Brackman’s a winner, but not in basketball
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 02, 2010 
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The Yankees have passed along the winners of today’s team outing to the arcade. Andrew Brackman makes the list, but not in the Pop-A-Shot competition.
Indy car
Winner: A.J. Burnett
Runner-up: Dana Cavalea
Skeeball
Winner: Andrew Brackman
Runner-up: Eduardo Nunez
Pop-A-Shot
Winner: Royce Ring
Runner-up: Mark Melancon
We also have Mark Feinsand acting as a pool reporter for all of the beat writers. He passed along some comments from Mark Teixeira, and we should get some quotes from Curtis Granderson — and hopefully some pictures — later this afternoon.
“The highlights were A.J. Burnett just smoking the field in the video game racing, and Royce Ring being probably the best Pop-A-Shot basketball player I’ve ever seen,” Teixeira said. “Those two were hands-down the best at those two events.”
Last year’s big winner in the pool tournament was Mariano Rivera, but you’ll notice his name isn’t on this year’s list.
“I don’t think he did as well, but I don’t want to throw him under the bus,” Teixeira said. “At pool, he was definitely head and shoulders above the rest, but these arcade games leveled the playing field a little. I won’t throw anybody else under the bus, but I’ll admit the race car game was a little difficult and I finished last in my heat.”
Obviously all of this is light-hearted and a bit goofy, but that’s kind of the point. These players have the next eight months to be New York Yankees. Today, they didn’t really have to be.
“It was a great day,” Teixeira said. “The fact that we get three or four hours not to have to worry about baseball and not have to compete on the baseball field, it was fun. Playing video games, we felt like kids again. It promotes a light-hearted atmosphere.
“The great thing about this kind of atmosphere is that there’s no veterans or rookies, starters or role players, Triple-A or Single-A; everyone is on the same playing field. We’re all having fun, really kind of letting our hair down and getting to know each other without competing on the field.”
We need pictures!!!!
Chad,
Thanks. Please ask Mark if AJ’s eyes lit up when he found out they’d be competing in Indy Car?
And Mark Melancon’s a sharp shooter? Who would’ve thunk!
Clearly Royce Ring made the Five Questions series look good today!
Why does it not surprise me that AJ won at Indy Car?
Sheer genius by Girardi. Clearly video games lead to Championships.
Breaking News *********************
Johnny Damon made a surprise appearance at today’s Yankee outing at the arcade. Sources are indicating that Jim Leyland is encouraging Damon to alter his throwing form to underhand. Said Damon, “The underhand throwing-motion of Skee-Ball will be good practice. I am hoping to be able to reach the cut-off this season.”
Chad -
You could say he was a “Ring-er”
Doreen
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:36 pm
We need pictures!!!!
*********************
I second this
Off arcade games topic, but per MLBTR, young Justin Upton about to lock in with the Snakes for 6 years and $50M.
Aww, I love hearing that. Good job, AJ! Everyone else ought to stay off the road, especially Tex (I love how he admitted he threw Mo under the bus, lol).
One thing I love about the team is that they really treat the kids like they are part of the team and not some non-entities.
Yes, Chad. But I think he was clearly inspired by the Olympic “Rings”. Or was it the 2009 WS rings?
At any rate, can he grab the brass ring for the last spot?
Brackman won Skee-ball? That’s a game all about accuracy…I guess the skee-ball motion is not quite the same as repeating a pitching motion, eh?
Where there enough juice boxes for everyone?
I wonder what the gift certificates were for?
Chad -
So, was Mark Feinsand invited to tag along for the story?
This is really rad, we gotta get some pictures. And I wonder what arcade they went to?
anyway, melky got his first hit with the braves…woohoo to him
This is telling. A Philly paper is running a poll, with an article. “Who will win spring training matchup, Phillies or Yankees?” Yankees are winning 64%-36% so far!
http://wwwlehighvalleylive.com/sports
Philidelphia respects the Yankees, even with them having Halladay.! Hehehe
“From defensive catchers like Dusty Brown and Mark Wagner to the powerful Luis Exposito, the team has potential behind the plate, though it doesn’t have certainty for 2011.”
Via a line straight from MLBTR writer.
What a bunch of SICK SICK liars.
It’s no different from the ESPN article in the last week saying that Jorge Julio Ruiz has a chance to produce like 2004 David Ortiz. He has the pre-stats that signal that he could be where 2004 Ortiz was!
The Melk man looks sad in his mug shot for the Braves, you can check it out on the braves team website. Poor Melky.We better have received a new and improved Javy Vazquez.
Pir-one escaped again.
“Off arcade games topic, but per MLBTR, young Justin Upton about to lock in with the Snakes for 6 years and $50M.”
Unfortunately, this is clearly going to be a prevalent trend going forward. Wise move for the D-Backs though.
“Unfortunately, this is clearly going to be a prevalent trend going forward. Wise move for the D-Backs though.”
