Spreading the wealth
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 12, 2010 
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A nice idea from a reader named Mike, who earlier this spring donated his extra Yankees spring training tickets to the Big Brothers and Sisters of Tampa Bay. After the game, he got an email that read, in part…
Scott and I really appreciate the generosity of the individual donating those tickets. Scott loves sports but I don’t think he knew how packed that game was going to be until we got there. I think that was the spring training game of the year.
Mike would like to suggest similar donations from other Yankees fans who have extra spring tickets. He asked that anyone interested email him — mike@classiccards.com — and he’ll put you in touch with his contact with Big Brothers and Sisters.
If you have tickets and can make it to the stadium, terrific. But if you have tickets and can’t use them all, there are certainly worse ideas than sending a kid to a game.
nice.
Bravo!
Very nice
What a thoughtful thing to do.
Speaking of an attempt at wealth spreading:
m, I’m curious what U$C contest you were trying to lure Pat M into wagering on.
Women’s volleyball?
Baseball?
Other?
If someone has a 2 plane ticket from SOCAL to N.Y. and it so happen to come with 2 regular season tickets to a Yankee game. I know who you could give that away to.
(cant forget the wife)
Anyone know anyone who might be interested in buying a used dune buggy?
Anyone see how well Austin Jackson has been doing for the Tigers?
It is hard to take much out of spring training, but he definitely didn’t let the trade bother him. He’s hitting well, taking walks, playing good defense, and has a good chance to start the season as the Tigers’ centerfielder.
This obviously shouldn’t change anyone’s opinion of the trade, but the Yankees aren’t taking full advantage of having Granderson if they go all year with a Gardner/Winn combo as the 3rd outfielder.
Cashman will end up picking up a better hitter to play left field. That’s when the benefit of having a hitter like Granderson able to play centerfield will really show it’s value.
anyone who thinks Robbie Cano shouldn’t bat fifth is [redacted] nuts.
Anyone who thinks Cano should bat any higher than 6th in the order is nuts.
He has never stepped up when given the opportunity to hit anywhere in the top half of the lineup. Never.
I don’t quite understand why people think he’s the guy to protect A-Rod in this lineup now. He’s the last guy I want there.
They are going to miss Matsui tremendously this season. He was the perfect guy to hit 5th in this lineup despite his injury history and inability to play the field.
“Randy – I don’t think Joba’s arm strength is reducing his ability to throw a fastball at his old velocity. I would wager its mostly mechanics.”
jerkface-
i would never use the term” arm strength” when talking about velocity . it’s a whole body sequential activity that has the arm and hand are at the end of the chain.
what i said was: “if joba doesn’t throw the fastball a lot he’s not likely to regain his velocity.”
i believe that throwing fast or swinging fast is developed from going fast.
everyone starts with a built in hard wiring( natural ability) that limits how fast one can throw, but if you don’t train at maximum velocity, you won’t develop maximum velocity.
i remember reading dana cavalea’s web site about training bat speed and i believe it’s all wrong. you don’t get more bat speed by training your core as he said. you get it by swinging the bat as fast as you can.
and you don’t swing a heavy bat because that teaches you to go slow. you train with a lighter bat because once your brain can feel faster, it will allow you to swing “faster”.
i
f the yankees are taking a similar approach to their pitchers developing and maintaining velocity as cavalea was using for bat speed, i’m not surprised yankee pitchers seem to lose velocity when they get to the yankees.
i would simply have joba really air it out often if he’s going to regain his high end velocity.
if a pitcher throws at 90% -95% all the time they’ll never develop anything above that range. their 100% will slowly drop down to the 90%-95% they are throwing. it’s a downward spiral.
now that you mention it, it would be very interesting to hear how the yankees maintain and create velocity with pitchers.
i really don’t know what they do.
Great idea Mike! Through the Yankees I have donated tickets to games I have not been able to attend. For season ticket holders you can do it directly from your yankee account on yankees.com.
They give you an option to donate.
Nick in SF…..I’m settled in here at Staples Center awaiting the UCLA Cal Berkley game..I played the Bruins small + 8 and the money line, 380.00..If they can avoid get blown out early they can stay with them..
Good to see you back, GF. Hope the off-season has treated you well.
Pat M, I’m settled in to enjoy the game. I have Cal in a few different combinations, but I also teased the Baby Bears out to +18.5 as a hedge.
You want a chance to make back the $25 you lost to Erica? I’ll give you UCLA +8 if you’d like it, you have until tipoff to take the action, but if you already have enough riding on the game, no worries.
I also like New Mexico, UNLV, Utah St., Nevada, and Pacific tonight, among others…. uh oh, that’s too many faves and not enough dogs.
