This is another personal favorite from our Pinch Hitters series. Mark Boynton is a 44-year-old who says he discovered baseball and the Yankees when his family moved to New York from Colorado in 1975. Mark’s wife is from Trinidad, and they live in Winston-Salem, N.C., but Mark wrote that some of their happiest memories have come from the Yankees.

“In the first game my wife ever saw, Johnny Damon went 6-for-6 and beat the Royals in the bottom of the 9th,” Mark wrote. “We won the auction for the Belt in 2009, and then we saw Jeter hit 3,000. As a Yankees fan, you just have to feel blessed by all that! And these days we just feel so amazingly fortunate ‘to be there’ that everything else is gravy.”

There’s not much I can write as an introduction to this one. You just have to read it.

HIT BY A PITCH

In the summer of 1978, in my first little league at-bat, I stood too far from the plate because I was terrified of the ball that sounded like a gunshot when it hit the catcher’s mitt. I was very fast but had no skills. Coach Mottola’s mantra was, “Just get on base kid! Then anything can happen!” The next pitch smashed into my left forearm, and as Coach jogged me to first base I moaned, “But it hurts bad!”

“Yeah, sure,” Coach told me. “But you’re on base, kid! Now run! Anything can happen!”

So, I stole second, then third, and scored on a sac fly. I did not appreciate the life lesson.

Derek Jeter was three years old.

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October 10, 2010 was one of the happiest days of my life. I married my wife in Central Park. The Yankees had just swept the Twins. Pure joy comes rarely, but I felt it that day. It did not last. The Yankees lost to the Rangers, Cliff Lee snubbed us and criticisms of the Captain multiplied.

On March 21, 2011 my wife suffered a stroke while driving home. When I reached the hospital her face had collapsed and she could not speak or use her right arm, hand or leg. A clot had blocked her left carotid artery, the doctors could not use clot busters. I was told she might survive, but the damage was likely permanent. Hours slipped away as the doctors debated what to do. It is difficult to explain the mixture of terror, confusion and rage.

The medical team ultimately performed a mechanical thrombectomy, but the clot showered, blocking a cerebral artery and blinding her left eye. When she woke up, my wife looked at me, and when I told her I loved her, she tried to smile. In that moment I decided we would beat this thing. Every day we worked and she improved. My mother scolded my wife that she had better be walking in time to watch Derek Jeter play on the 4th of July. I reminded Mom the Yankees would be away. She scowled and said, “Fine! We’ll just go see the next game!”

April, May and June were consumed with therapies. OT, PT, speech, neuropsych. We did not quit. When friends offered sympathy or shared their wonder at how we could “do it,” I offered my favorite baseball-is-like-life analogy: You don’t get to pick the pitches, you only get to decide whether or not to swing. If you don’t want to be in the batter’s box, then you’re not in the game.

One friend told me I had to admit that we had been hit-by-pitch this time.

By July, we were walking without assistance, speaking and learning to write. The Yankees were in first place, but Jeter was the target of unbridled criticism. Even the “faithful” began to whisper. Jeter returned to the team on July 4 needing six hits for 3,000, but the team lost to Cleveland and Jete went 0-4. One writer wondered if the Bombers were “too good in the absence of Derek Jeter” and that “maybe the Yankees [were] better off without the Captain,” but Mr. Bauman was merely writing what many already thought. It was agony to watch Jeter struggle and limp toward history.

We needed a break from therapy and decided to visit my folks in New York. We arrived on July 7. The Yanks lost to the Rays, and Jeter went 1-5, now just two hits away. My mother hoped he got a “really good hit” for number 3,000, then she teased me by saying, “Wouldn’t you love to be there?” I laughed out loud. You would need a bunch of cash and the stars to align to pick the right game at this point.

She proudly produced tickets for July 9 against the Rays. She had bought them weeks beforehand. I was dumbfounded, but I wasn’t sure my wife could handle the environment. We had learned the hard way that, when her senses became overwhelmed, her body reacted almost like it was having another stroke.

Friday’s game was rained out, but July 9 was summer perfection; a brilliant blue sky, blazing sun and puffy white clouds. When I got downstairs my wife and mother stared at me. “Why aren’t you dressed? We have to leave now!” The women had decided we’re going to a game!

We did not speak much as my dad drove into town. We’re baseball fans. We’re superstitious. But after Derek smacked his first hit we all began to hope brazenly! I was torn between watching the game and keeping track of my wife, just wanting nothing to go wrong, just immensely grateful to be there, with her, with my folks.

When Derek came to the plate in the bottom of the third you literally could feel the electricity. The stadium bulged with excitement. The organist got the entire crowd in unison chanting “DER-EK JE-TER!!!” And then, it happened. David Price, determined not to be a trivia question answer, uncorked a 3-2 curveball. On cue, the Captain miraculously crushed it and launched a no-doubt bomb into deep left.

I could not believe what had just happened. I felt like crying. Then I turned to look at my wife and my parents. They were hugging, shouting, smiling, my wife was actually jumping up and down. And for the first time since March 21, we felt joy again.

Jeter went on to go 5-for-5 and batted in the go-ahead and winning runs in a 5-4 thriller that will live on as one of his greatest games and one of the greatest moments in Yankees and baseball history. We did not think about strokes, blood clots, aphasia, rehab or anything else. Just pure joy to have been lucky enough to have been there. On the ride home it hit me.

Hell yes, we were hit-by-pitch. But now we’re on base, and we are dangerous runners. Anything can happen!

Associated Press photos

Below is the release from the Yankees about their 27 invitations to spring training, including 13 inked to minor-league deals. I always find these lists intriguing, checking out the former major-leaguers or prospects on them, pondering who might make the team and what impact the player will have. Dewayne Wise is a terrific defensive outfielder. If only he could hit. There are a couple of ex-Red Sox pitchers on there in Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima. Could Russell Branyan provide power off the bench, the kind of power he showed in an away uniform here? Wonder if Jorge Vazquez’s power could translate to the majors.

