The New York Yankees 2005 Chatter

[Dave IS VH]

Fuck the Yankees!!!, some how they are going to back into the playoffs and into the WS, because baseball wants them to win!!

[Bob_R]

Originally posted by Dave IS VH
Fuck the Yankees!!!, some how they are going to back into the playoffs and into the WS, because baseball wants them to win!!

Yeah, that's it exactly.

How in God's name did you figure it out? What gave it away?

[Bob_R]

Boston comes to town with a 4 game lead for a weekend series. I'd like to see the Yanks sweep to move within a game of first. A Boston sweep would kill the Yanks chances for 1st place IMO. Either team taking 2 of 3 would increase or decrease the lead by one game depending on who you're rooting for.

[Bob_R]

Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad. I'd have preferred a sweep though. So, it's a 3 game lead with 21 to play. The Yanks can win the division, wild card or not make it at all for the first time since '93.

[Bob_R]

Yankees approach ticket-sales record

The New York Yankees have already sold more than 4,000,000 tickets for the 2005 regular season-establishing a franchise record-and are now approaching the Toronto Blue Jays' American-League record of 4,057,947 tickets sold in 1993. To date, the Yankees have sold approximately 4,038,000 tickets-an increase of more than 236,000 tickets sold at this point in 2004.

"Our fans continue to overwhelm us with their support and demonstrate why they are the best fans in the world," said Yankees COO Lonn Trost. "Our goal as an organization starts and ends with the fans. Mr. Steinbrenner continues to provide the fans with an exciting team and they recognize his commitment to winning."

In 2004, the Yankees established an all-time franchise record with a paid attendance of 3,775,292. This season, through the first 68 games played at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees lead the Major Leagues in total home attendance (3,410,319) and average home attendance (50,152). They have hosted 38 sellouts at Yankee Stadium this season, including 22 straight from June 24-August 14. The Yankees have now drawn three-million fans to Yankee Stadium in each of the last seven seasons (since 1999).

[Bob_R]

Yanks are leading 17-2 in the sixth.

Boston trailing 8-3 in the seventh.

Life is good.

[Bob_R]

What debate? A-Rod is MVP, hands down


I can't listen to the sports call-in shows when they accept nonsensical calls about this year's MVP award in the American League. It's clear that Alex Rodriguez should be an easy choice.

Even respected scribes, like USA Today's Hal Bodley gets it wrong. He wrote Friday, "David Ortiz should be the American League MVP. Period ... The point here is that there should be no discrimination among Baseball Writers' Association of America voters against a designated hitter."

Alex Rodriguez has been consistently good for the Yankees all season long.

I don't mean to smear "Big Papi," but Alex Rodriguez is a better fielder than Mr. Ortiz, who rarely fields. Rodriguez is a better runner than Ortiz, who rarely runs. Rodriguez plays a more demanding defensive position, has been leading or close to the league lead in batting average, home runs, runs scored, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and on-base average.

Rodriguez is right-handed in a ballpark that is not conducive to hitting home runs from the right side of the plate.

He's hit 42 home runs, which is tied for Ortiz for the league lead. He's hit 24 of them at the House that Ruth Built.

He has gotten big hits against the Red Sox this year, and just as important, he has gotten big hits against the Orioles and Devil Rays, and everyone else. Every game has become important for New York, as they battle for the division and/or a wild-card spot.

Yankee Stadium is a place that takes numbers from Rodriquez.

How valuable can Rodriguez be? He plays every day, and produces every day. In a year when the Yankees were forced to start 14 different pitchers — most of whom were no more effective than the Rangers pitchers when A-Rod played in Texas — it was up to the offense to keep the Yanks in contention.

Jason Giambi needed two or three months before his comeback season began in earnest. Hideki Matsui had a midseason slump. Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada had off years.

When the Yankees needed Rodriguez, he was there. A designated hitter cannot be as valuable as Rodriguez, who plays every inning of every game.

Especially when Rodriguez has basically the same power numbers.

In the last 10 years, no one in baseball has more extra base hits than Alex Rodriguez. He has almost 800 extra-base hits since 1996.