Agreed. Great move.
Doreen
what is bunnies for a cause?
upstate kate -
Lindt is going to donate 10 cents for every Chocolate Bunny sold (you can purchase at stores or online), plus $1 for every e-card mailed from their site, to Autism Speaks.
Sweeny had a picture http://www.wfan.com/Field-Day/.....ntRating=1
tk -
I think you are right about this being a trend. It’s one of those good/bad things. Good for teams to keep their best players. Bad (or, less good, really) for teams looking to improve through free agency.
Doreen – Bunnies for a Cause
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:07 pm
upstate kate -
Lindt is going to donate 10 cents for every Chocolate Bunny sold (you can purchase at stores or online), plus $1 for every e-card mailed from their site, to Autism Speaks.
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Oooh….thanks for the info. My chocolate addiction will actually come in handy for once
Erin -
I usually get the Lindt bunnies anyway, so this just makes it nicer.
F&B
Sweeney’s picture on the ‘Fan website appears to be from last year’s outing.
“Unfortunately, this is clearly going to be a prevalent trend going forward. Wise move for the D-Backs though.”
“Agreed. Great move.”
All of which means the Yanks will need to place more and more emphasis on the draft and the IFA(until a World wide draft is implemented) as more and more teams will be locking up their young stars before they can taste FA.
“Why does it not surprise me that AJ won at Indy Car?”
My thoughts exactly.
If there’s a name that screams car racing, it’s AJ BURNETT.
That pic is from last year…
Doreen-
An excuse to eat chocolate… woohoo!
“Allen James! Don’t be takin yo momma’s Impala out for no joy ride agin you hear!”
Tom Verducci > Inside Baseball, has an article: Breaking down how Breaking balls, are breaking Ryan Howard. He can’t hit them, and is thrown more than any other player in baseball.
Howard seen 1127 in 2009, 39.7%
Yankees did their part too in the WS.
Dana Cavalea is the Yankees strength and conditioning coordinator.
Erica – always OPPC
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Doreen-
An excuse to eat chocolate… woohoo!
*************************
I know!! Not that I need much of an excuse
Frank
I was fooled by sweeny how awesome!!!
“Agreed. Great move.”
As with the market for aging, defensively-challenged corner OFs, Cashman also seems to have recognized the changing dynamics in the market for young, elite talent. I think that is why he pushed so hard for CC and Tex. Obviously those guys would be great targets at any point, but he truly treated them as must-haves. Even though most of us worry about the age/cost of our roster down the road, I think Cash realized he had to do some big game hunting while he still could.
thanks Doreen, I will have to look for them
I read this and makes me even a bigger Girardi fan. Just two seasons ago much of what came out of spring was negative.
He’s done a much better job of molding youth and veterans. Also of taking the pulse of a club.
“Cashman also seems to have recognized the changing dynamics in the market for young, elite talent.”
I think everyone recognizes it now. Youngsters getting locked up early is more prevalent now, but the trend began in earnest a 2-3 years back with guys like D. Wright, J. Reyes, Cano, Pedroia, Lester, etc. and has continued with the littany of guys who’ve signed long term this year. Definitely becoming a young man’s game now that testing (and quite likely more testing) is a fact of life.
Hoch has a picture!!!
http://bombersbeat.mlblogs.com/tex%20skeeball.jpg
Erin-
Thanks!!
Tex looks about 17 in that picture.
thanks Erin
Sources: Yankees have to pay back $10,000 each from World Series share. Accounting mistake made. -Darren Rovell via Twitter
Another one!!
http://twitpic.com/1697uh
What is up with Tex’s hair? Is he trying to hide a receding hairline?? LOL
AJ Burnett winning the auto racing venue should come as no surprise. afyer all, he has the same initials as the most famous AJ in the world….AJ Foyt.
every now and then you get lucky.
after the bad weather sirens sounded knocking everyone off the course, i found myself in a protected area outside the clubhouse when an older guy in all black yankee hate walked by.
i asked to trade him my TW ( tiger woods hat) for it.
he politely declined but asked me if i liked the yankees.
i said i did. we chatted a bit about the present team, and he said let me show you something.
he led me through the pro shop to what turned out to be the golf director’s office( which was him) and on the wall were photos of him as a little kid lining up a putt for mantle, photos of dimaggio with his arm around his shoulder while getting ready to tee off. photos of yogi, billy, tommy henrich, whitey . all with this guy at different ages.
he told me a story that yogi played righty , but chipped and putted lefty.
said billy was the most competitive player he had ever been around. said he would go nuts if he missed the green on a par three. mantle was easy going and killed the ball.
his favorite to play with was dimaggio though.
best rain delay i’ve had in awhile.
New Post: Arcade pictures (Part 1)
New post with pictures. More coming.
randy l -
Wow – what a special day for you. Rainbows. Sometimes you get rainbows.
And1 is the greatest of all time. Sucks that they split up.