Who do you think can do something of substance and help the most this season at the major-league level among the veterans? Maybe Okajima. We’ll see.

OK, here’s the info, plus the player bios, courtesy of the Yankees:

The New York Yankees today announced that they have signed 13 players to minor league contracts with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, including INF Russell Branyan, RHP Manny Delcarmen, INF Bill Hall, LHP Hideki Okajima and OF Dewayne Wise. The club has also invited 14 additional players to 2012 Spring Training bringing the total number of invites to 27 (14 pitchers, five infielders, five catchers and three outfielders).  The total number of players now scheduled to report is 67.

Branyan, 37,  has played in 1,059 career games over parts of 14 Major League seasons with Cleveland (1998-2002, ‘10), Cincinnati (2002-03), Milwaukee (2004-05, ’08), Tampa Bay (2006), San Diego (2006-07), Philadelphia (2007), St. Louis (2007),  Seattle (2009, ‘10), Arizona (2011) and Los Angeles-AL (2011). He owns a career .232 (682-for-2,934) batting average with 143 doubles, 194 home runs and 467 RBI.  Entering the 2012 season, his 15.12 at-bat/home run ratio is the seventh best among active Major League players. Branyan is the only player in the history of the current Yankee Stadium to hit a home run off of the glass facing of the center field batter’s eye (7/2/09 with Seattle off Alfredo Aceves) and the first player to hit a home run into the upper deck (300 level) in the right-field stands (8/21/10 with Seattle off Javier Vazquez).  In 2011, he combined with Arizona and Los Angeles-AL to hit .197 (25-for-127) with seven doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI in 68 games. The Franklin, Tennessee native was originally selected by Cleveland in the seventh round of the 1994 First-Year Player Draft.

Delcarmen, 29, has appeared in 298 career games – all in relief – over parts of six seasons with Boston and Colorado, going 11-8 with a 3.97 ERA (292.2IP, 129ER). He is tied for eleventh all-time in Red Sox franchise history with 289 appearances and established a career-high with 73 appearances in 2008. In 2011, he combined with Triple-A Tacoma of the Seattle organization and Triple-A Round Rock of the Texas organization to go 3-2 with a 5.59 ERA (38.2IP, 24ER) in 26 relief appearances. Originally drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft, Delcarmen has made 11 career postseason appearances, including six during Boston’s 2007 World Series run. Over his career, is 4-1 with a 3.65 ERA (125.2IP, 51ER) in 131 relief appearances vs. the American League East division.

Hall, 32, owns a career .248 (825-for-3,325) batting average with 210 doubles, 124 home runs and 439 RBI in 1,047 games over parts of 10 seasons with Milwaukee (2002-09), Seattle (2009), Boston (2010), Houston (2011) and San Francisco (2011). He has made appearances at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions during his career. In 2011, he split the season between the Houston and San Francisco organizations, combining to bat .211 (39-for-185) with nine doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI in 62 games. Hall was originally selected by Milwaukee in the sixth round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft.

Okajima, 36, is 17-8 with six saves and a 3.11 ERA (246.1IP, 85ER) in 261 career games over parts of five seasons with Boston (2007-11). Has registered the sixth-most innings pitched among all lefthanded American League relievers since 2007. The 2007 All-Star and World Series champion owns a 2.11 ERA (21.1IP, 5ER) in 17 career postseason appearances. He made seven relief appearances with the Red Sox in 2011, going 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA (8.1IP, 4ER), but spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Pawtucket where he was 8-1 with a 2.29 ERA (51.0IP, 13ER). Over his Major League career, has limited lefthanded batters to a .218 (87-for-399) batting average with 98 strikeouts and eight home runs. Prior to his Major League career, played in 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional League (Japan).

Wise, 33, owns a .219 (180-for-821) career batting average with 32 doubles, 22 home runs and 82 RBI in 445 games over parts of nine seasons with Toronto (2000-02, ‘10-11), Atlanta (2004), Cincinnati (2006-07), Chicago-AL (2008-09) and Florida (2011). Overall, he appeared in 69 combined games at the Major League level in 2011 with the Marlins and Blue Jays. He has appeared in all three outfield positions during his Major League career, combining for a .988 fielding percentage (509 total chances/six errors).  Wise was originally selected by Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft.

LHP Manuel Banuelos, 20, combined to go 6-7 with a 3.75 ERA (129.2IP, 54ER) and 125 strikeouts in 27 starts with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, ranking third among all Yankees farmhands in strikeouts. He was named to the Eastern League’s midseason All-Star team, prior to his promotion to Scranton/WB on July 31. Following the season, he was tabbed by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in the Yankees organization, the sixth best prospect in the EL and the 12th-best prospect on MLB Network’s/MLB.com’s top 50 Prospects list. Banuelos earned the James P. Dawson Award from the New York Chapter of the BBWAA as the 2011 “Most Outstanding Rookie in Spring Training,” after going 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA in six games (two starts). The Monterrey, Mexico native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in 2008.

INF Doug Bernier, 31, played the entire 2011 season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .237 (69-for-291) with 13 doubles, four triples and 29 RBI in 95 games. Originally signed by Colorado as a non-drafted free agent in 2002, he owns a career .238 (645-for-2,711) minor league batting average with 114 doubles, 16 triples, 20 home runs and 268 RBI in 904 games in the Colorado (2002-08), Yankees (2009, ‘11) and Pittsburgh (2010) organizations. He made his Major League debut in 2008 with Colorado, appearing in two games and going 0-for-4 in his lone start at second base on June 19, 2008 vs. Cleveland.