No one has scored more runs in baseball over the last 10 years.

Only one player — Sammy Sosa — has hit more home runs since 1996. Sosa has 454, and Rodriguez 418.

In the last 10 years, Rodriguez has averaged 42 home runs and 120 RBIs, and 121 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases per season.

Rodriguez had surpassed all but Honus Wagner as the greatest shortstop of all time. He moved to the Yankees, and deferred to Jeter and began playing third base.

He's now quite possibly the greatest third baseman ever.

If it's not A-Rod, it's Mike Schmidt.

Schmidt had exactly one season that matches up with A-Rod's 2004 season. In that 1980 season, Schmidt led the league in home runs (48, a record for third basemen), led the league with 121 RBIs, was fourth in the league with a .380 on-base average, and was second in the NL with 104 runs scored.

Schmidt won a Gold Glove in 1980 (one of 10 in his career) but still committed a career-high 27 errors. Rodriguez this season, has just 11 errors.

How many years besides 1980 did Schmidt hit more than 40 home runs? Just one, when he hit 45 in 1979.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, has averaged 42 home runs over a 10-year stretch. He has hit more than 40 on seven different seasons (42, 42, 41, 52, 57, 47, 42).

Tiger Woods reaches 30 years old in 2005, and is more than halfway to Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 major championships. No one has trouble calling Tiger the greatest golfer of all time, despite being just over halfway there.

Alex Rodriguez reaches 30 years old in 2005, and people are trying to compare him to David Ortiz? Ortiz was also born in 1975, and has 251 less home runs than Rodriguez in their careers.

And if Ortiz isn't hitting home runs in Fenway, he may as well be singing Sweet Caroline with the fans.

Rodriguez is closing in on the record for most home runs by a third baseman in a single season (48 by Schmidt and Adrian Beltre). He's also walked almost 100 times, and is leading the American League in OPS (on-base average plus slugging).

Ortiz isn't even second on my ballot. I'd put Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels behind Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is the Peyton Manning of his sport, taking a giant piece of the team pie payroll. Can you win in baseball or football without the highest-paid, best athlete on your roster?

Of course, you can. The Patriots prove that. The recent wild-card winners in baseball prove that.

But, there is no more valuable — or better player — than Alex Rodriguez.

After a decade of service, he shouldn't have to prove that to anyone.

[Bob_R]

1/2 game out of first!

[Bob_R]

Well the Yanks and the BoSox won last night so the lead is still a 1/2 game. Cleveland finally lost so the Yanks are a 1/2 game behind them for the wildcard.

[Bob_R]

First place Yankees!!!!

[Bob_R]

Great day at the Stadium with the family yesterday! Very loud racous crowd. When Rivera came into the game the crowd went crazy. I guess he's as close to automatic as you can get.


NEW YORK (AP) - Bernie Williams got an afternoon full of ovations, a reward for 15 years of thrills he's given fans at Yankee Stadium.

Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang got to dress up as cheerleaders, a reminder that even though the pair starred in a critical win, they're still rookies.

Cano hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, Gary Sheffield added a three-run shot in the eighth and Wang got another big victory, leading the Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 Sunday in New York's final scheduled home game of the regular season.

"This was a game that we had to win," Williams said after perhaps his last game with New York in Yankee Stadium.

On the 37th anniversary of Mickey Mantle's Yankee Stadium finale, Cano and Wang did their best to get Williams a few more games in pinstripes and kept New York tied with Boston atop the AL East at 91-64 with a week to go.

Then they found some flamboyant attire at their lockers for the start of the final trip, a rookie hazing ritual.

As Donna Summer's "Last Dance" played over the sound system in the clubhouse, Cano and Wang put on navy cheerleader outfits, with Yankees written on the fronts and "Robbie" and "Wanger" on the backs. They giggled as they wore metallic headbands, carried silver pompoms and posed for photos in manager Joe Torre's office. Then they went upstairs to sign autographs for fans before boarding buses.

Williams was far more dignified, sartorially splendid in a gray suit, blue dress shirt and multicolored tie.

"I can see they love Bernie here," Cano said.