“Anyone who thinks Cano should bat any higher than 6th in the order is nuts.”
I respectfully disagree. In order for the Yankees to be the best they can be they need Cano (who is one of their better hitters) to take a more prominent role in the offense. I don’t think you can conclude he can’t hit higher than 6th until he’s done it for a full season at least.
welcome back Giuseppe Franco!
hope you’re feeling much better now.
Giuseppe Franco
March 12th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
I don’t quite understand why people think he’s the guy to protect A-Rod in this lineup now. He’s the last guy I want there.
======
Because he’s a great pure hitter and because, like Matsui, he hits lefties well.
The assumption is, he’ll outgrow the RISP stuff. He’s too good not to.
Nick in SF..I love New Mexico, I also have Long Beach State..I’m all square with Ms. Erica, my 2010 smackdown
Pat M, your answer is ambiguous… I take it we don’t have a bet? I hope you enjoyed Beach Girl Five.
Doreen, you’re welcome (re: the Curry article). I’m glad Curry landed with YES – he’s a good writer and was missed. I’m sorry to say that there are more Mike Pukicas out there than Jack Currys
We have reached the tip, no action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ihULTtWjo
Nick in SF…I’LL TAKE THE 8 FOR 25.00
Joba has become a head case and will only succeed in pen if at all. His words after his outings are so immature { actually stupid }. Doesn’t have the makeup I thought he had back 2 years. Hughes, on the other hand does, but it remains to be seen where he belongs. But babying Joba is a lost cause.
Fun Fact:
Hideki Matsui had 526 PA last season.
267 or only 50.76% of those were spent hitting 5th.
Sorry, Pat M, the deadline passed. We can revisit the question when they release the halftime line, if you’d like.
Thanks guys for the well wishes.
I must have won some kind of unlucky lottery because I was diagnosed with a fine and very rare disease called CIDP about 6 weeks ago after being misdiagnosed with GBS back in October.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.....neuropathy
I went through hell in December and January because my condition regressed so severely that I couldn’t stand up, hardly move my legs, or do anything for myself including bathing (which wasn’t always a bad thing…..ha ha). Lifting 2 lbs over my head was also nearly impossible.
However, I bounced back very quickly once I was correctly diagnosed and treated in February. It took just 3 weeks of bust ass rehab to progress from rock bottom as described above to getting out of my wheelchair without assistance in addition to climbing stairs.
I know nobody really asked for details about my offseason so forgive me if it sounds like I’m looking for sympathy. That’s not at all my intention. I just appreciate all the well wishes and I know several LoHudders had kept me in their thoughts.
I’ll be back to my old self at some point. It’s just gonna take some time and a lot of rehab.
Enough of that stuff. It’s time to talk Yankee Baseball.
Nick in SF…Bears look tight, UCLA cheerleaders are a gift to the eyes..I’m 3 rows behind them…I missed the deadline which is fine, bragging rights are invaluable at times
Blake and Bodhisattva,
I think we can all agree that Cano has the raw talent to hit anywhere in the lineup he wants.
But where we disagree is that I’m not confident he’ll be able to step up and perform well in such a critical role in protecting A-Rod in the lineup. Cano seems like he puts way too much pressure on himself and feels more comfortable down in the order.
They’ve tried several times to move him up in the order and his production always seemed to take a dive.
Nick in SF..Randle is so good
idk bout cano hitting in the 5 hole. If he can though our lineup gets scary good. I would try it in the beginning of the season.
another crank back in action
awesome
G. Franco-
How did this happen to you ?
Was it vaccine related ?
Pat M. at Staples
March 12th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Nick in SF..I love New Mexico, I also have Long Beach State..I’m all square with Ms. Erica, my 2010 smackdown
********************
Erica-
Are you feeling any better ?
MTU,
No. I got it from a lingering cold.
Go figure.
GF-
That’s just unbelievable.
Welcome back to the world of the living.:)
Ok, Pat M, the halftime line on my book is Cal -7, they are down 4 right now, so Cal would need to win by 3 to push that, win by 4 to cover.
If you want the $25 action, I’ll give you UCLA +3.5 for the final score.
30 years ago I was involved with the Big Brothers Association in Philadelphia. Through the kindness of others, I was able to get tickets perhaps once a month to take my little brother to games at the Vet. He was abandoned by his father, and his mom had to work two jobs to support them, so Davey never really had much.
Those games I took him to, as well as the events that BB sponsored (such as camping and swimming trips) meant the world to him, and I think profoundly changed his life.
Davey went on to graduate at Penn–which was an amazing accomplishment based on where he started from. Unfortunately, a blood disease ended his life too soon, but I know he was forever grateful for the way BB helped him gain a positive outlook on life, and gave him hope to work towards goals.