RHP Daniel Burawa, 23, combined with Single-A Charleston and Single-A Tampa to go 5-4 with a 3.64 ERA (84.0IP, 34ER) in 39 appearances out of the bullpen in 2011. The St. John’s University product began the season with Charleston and was 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA (44.2IP, 18ER) in 19 relief appearances prior to being promoted to Tampa in late June. While with Tampa he went 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA (39.1IP, 16ER). Burawa was originally selected by the Yankees in the 12^th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

LHP Juan Cedeno, 28, has not pitched during the regular season in each of the last three seasons, appearing only in the Dominican Winter League. In 2011, he made 15 relief appearances with the Tigres de Licey and went 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA (8.2IP, 1ER). Originally signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent in 2001, he has combined to go 29-48 with a 4.70 ERA (681.2IP, 356ER) in 216 games (99 starts) in eight minor league seasons in the Boston (2002-04; ’05), Kansas City (2005-2007), Los Angeles-NL (2008) and Detroit (2008) organizations.

OF Colin Curtis, 27, did not play in 2011 due to a shoulder injury. He last saw Major League action in 2010, when he made his Major League debut, hitting .186 (11-for-59) with three doubles, one home run and 8 RBI in 31 games (nine starts in right-field, two in left-field and one at designated hitter) over two stints with the Yankees. In five minor league seasons in the Yankees organization, he has combined to hit .267 (494-for-1,850) with 32 home runs and 209 RBI in 497 games. Curtis was originally selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

RHP Matt Daley, 29, is 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA (80.1IP, 42ER) in 92 career Major League games with the Colorado Rockies (2009-11). He has spent the bulk of his career in the Rockies minor league system, combining to go 20-20 with a 3.80 ERA (378.2IP, 160ER) in 259 games. In 2011, he spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs, going 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA in 17 outings before being recalled to the Major League club in May. The New York-native appeared in seven games with the Rockies prior to undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery in August. Daley was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Colorado in June, 2004 out of Bucknell University.

OF Cole Garner, 27, owns a career .286 (639-for-2,236) batting average with 157 doubles, 28 triples, 76 home runs and 346 RBI in 601 combined minor league games in the Colorado organization. In 2011, he made his Major League debut with the Rockies and batted .222 (2-for-9) in four contests. Colorado’s 26^th round pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Garner spent the majority of last season with Triple-A Colorado Springs and hit .330 (61-for-185) with eight home runs and 35 RBI.

C Jose Gil, 25, has appeared in 506 career minor league games, all in the Yankees organization, hitting .240 (405-for-1,691) with 98 doubles, 34 home runs and 224 RBI over 8 seasons. In 2011, he combined to bat .253 (67-for-265) with six home runs and 35 RBI in 79 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Following the season, he played in 32 games with the Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan Winter League and batted .272 (22-for-81) with eight doubles, one home run and 10 RBI. The Barcelona, Venezuela native was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in 2003.

C Kyle Higashioka, 21, spent the first half of the 2011 season with Single-A Tampa, batting .238 (39-for-164) with 10 doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI, appearing in all but two games at catcher (two at designated hitter) and throwing out 21-of-60 (35.0%) potential base stealers. He was transferred to Single-A Charleston in June where he remained for the rest of the season, batting .223 (29-for-130) with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI in 36 games. Higashioka was the Yankees’ seventh round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. 

RHP Brett Marshall, 21, played the entire 2011 season with Single-A Tampa and went 9-7 with a 3.78 ERA (1401.IP, 59ER) in 27 games (26 starts). He made his third career relief appearance on July 21 at Bradenton and struck out eight batters in 5.0 scoreless innings. The Yankees’ sixth-round selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Marshall has played in four combined minor league seasons, going 16-15 with a 3.88 ERA (317.2IP, 137ER).

RHP Adam Miller, 27, has spent his entire professional career in the Cleveland minor league system, combining to go 33-30 with a 3.71 ERA (533.2IP, 220ER) in 135 games (94 starts). In 2011, he combined to make 31 relief appearances with Single-A Kinston and Double-A Akron, going 1-5 with a 5.93 ERA (44.0IP, 29ER) in his first action since May of 2008. Miller was originally selected by the Indians in Compensation Round A of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

C Gustavo Molina, 29, made the Yankees’ Opening Day Roster in 2011 and made three starts at catcher, batting .167 (1-for-6) with one double. He spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he hit .253 (41-for-162) with six doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI in 47 games. Following the season, he appeared in 42 games with the Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan Winter League and batted .256 (31-for-121) with seven doubles and 5 RBI. In 17 postseason games (16 starts at catcher) with the Caribes, he hit .295 (18-for-61) with six home runs and 17 RBI, ranking second in the league in slugging percentage (.639), tying for second in home runs and tying for third in RBI.  Molina has played in 26 career Major League games with Chicago-AL (2007), Baltimore (2007), New York-NL (2008), Boston (2010) and the Yankees (2011), making 11 starts at catcher.  The Venezuela native was originally signed by Chicago-AL as a non-drafted free agent on January 3, 2000.

