
——
Indeed!
Got text from friend at the Tavern. It is raining in Da Bronx.
This rain has an hour and a half to go away. I hope it knows what’s good for it, because it’s in for a world of pain from Yankee fans if it doesn’t dissipate soon.
I am so very very very very happy that I didn’t end up going to the game. At this point we would have been on the highway just about there.
Does html work here? I am going to experiment so please forgive the experiment posts.
Say it ain’t so: best game ever.
I will seriously kill the rain.
NO MORE GREEN TEA
[b]NO MORE GREEN TEA[/b]
GUYS LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! THE YANKEES NEVER WON A WORLD SERIES WHEN THE REPUBLICANS WHERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE! NEVER ! ALL THE 26 RINGS WHERE UNDER A DEMOCRATIC WHITE HOUSE! VOTE DEMOCRATIC!
trisha: I would have sat in the snow for this game.
I have been reading as many of the ‘nationally-known’ columnists’ picks today as I could. From what I’ve been able to dig up, only two even have the NYY MAKING the playoffs…
Buster Olney and Tom Verducci.
Everyone else I’ve read all says the same yadda, yadda, yadda. Not enough pitching, an old team, yadda.
So to Kenny Rosenthal, John Donovan, John Heyman, Dayn Perry, and the 98% of people employed in Bristol by the Ellsbury-Schilling-Papelbon-Network, to you I say:
“Fredo, you’re my brother and I love you… But never choose sides against the Family again… ever…”
al - how about Ike? Besides, even if - heaven forbid - a Dem wins the election in November, there will still be a GOP in the White House for the World Series this year.
Does anyone know when Melky’s and Shelley suspension appeal will be heard?
Here’s the radar. Ladies, check out the ad to the right of the radar. You can rent Vuittons & Kate Spade bags for $9/week. Isn’t that a hoot?
http://tinyurl.com/2ogpry
Hello everyone…new poster…
Is there any update on the weather conditions? Sorry, I’m in California.
Does anyone know if ESPN radio has changed its schedule? I heard that “NY Baseball Tonight” is going to be on “weeknights at 6 p.m. up to first pitch.” Whose first pitch? And does that mean that Michael Kay’s show is shorter now?
Steph, where in California??? I am new to the San Jose area. Be my friend ha ha.
T-Minus 86 minutes and counting…
Say it aint so: Kay didn’t get Hughes’ Three Amigos memo yet? Why does that not surprise me…
Andrea: Edwar/DeSalvo 2008?
rain: ..rain, go away. No seriously…GTFO!!!
when the yanks won all those rings in the 50’s who was in the White House? yes a rebublican. so enough politics and let’s get back to baseball. Pete it’s all your fault!!!!
Lol, I’d love to be your friend. I’m in the LA area, so come down toward the south where the weather is nice and sunny!
Steph Im in Long island it’s coming down pretty good over here, very light tho, shouldnt ruin the game
Like Andrea, I bow to your game, Say It Ain’t. We drink the beer first, right?
Damn, that is like a 6 hour drive! ha ha I hear that it is raining in the Bronx, but we should be good at game time. Tell me you took off today and will be home at 10am to watch the game and we will best friends ha ha.
Awesome. Hopefully that means no delays. I’d hate to have to crack in the pen so quickly. Thanks for the update!
Elen , thats what im saying you wont win when the gop is in power. so you must vote for the democrats! maybe maybe if the dems win even if they are thecnicly not in power we will win! i didnt understand what you ment with ike.
predictions:
1. Yanks win 97 games/AL East
2. Yanks win first championship under GOP Pres since 1958
3. they play today. forecast is for LIGHT rain.
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=10451&hourly=1&yday=90&weekday=Monday
Yanksrule57, thank you for the Baseball Prospectus recommendations.
Dave S. and George, thanks for the Bouton rec. I was looking for something recent, but I may have to add this classic to my list.
Any other favorite new baseball books out there?
The rain isn’t too bad at all here in NW NJ…
al - this is the year that the Yanks will win under a republican. the pope said so!
Andrea, there was probably a time I would have sat in the snow for the game also. But it is completely out of my control that I have a fear of heights and my ticket ended up being in just about the last row of the tier seats. What would I have proved if I couldn’t watch the game because I was too dizzy? No biggie.
Yazman, for b-ball biographies, one that i like is the Casey Stengel one by Robert Creamer. funny stories, lots of history.
Al,
‘23,’27,’28 - Coolidge
‘32 - Hoover
‘53,’56,’58 - Ike
2008 - Bush
All Yanks’ WS wins w/ the GOP in the WH
George I echo your predictions and add one other:
this is the year the Yankees win #27
I already pointed out that they haven’t won under a republican president since the Eisenhower days.
Time to get it back to normal.
o, sorry Yazman, Stengel’s not new. a good, relatively new one i’ve been reading is “Baseball Between the Numbers”, by the Baseball Prospectus.
i don’t think the authors have nailed down the realities of baseball as much as they sometimes seem to think. but that being said, it’s an excellent book, it really makes you think. it’s worth reading just for the “Why Doesn’t Billy Beane’s Sh*t Work in the Playoffs?” chapter, which does an interesting analysis of the what factors enhance postseason success/
YAHOO!!!!! Time for YES!!!
I’ll give you weather updates.
It doesn’t look so bad out there right now.
Coney and Bob Lorenz.
God how I’ve missed this stuff!
politics and religion, just what i wanted more of….
i’m going to the new thread.
Uh never mind. Kim Jones standing under an umbrella and it is really raining.
Players couldn’t take BP.
Showers predicted throughout the day.
Nevertheless, they are predicting baseball will be played.
trisha: it’s not that high.
Hey Yazman-
Summer of ‘49 is a great book. Really brings Joe D to life. Read it when I was in Little League and then again after David Halberstam’s untimely passing last year.
Great story - When I was reading it as a kid, growing up on Long Island, I was doing odd jobs for a old guy down the street with a heckuve ham radio operation named Otis Freeman. Got to a part in the book about a pioneer in televising Yankees games for WPIX named Otis Freeman. Turns out it was the same guy.
Happy opening day.
Andrea I can’t look down from the third level at the local mall. I went to see Phantom on Broadway and had to stand in the back of the theatre because I got dizzy going up to the seats. Believe me, I have a real problem with heights.
Next game I go to a game I am going to take a walk up there just to see how it feels to me. That will be the best way to gauge it.
How did Pete talk about politics here? He wasn’t saying he’s rooting for one or the other, just noting an interesting bit of trivia. Some of you really need to relax and stop being so reactionary.