A fan favorite since he came up to the Yankees in 1991, Williams repeatedly was applauded on the overcast afternoon by the sellout crowd of 55,136, which raised New York's home total to an AL record 4,090,696. The 37-year-old center fielder, whose production has declined the past three years, can become a free agent after the season.

On the facing of the second deck was a large sign: "BOSS: BRING BERNIE BACK." Fans in the right-field bleachers gave him a standing ovation as the game began, starting their roll call with a repeated chant of "Bernie! Bernie!" until he raised his right hand in acknowledgment.

"We're hoping there's more Bernie Williams at Yankee Stadium because we're hoping we're still playing in 10 days or so," Torre said.

Williams went 1-for-4 with an infield single. When the Yankees began the bottom of the eighth, fans chanted his name, reminiscent of their tribute to Paul O'Neill during Game 5 of the 2001 World Series. Sitting in the dugout, Williams wasn't sure what to do and turned to Torre for advice before walking up the steps for a curtain call.

"I was trying to make sure I was within protocol within the team, and trying not to disturb anybody," Williams said. "They were not going to stop, so I sort of looked at Joe and said, 'Can I do this?' and he said, 'Yes.' It was a great moment, and I appreciate it a lot."

New York, which won for the 12th time in 14 games, headed to Baltimore for a four-game series starting Monday night a half-game behind Cleveland in the wild-card race. After playing at Camden Yards, the Yankees close the season with three games at Fenway Park.

"My future is going to be determined in a great way on how we finish this year," Williams said. "So I've got to take care of the present now, and hopefully the future will take care of itself."

New York trailed 3-1 against Josh Towers (12-12) before getting four straight singles in the sixth. The Yankees managed only one run, on Derek Jeter's RBI single, because Cano was thrown out trying to go from first to third on Williams' infield hit, not realizing the ball had been knocked down by second baseman Aaron Hill.

Jorge Posada singled on the first pitch of the seventh and two pitches later Cano reached outside for a curveball and hooked it over the right-field wall for his 14th homer.

"He could be the Rookie of the Year," Towers said. "He should be here a long time."

Cano was not trying to atone for his miscue.

"It came from my dad," he said of his attitude. "He used to say, 'If you make a mistake, don't let it happen again, and keep your head up."'

Wang (8-4) allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings to help New York rebound from Saturday's 7-4 loss, which wiped out the one-game lead the Yankees had held for three nights. He is on track to start Friday's series opener at Boston.

"He's good," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "He's got a good arm, and he's got that funky fastball."

After Russ Adams doubled off Tom Gordon in the eighth, Mariano Rivera came on with two outs, walked Vernon Wells, then struck out Corey Koskie. Sheffield homered off Vinnie Chulk in the bottom half, Bubba Crosby added an RBI single, and Rivera finished for his 42nd save in 46 chances, allowing an RBI single to Hill.

"We need to go out and win all the games, as Boston does," Torre said. "A week from today, the smoke clears. Hopefully, we're standing tall."


Notes

The crowd of 55,136 was New York's 43rd sellout and raised the Yankees' home attendance to an AL record 4,090,696 for 81 dates, topping the 4,057,947 drawn by the Blue Jays in 1993. The major league record of 4,483,350 was set by Colorado in 1993, the Rockies' first season.

[ace diamond]

fuck the boston red sox!!!

go yankees.win the 2005 world series!!!

[Dave's PA Rental]

Originally posted by EVH FANATIC
Great day at the Stadium with the family yesterday! Very loud racous crowd. When Rivera came into the game the crowd went crazy. I guess he's as close to automatic as you can get.

...except for that bumpy start to the season

glad you had a good time at the ballgame...

This is some sick shit, huh? Down to the m-fing wire.

I will be at Fenway for all three games this weekend...

[Dave's PA Rental]

Originally posted by ace diamond
fuck the boston red sox!!!

go yankees.win the 2005 world series!!!

ace diamond...making Yankee fans look like retards since...uh...how old are you?...

[Bob_R]

Yanks win. Boston loses. Yanks in first by a game with 4 to play.

Cleveland loses and ChiSox win.

Cleveland and Boston tied for the wildcard.