C J.R. Murphy, 20, owns a career .274 (193-for-704) batting average with 46 doubles, 15 home runs and 107 RBI in 182 minor league games in the Yankees’ organization since 2009. In 2011, he combined at Single-A Charleston and Single-A Tampa to hit .287 (98-for-341) with 29 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBI in 86 games. He threw out a combined 23-of-72 (31.9%) potential base stealers. Murphy was the Yankees’ second round selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

INF Jayson Nix, 29, owns a career .207 (161-for-778) batting average with 33 doubles, 30 home runs and 84 RBI in 264 games over parts of four seasons with Colorado (2008), Chicago-AL (2009-10), Cleveland (2010) and Toronto (2011). In 2011, he made the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster and appeared in 46 games with the club, batting .169 (23-for-136) with four home runs and 16 RBI. In 41 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, he batted .270 (44-for-163) with eight home runs and 29 RBI. Nix was a member of the bronze-medal winning 2008 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team in Beijing, China and was originally selected by Colorado in Compensation Round A of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

LHP Mike O’Connor, 31, owns a 4-10 career record with a 5.30 ERA (120.2IP, 71ER) in 35 games (21 starts) at the Major League level over parts of three seasons with Washington (2006, ’08) and New York-NL (2011). He has spent the bulk of his career in the Nationals, Padres, Royals and Mets minor league systems, combining to go 50-52 with a 4.00 ERA (808.0IP, 359ER). In 2011, he spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Buffalo and went 5-5 with a 5.22 ERA (60.1IP, 35ER) in 39 relief appearances. In nine outings out of the bullpen with the Mets, he went 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA (6.2IP, 2ER, 8K), holding righthanded hitters to a .083 (1-for-12) batting average. O’Connor was originally selected by the Montreal Expos in the seventh round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

RHP Ryan Pope, 25, combined to go 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA (45.2IP, 26ER) in 40 combined relief appearances with Single-A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011.  Pope was selected by the Yankees in the third round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, becoming the first player ever drafted out of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

C Gary Sanchez, 19, batted .256 (77-for-301) with 49 runs, 16 doubles, 17 home runs and 52 RBI with Single-A Charleston in 2011. He led the RiverDogs in home runs, and ranked fourth overall among all Yankees farmhands. Following the season, he played with Escogido in the Dominican Winter League and hit .300 (6-for-20) in eight games. At the conclusion of the season, Baseball America listed him as the fourth-best prospect in the Yankees organization. Sanchez was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2009.

RHP Graham Stoneburner, 24, owns a career 10-13 record with a 3.03 ERA (234.1IP, 79ER) in 45 combined minor league games in the Yankees organization since 2009. In 2011, he combined at three different levels (GCL, Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton) to go 1-5 with a 4.04 ERA (91.1IP, 41ER) in 18 games (16 starts). While with the Thunder, he limited opposing batters to just 20 hits in 78 at-bats (.256 batting average). Stoneburner was originally selected by the Yankees in the 14^th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

INF Jorge Vazquez, 29, played in 118 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, batting .262 (119-for-455) with 32 home runs and 93 RBI. He ranked first in the International League in home runs, second in RBI and fourth in total bases (235), leading all Yankees farmhands in home runs and RBI. A member of the IL’s midseason and postseason All-Star teams, he became the first Yankee minor leaguer to be named to a postseason All-Star squad as a designated hitter since Shelley Duncan accomplished the feat in 2007. Following the season, he played in 56 games with the Tomateros de Culiacan of the Mexican Pacific League and hit .330 (70-for-212) with 18 home runs and 60 RBI. He led the league in RBI, ranked second in home runs, third in slugging percentage (.618) and fourth in batting average and total bases (131). Vazquez played for Team Mexico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, batting .294 (5-for-17) with one home run and five RBI in five games and was a 10-year veteran of the Mexican League prior to signing with the Yankees in December 2008.

RHP Adam Warren, 24, spent the entire 2011 campaign at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 6-8 with a 3.60 ERA (152.1IP, 61ER) in 27 starts. He recorded a career-high in innings pitched and ranked tenth in the International League in ERA. Prior to the halfway point of the year, he went 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA (104.1IP, 37ER) in 17 starts, earning a spot on the IL’s midseason All-Star team. Warren recorded victories in five of six decisions from May 12-June 20, going 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA (54.0IP, 15ER) in eight starts over the stretch, throwing 7.0IP or more and allowing 2ER or less in five of those appearances. The University of North Carolina graduate was originally selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

RHP Kevin Whelan, 28, spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, going 2-3 with 23 saves and a 2.75 ERA (52.1IP, 16ER) in 45 relief appearances.  He was named to the International League’s midseason All-Star team and converted 18 of 21 save opportunities with a 1.61 ERA (28.0IP, 5ER) prior to the halfway point of the year. He finished the season tied for second in the league in saves, holding opposing batters hitless in 21 of his 45 outings. Whelan was acquired by the Yankees with RHPs Humberto Sanchez and Anthony Claggett from Detroit in exchange for OF Gary Sheffield in November 2006.  He was originally drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

RHP Chase Whitley, 22, has appeared in 72 combined career minor league games (one start) with the Yankees since 2010, going 7-7 with a 2.17 ERA (128.1IP, 31ER). In 2011, he went 3-5 with seven saves and a 2.47 ERA (91.0IP, 25ER) in 42 combined games at Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. He made his first career start on August 24 at New Hampshire and recorded the loss, allowed 3ER in 2.0IP. Whitley was originally selected by the Yankees in the 15^th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Brian Heyman here for Chad today. The Yankees will give a couple of veterans a chance to make the team out of spring training. They will bring in Russell Branyan and Bill Hall on minor-league deals.

Branyan is 36, a lefty bat. The corner infielder/DH hit .197 in 68 games with the D-backs and Angels last season. But he has a good track record of power hitting in the Bronx.

Hall is 32, could be a utilityman. He hit .211 for the Astros and Giants last season.

Our next Pinch Hitter is familiar to the series. Jesse Rosenthal grew up as a Yankees fan living in Massachusetts. “Since I needed something to keep me busy in the off-season,” he wrote. “I started following football and became a Patriots fan. People just don’t get that, but what can I do?” Jesse has lived in several countries, and currently calls Hong Kong home. He’s looking forward to celebrating his 30th birthday in April watching the Yankees and Red Sox.

For now, Jesse is looking back. For his post, Jesse took a look at last season’s unique finale: The last day of the regular season that seemed to decide everything.