If you get the chance, it is a wonderful organization to support and can really make a difference in the lives of young children.
some OPPC thinking from Buster:
“Joba Chamberlain’s crooked linescore the other day earned him notoriety in some corners of the New York press. But the team’s staff actually took away great signs of encouragement, because in Chamberlain’s first inning of work his fastball was clocked at 93-94 mph, a velocity the team has not seen out of him this early in spring training. As Chamberlain’s outing progressed, he seemed to run out of gas and he got hit around, but the Yankees feel as if he has a nice base of velocity to build on early in camp.”
Nick in SF, I have to decline on that, I don’t like that action…I’m hanging on for dear life right now..Randle’s 3 pointer with a few seconds was a dagger..The sound of the nylon net was pronounced..Off to get some sushi..Cal is flexing their resolve and muscles..My heart aches after that damn 3 pointer..
GF – glad to see you are doing better.
GF,
You’ve really been through it, haven’t you?
Very glad you’ve fought your way back to health.
I think Cano will respond positively in the 5-hole.
When he first came up, he didn’t betray any nerves at the plate. His natural way is relaxation; I think becoming more savvy with runners on will take care of the poor numbers, because I don’t think the being uptight is his natural inclination.
Teams better hope you are right, because this, in a sense, is the final frontier for a great bat. Once he conquers this – and I think he will – lookout.
MTU
March 12th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Erica-
Are you feeling any better ?
****************
Thank you for asking
The medicine definitely made a difference right away- especially the nose stuff. I am going to go to bed soon and hopefully be a whole new person tomorrow
Pat M, I think you’re making the right call, but I thought it was fair to offer the halftime line plus a half point.
Right now I feel like Cal is in good shape to cover the original spread, but it would be bad gambling to make that bet down 4 at the half.
Bragging rights is fine by me. Randle is a beast… he became Cal’s all-time scoring leader in the first half.
Apres Theo, le deluge?
Brad77,
inspiring story
.
Bad news, Pat M: UNM just lost by 3.
Nick in SF…They just showed that score..I need Long Beach & UCLA, otherwise I’m giving everything back from earlier today…Bears are a very good team, they’re going to be a load come next week
Thanks to Chad for posting. I’m looking to make this an annual thing of purchase at least two extras for a game to donate. We’re fortunate enough to get down there each year to check out the Yanks, so I want my son to learn that giving back is important as others are not as fortunate.
For those interested, please let me know. You can purchase from the yankees.com site and donate them down to Tampa via email. Seats are pretty cheap compared to the Bronx and there isn’t really a bad seat in GS field.
Your help is certainly appreciated.
Mike
mike@classiccards.com
Nick in SF…Congrats…I’m playing New Mexico ST ( + 6.5 )…Man I just called in, Huskies + 9 over The Cardinal….
Thanks, Pat M… the Bears are really rolling right now.
I am with you on UW, but I’m rooting for the Nevada Wolfpack and Pacific, though mostly in teasers. And go UNLV!
Nick in SF..I’ve moved upstairs to a box so I can watch the Nevada game…Next week when the lines come out for the NCAA Final Four / Championship, I’m taking a real good look at The Cal Berkley Bears as they have a real good shot…Bench is short though…Huskies blow out Sanford early, this way I can get ahead start down the 405
Joba hasn’t been Joba since year one, let’s face it. At best he helps in the pen, at worst he goes down to get in shape add to his velocity and see if he can rediscover the snap on his slider. The 5th spot should be Mitre’s. Gaudin would be a good long guy, Aceves a great 5th thru 7th inning guy and far better suited here than in the rotation, and Hughes belongs in the 8th for now.
Wow, this UW-Stanfurd game could replace Ambien for you insomniacs… if you’re out there, dennis costanza, get this dog on dvr… 8-6 over 9 minutes into the game…
Nick,
Baseball. Glad that Pat didn’t respond. As much as I would’ve loved to steal his thin mints, the ‘Bows are down 1-0. Pitcher felt something and was pulled early on. Reliever promptly let the inherited runner score.
Nick in SF..Glad the rest of the country isn’t seeing the rubbish game…..Staples has become a tomb, maybe 7,000 people here, maybe…
m, I didn’t see that you were interested in the Rainbows vs. The Men of Troy…I must have missed that while driving up to LA….I would have taken that wager…Thin Mints ??? do you get Girl Scout Cookies on the Islands ??? You must I’d imagine
Pat,
Yes, we do. But I did not have the courage to hunt down any girl scouts. Better off that way…
USC is up 2-0, top of the 6th.
“Works hard for his money.” to borrow the line from Donna Summers……14 hours, play 10 games to win $ 250.00….Long day at the office today….