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When seasons end, as they invariably do, what stays with you most?

Despite being engaged in every minor detail throughout the season, when it’s all said and done, my brain is only large enough to retain a few key events. Maybe it’s a milestone, a breakout season, or even a world championship. Most of the memories fade quickly and with little fanfare, but a small number remain. And these firmly entrenched memories – for better or worse – tend to define a season for me many years later.

The ’96 season conjures memories of Jeffrey Maier’s catch and Jim Leyritz’s homerun. When I think of the ‘04 season, as painful as it is, I can’t help but remember that one fateful stolen base by Dave Roberts. The ‘09 season reminds me of Andy Pettitte’s three series-clinching wins in the postseason, culminating in a World Series championship.

Now that we are removed from the 2011 season, there are two events in particular that I believe will define the season for me years from now. The first is pretty obvious – Jeter’s five-hit game in which he also clubbed his 3,000th hit. This is one of those stories that will be passed down from generation to generation, when parents attempt to describe the greatness of Derek Jeter. The other event didn’t really impact the Yankees’ season, but to me it is as unforgettable as it was improbable: the Red Sox collapse, and in particular, the last day of the regular season.

A week before the end of the regular season, I was in Boston (my hometown) for a friend’s wedding. Fans spoke with confidence about how the Sox would “at least win the wild card.”

As the final week progressed, the Yankees locked up their playoff spot with a division title. The Sox, on the other hand, seemed overmatched almost every night, as if they knew something bad would happen when the stepped on the field. And yet on that final day, it was still an improbability that the Sox would not win the wild card. Only with a Sox loss and a Yankees loss would the Rays slip in for the wild card.

To me the final Red Sox game was, in many ways, a microcosm of their entire 2011 season: High hopes at the starts, bumpy points along the way, seemingly very strong mid-way through, and utter collapse at the end. Late in their 162nd game, there was no semblance of team unity. High-prized free agents were stumbling in their attempt to win over frustrated fans, and veterans who had succeeded in similar situations in the past simply looked dumbfounded.

I’m a firm believer that as fans, we should have some understanding of history, but what matters most is what we experience firsthand. As a Yankees fan growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I never harbored the same hatred for the Red Sox that Sox fans had for the Yankees. Sure, I always rooted against the Sox, just as I rooted against the Blue Jays and Orioles. But seriously, what had they done to deserve my hatred, besides being in the same division? In my lifetime, they had never won the World Series. I was too young in ’86 for that season to leave a mark on me.

And then 2004 happened, and my world was turned upside down. Finally, Yankee fans of my generation had a valid reason to hate the Sox.

In that vein, it was with much satisfaction that I sat back on September 28th and watched the Yankees — many of whom were September call-ups — blow a seven-run lead. You can disagree all you want, but I actually cheered as Dan Johnson (of all people) connected off Scott Proctor on a line drive that barely cleared the right field wall with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Yes, the Yankees lost the 2011 ALDS in a series that they should have won. And yes, that stung a bit. But years from now, when I think back on the 2011 season, I’ll see Jeter reaching down for a David Price curveball, Carl Crawford diving awkwardly and failing to make a critical catch, and Evan Longoria rounding the bases and charging towards home. It is moments like these that make baseball so compelling.

We have no way of knowing what 2012 will provide for our memory banks, but one thing I’m sure of is that I’ll be watching all 162 games.

Associated Press photo

Our next Pinch Hitter is 31-year-old Robert Tusso, who grew up a diehard Yankees fan in Chatham, N.J., but spent the past nine years living in Flagstaff, AZ. Robert works as a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. He studies the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, which means frequent raft trips lasting weeks at a time. “But thanks to satellite radio,” he wrote, “John & Suzyn are with me through every rapid.”

For his post, Robert considered the idea of expanded instant replay in baseball and what that might mean for a game that doesn’t always begin and end at convenient moments.

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When baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement was announced in November, most news stories mentioned, in one sentence or less, that instant replay would be expanded to fair/foul calls and “trap” catches. It was almost like a Bridge-to-Nowhere rider on a larger congressional spending bill, snuck in with very little detail. This wasn’t done by accident; baseball is a very tricky game to apply instant replay to, and lots of problematic details need to be ironed out. While most fans would like to see its use expanded, I think that it’ll actually end up being quite limited.

The main problem with reversing calls in baseball is that a play often doesn’t end with an umpire’s ruling; it often continues with the actions taken by every player on the field chosen directly in response to that umpire’s split-second decision. Not every play ends as cleanly as when Jim Joyce denied Armando Galarraga a perfect game by erroneously calling the Indians’ batter safe at first base. Consider the following hypothetical situation from a world with instant replay:

Bottom of the ninth, one out, Granderson at bat with the Yankees down by two. Gardner is on third, Jeter on first. Granderson hits a soft, sinking liner to left. Ellsbury dives, and appears to have trapped it, but the umpire rules “catch.” Gardner tries to tag and score. He collides with Varitek just as the throw gets there. The ump calls “safe” because, from his angle, it didn’t look like Varitek got his glove on Gardner. With Varitek down in a heap, Jeter breaks for third. Varitek throws to Youkilis, who misses the swipe tag on Jeter but gets the call anyway because the ump was out of position. Ballgame over. Or is it?

Girardi bursts from the dugout, demanding a review of the play at third. He is granted one, and the video clearly shows that Jeter was safe. So he is granted third base with two outs. Then Francona bursts from the dugout and demands a review of the play at home. Turns out Varitek did in fact tag Gardner for the third out. Ballgame over. Or is it? Girardi bursts from the dugout and wants a review of Ellsbury’s catch in right field. The video shows it was clearly a trap.

So now what happens now? A provision would have to be in place for awarding runners bases on an overturned trap play (like on a grounds rule double), because not doing so would mean Jeter and Granderson both on first. Say it’s one base; does Gardner automatically score, even though there was an actual play resulting in him being out at home? The rule could be that only forced runners get to advance. But what if Gardner had actually been safe at home, and Girardi opted to not challenge the trap call? Could the Red Sox challenge it, taking an out off the board but pinning Gardner at third? What a mess.

If that situation seems too far-fetched, how about a different situation that actually happened (and prompted calls for instant replay): The play where Jeter “faked” getting hit by a pitch. The one critical (and largely unnoticed) part of that play is that the ball hit off the knob of his bat and went fair. So in taking away the hit by pitch, you couldn’t just rule it a foul ball (and a strike). It would have to be a hit or an out. But neither of those would be right, because the umpire called time before the ball was fielded. And you can’t call “do-over” as if the play never occurred. Sports that employ instant replay just don’t do that. A ruling on a certain play might get overturned, but the play always counts. Are there instances in sports where instant replay grants a “do-over?” I can’t think of any.

There is yet another negative effect of having replay for safe/out calls on the bases: It would mean the end of the “phantom double play.” Managers may abstain from challenging for a while, but eventually it’ll make the difference between a win or a loss, and it will be challenged. And going forward, umpires will have to call it straight. And injuries will skyrocket.

Sure these are oddball scenarios, but with 32 teams playing 162 games a year, crazy stuff is going to happen. And the rules need to be watertight. While the point of instant replay is to enhance the integrity of the game, there are situations where it could end up making the game a complete farce (like pretty much any time there are runners on base). We may have the technology to see if a call was correct or not, but because of the way baseball is played, we may not be able to make much use of it.

Instant replay may not quite be a Bridge-to-Nowhere, but I’m not sure we want to see where it could lead.

Associated Press photo

Up next in our Pinch Hitter series is Ed Conde, the head of the federal government’s Alcohol Countermeasures Laboratory in Cambridge, MA. He was born in the Bronx and grew up in New York, so that explains his Yankees ties while working just outside of Boston.

For his post, Ed took a look at past prospects who have been considered truly elite. Do the game’s top prospects truly become the game’s top players?

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Many baseball fans eagerly await the publication of the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list to see how their team’s prospects stack up against the best. I decided to research and answer the following questions:

1) What is the best way to obtain elite prospects?
2) Do the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects lists accurately predict major league success?
3) How well have the Yankees obtained and developed elite prospects?

I took the ten highest rated prospects from each of the 22 annual Baseball America Top 100 Prospects lists. I then eliminated duplications where athletes appeared more that once and ended up with 163 elite prospects (60 pitchers and 103 hitters). I then used information and data from “Baseball Reference” to analyze these players.

I wondered how many of these elite prospects actually end up having successful careers. To measure this, I arbitrarily defined a successful career to be one where a player achieves average production for 10 years. According to Baseball Reference, 2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is the average for a “regular” starting ballplayer. Therefore 2 WAR per year times 10 years give 20 career WAR. Current hitters with about 20 career WAR are Adam Kennedy, Mark Kotsay, and Aaron Rowland. Do most elite hitting prospects reach 20 WAR? Current pitchers with about 20 WAR are Bronson Arroyo, Doug Davis, and Jeremy Guthrie. Do most elite pitching prospects reach this level?

How do teams obtain elite “Baseball America” prospects?
Of the 163 elite BA prospects, 90 (55%) were drafted in the first round, 33 (20%) were drafted in later rounds, and 40 (25%) were signed as international free agents. Of the 60 elite pitchers, 31 (52%) were drafted in the first round, 16 (27%) in subsequent rounds, and 13 (22%) were signed internationally. For the 103 elite hitting prospects, 59 (57%) were drafted in the first round, 17 (17%) in subsequent rounds, and 26 (26%) were signed as international free agents.

Clearly, the best way to get elite BA prospects is select them in the first round of the amateur draft. Historically this has been true for both pitchers and hitters.

Do most Baseball America elite prospects have successful careers?
How many of these elite BA prospects actually go on to have successful Major League careers (20 WAR)? What percentage of these elite prospects actually become the next Mark Kotsay or the next Jeremy Guthrie and reach 20 career WAR? Fifty percent? Seventy five percent?

Would you believe that only 10 of the 60 (16.6%) elite pitchers and 36 out of the 103 (35%) elite hitting prospects have reached 20 WAR? Only three young pitchers (Clayton Kershaw 16.9 WAR, Edwin Jackson 10.7, and David Price 10.4) and three young hitters (Prince Fielder 19.6 WAR, BJ Upton 16.7, and Justin Upton 11.0) are more than 1/2 way to 20 WAR and likely to reach it. Clearly fan’s expectations for these young players are unrealistic.

Were most successful Major League players once elite BA prospects?
I looked at the 20 best active pitchers and the 20 best active hitters (using career WAR) to see if most were once elite BA prospects.
Eleven of the 20 (55%) best active hitters were once BA elite prospects. Baseball America hit on over 50% of these projections — impressive. However, only three of 20 (15% – Sabathia, Felix, and Beckett) of the best active pitchers were once BA elite prospects! Pitchers like Roy Halladay, Mariano Rivera, Johan Santana, Roy Oswalt, and Cliff Lee never attained top 10 status.

Pitcher’s appear to be much more difficult to project. Top pitchers are often not first round draft picks. Of the top 20 active pitchers in career WAR, only six were first-round draft picks. Eight of the 20 were drafted in later rounds and six were international free agents.

Good major league pitchers often develop from lesser prospects. Conversely, many great pitching prospects fail. Since pitchers are hard to project and seem to develop slowly, teams should obtain as many good pitching prospects as possible and wait patiently for them to develop.

How well do the Yankees obtain and develop young talent?
There have been 163 different elite BA prospects (60 pitchers and 103 hitters) spread over 30 teams. This equates to 5.43 elite BA players per team (2.00 pitchers and 3.43 hitters.)

The good news is that the Yankees have obtained and developed 10 elite BA prospects — second only to the Atlanta Braves (11). No team has had more elite BA pitchers than the Yankees: (4 – Brien Taylor, Jose Contreras, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain). Only Atlanta, Toronto, and the Dodgers have also produced four.

The bad news is that the Yankees have been terrible at turning elite BA prospects into successful major leaguers. The Yankees are dead last among teams that have had five or more elite BA prospects. Derek Jeter is the only elite Yankees prospect who has reached 20 career WAR. Not a single elite Yankees pitching prospect has reached 20 WAR during the 22 years that “Baseball America” has created the lists.

The silver lining has been that the Yankees have had great success turning lesser prospects into successful players. Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ivan Nova have far exceeded expectations.

The Yankees have been great at obtaining elite young talent. The lower levels of their minor league system is often brimming with talent. The next step is turning that elite talent into good major league ballplayers. If they better develop their elite prospects and continue to find hidden gems, then the future is bright.

Go Yankees!

Let’s face it, folks. Not too many people are thinking about baseball tonight. The Super Bowl is the Super Bowl, so unless the Yankees trade away Derek Jeter, they’re probably not getting the headlines tomorrow morning.

Speaking of tomorrow, I’m supposed to take one week off before spring training, so that’ll be starting tomorrow. The Pinch Hitters series will keep running in the mornings, and our friends at The Journal News will be filling in as necessary.

I’ll see you all again for that last week leading into spring training. Maybe we’ll all have some more answers by then. Until then, the a look back at the past week in review.

• Mark Teixeira said he’s focused on getting more base hits left-handed this season, even if that means laying down a few bunts. Not something you hear very often from a middle-of-the-order power hitter.

• Joe Girardi publicly stated that he’d like the Yankees to add a left-handed hitter, specifically discussing Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Raul Ibanez. It’s clear that the Yankees have the space and the desire to add a hitter (or two) but the team seems to be once again staying patient.

• Brian Cashman’s personal life became very public this week, with a woman arrested for stalking the Yankees general manager, then news that Cashman’s wife filed for divorce.

• Kevin Whelan cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was DFA to make room for Hiroki Kuroda on the 40-man roster.

• The Yankees signed former Cubs general manger Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout, and also announced a series of front office promotions, including title bumps for Billy Eppler and Jean Afterman.

• Former Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen agreed to a minor league deal with the Yankees. He looks like little more than pitching depth at this point, probably a call-up candidate should the Yankees need some middle-inning help.

• There was a report that the Yankees were in “serious talks” with utility man Bill Hall.

• Edwin Jackson finally came off the market, as did Casey Kotchman. The free agent market is getting thinner and thinner with pitchers and catchers reporting in two weeks.

Associated Press photos

This morning, Stanford Williams’ gave us a Pinch Hitter post about all of the things he’s learned from the Yankees. As a follow-up, here are some of the things I still haven’t learned about the Yankees heading into next season.

Pitchers and catchers report in exactly two weeks, and these questions still stand.

Who’s going to get the DH at-bats?
Alex Rodriguez will get some of them. Derek Jeter will get a handful. Andruw Jones could handle the job against lefties. But here were sit, this close to spring training, and we still don’t know who the Yankees regular designated hitter will be. The free agent market offers several veteran options, and we know Brian Cashman is exploring the trade market, but right now it’s a complete mystery. Could Chris Dickerson get some at-bats against right-handers? Could Jorge Vazquez get a chance to bring his all-or-nothing bat to the big leagues? Surely the Yankees will find someone, but who?

How do seven fit into five?
CC Sabathia is the Opening Day starter. We know that much. We know Hiroki Kuroda didn’t sign a $10-million deal to pitch out of the bullpen, we know the Yankees didn’t trade away Jesus Montero to get a Triple-A pitcher, and we know Ivan Nova was dominant last year’s second half. But we don’t know exactly how this Yankees rotation is going to shake out. In fact, the fifth starter favorite changes with each person you ask. Phil Hughes has the potential, A.J. Burnett has the contract and Freddy Garcia has the proof of a strong 2011 season.

What’s the plan for Alex Rodriguez?
He says he’s healthy, and the Yankees say he’s healthy, but after a series of injuries in recent years, exactly how much time with Rodriguez spend at third base? And if the Yankees need someone to give him a break now and then — once a week, let’s say — who’s going to fill that time? We know Eric Chavez is still out there, but Eduardo Nunez also had a solid debut (though obviously marked with some inconsistencies).

How far away is Joba Chamberlain?
Every indication is that Chamberlain’s recovery from Tommy John surgery is going as well as possible, but what does that mean? It surely doesn’t mean he’ll be ready for Opening Day, but is May a possibility? June? July? How conservative will the Yankees be, and what will Chamberlain’s stuff look like when he’s back in a game situation?

Should we expect surprises?
Maybe the question should be, what counts as a surprise? Should we be surprised if Robinson Cano is batting third in that first Grapefruit League game? Is it a lock that Derek Jeter will be the leadoff hitter? Is there any chance Rafael Soriano will step back into the eighth inning ahead of Dave Robertson? Joe Girardi is a man who sticks to his guns, but what are those guns — I mean, binders — telling him this year?

Associated Press photo

Our next Pinch Hitter, Sanford Williams, is a 44-year-old Yankees fan who has been married to his wife Anastasia for 23 years. He calls her “an incredible woman,” and the two have three children. One is a student at the University of Virginia Law School, one is an undergraduate at UVA, and the youngest is a middle school student. Sanford was born and raised in New Jersey, went to college at Cornell, lived for a while in the Bronx – where Anastasia was born and raised – and eventually settled in Virginia.

For his post, Sanford looked back at more than four decades spent following the Yankees for a post he calls: What I have learned from the New York Yankees.

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I love sports. I love playing them and watching them, and, like most people I have my favorites. I root for my alma maters, Cornell University and the University of Virginia, in every sport, and I cheer for the Giants (Go Big Blue). Two teams I have rooted for as long as I can remember are the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team and the New York Yankees.

My love of the Yankees was passed down to me from my Dad. He loved and still follows the Yankees, but my cousin Denise and took it to another level. Neither of us named our kids Babe, Moose or Scooter — I know she was tempted to name her kid Louisiana Lightning — but we collected cards, bought yearbooks and went to as many games as we could.

My Dad was born and raised in New Jersey surrounded by Brooklyn Dodger fans. The Dodgers were heroes to many Black Americans because they integrated baseball when Jackie Robinson joined in 1947. Growing up, as an African American in a predominately African American neighborhood, my Dad was an anomaly. He truly appreciated the history of Jackie Robinson, but he liked the Yankees. He liked Elston Howard, but his favorite player was Mickey Mantle. My Dad told me he was a switch hitter who had a unique combination of power and speed.

The teasing of my Dad’s neighbors, friends and classmates only fortified his love for the Yankees, and that was the first lesson I learned from the team (albeit indirectly). It’s OK to like what you like. Or as kids say today, “do you.” Don’t worry about doing what’s popular.

The Yankees have taught me patience. I remember running around the house when I was 9 years old because Chris Chambliss hit a home run to win the pennant in 1976. The Yankees lost the World Series that year, but they won the next two, and I thought this is great. My team would win every year, but it took 18 years for the Yankees to win their next World Series.

I learned how to walk from Mickey Rivers. Not really. The dude could fly like the wind, but I think he walked slower than my 90-year-old grandma walks today. I loved watching him play though.

I learned about loyalty from Phil Rizzuto. Mr. Rizzuto lived in the town I grew up in. I did not know him personally, but everyone that knew him said he was a great guy who was loyal to the Yankees.

I learned about acting with class and dignity from watching many players. Paul Blair, Roy White, Jim Kaat, Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada, Dave Winfield, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Bobby Murcer, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, David Robertson, Gene Monahan (I know he’s not a player, but he seems like a cool guy and he was in the dugout just about my entire life) and Mariano Rivera are just a few to come to mind. I don’t know any of these men off the field, but as a child growing up who listened to the games, read the Sporting News and Baseball Digest, watched This Week in Baseball and Kiners Korner, and caught 1010 WINS to hear the latest news, and being an adult fan today who tries to catch at least a part of every game, these are some of the players who struck me as acting the way I would want to act if I played baseball.

I learned about tragedy, love and friendship after the death of Thurman Munson. I will never forget the shock that I felt as a kid that a real live Yankee could be here one day and gone the next. And I will never forget Bobby Murcer’s performance in the first game after Munson’s funeral.

I learned there are things you can’t rationally explain. Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner’s relationship. Why Giambi didn’t slide. Why Jeter was in position to throw him out. Luis Tiant’s pitching delivery. Why my afro never looked as cool as Oscar Gamble’s. Why my kids and my wife can hear the entire roll call and all they remember is “Der-ek Jeter.” Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter. Dave Righetti’s no-hitter. Jim Abbott’s no-hitter. David Wells. David Cone’ no-hitter. Why the Yankees have 5 no hitters in the last 50 years and the Mets have none. Why I stay up until 1:30 in the morning on a weekday watching a game against Seattle (or any other west coast team) when I know I have to go to work the next day.

I learned to love listening to baseball on the radio from Frank Messer, Bill White and Phil Rizzuto.

I learned that pitching is the key to the kingdom.I guess that means Jesus is the kingdom and Pineda was the key. I don’t want to get struck by lightning, so no jokes here.

I learned that you have to give something to get something (see Montero-Pineda). Its kind of like Rumplestiltskin says on that TV show I — I mean, my kids — watch called Once Upon a Time: “When you use magic, it always comes with a price.”

I learned that looks can be deceiving from Ron Guidry and Mariano Rivera. Neither man looks to be an imposing physical specimen, but what Guidry did in 1978 and what Rivera has done for his career are astounding.

I learned about miracles from Bucky Dent’s home run in Fenway, Aaron Boone’s home run in New York and Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in one game. I could not believe what I was seeing when I saw each of those events, and I will never forget them either.

I learned that sports can transform a community and championships aren’t everything. I will never forget the run in 2001. Of course I wish the Yankees won that World Series, but the tenacity they showed will not be forgotten by anyone who watched those games.

I learned that winning is fun and it never gets old. I can recite 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009 in my sleep.

I learned that Yankee fans are everywhere. I have seen Yankee caps in many places including Haiti (shortly after the earthquake), Italy, England, France, South Africa (and even here in Virginia). It’s always a pleasant surprise to see a Yankees cap when far away from home, and it shows just how far flung Yankees Universe really is.

I could go on and on, but you would all stop reading and Chad would not be happy. So, I will end with this. The Yankees have taught me many things, but the most important lesson I have learned in my life as a Yankee fan is to weather the ups and downs and enjoy the ride.

And I intend to enjoy the ride this year and every year I am fortunate enough to be around.

Associated Press photo

February 19
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Joe Girardi addresses the media in his pre-camp press conference.

February 20
First official workout for pitchers and catchers.

February 25
First full-squad workout with position players.

February 27
Spring training photo day. Players love this.

March 2
First exhibition game vs. the University of South Florida at Steinbrenner Field.

March 3
Grapefruit League opener vs. Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.