It's too hot and I'm too tired to think of a title today.

Saturday, July 30, 2006
Home Game 52
Yankees 4 Devil Rays 2
Subway Race Winner: B train
Cap Game: WW



I woke up late today and didn't leave for the game until about 11:45. Not a good thing. Even though it was only the Devil Rays there was still a packed house of 54,000. By the time I got to my seat it was the bottom of the first. At least I didn't miss much.

It seems like we've had clear skies for every Sunday game this year. Although they haven't all been this hot. Being as that I was late I didn't have time to get my usual 2 liters of water before the game. So I was stuck paying through the nose for some liquid refreshments. Luckily it was a fairly short game.

The Yanks scored first in the bottom of the 3rd. Cairo hit a one-out single. Damon then followed with another single. And they both scored on a Jeter double.

Tampa came back in the top of the 4th with 2 runs of their own. At this point I thought we would see a slug-fest. But Moose pitched great the rest of the way and only gave up 1 hit in the next 3 innings. His line for the day was 7IP 5H 2R 2BB 8K. Not too shabby.

Most of the Yankee bats were silent for the rest of the game. (If fans are tired of booing A-Rod, may I suggest they turn their attention to Giambi. Lately it seems like if he isn't hitting a home run, he isn't hitting at all.) The only Yankees to get a hit after the 4th inning were Guiel and Damon, whose last 2 hits proved to be the difference in the game. Guiel led off the 4th with a single but was caught stealing. He hit a rather odd ground rule double in 6th. It was a high pop fly towards the line in shallow left. The left fielder, third baseman, and shortstop ran to the ball but it dropped in (I think the LF lost it in the sun). It looked like it dropped right on the line and bounced into the stands. By the time the ball bounced Guiel was heading for second. If the ball stayed fair he probably could have made it to third because no one was covering.

In the 5th Damon (3-4 on the day) hit a home run into the upper deck in right field to break the tie. Two innings later he hit another shot into the upper deck to make it 4-2. And that's how the score remained. Farnsworth pitched the 8th, striking out the side (and throwing a walk in there too). Mo pitched the 9th to close out the game.

On my way into the Bronx this morning I heard on the radio that the Yanks were close to trading for Abreu. I didn't hear anything about who was going to Philly in return, but on the pre-game, Waldman was certain that Scott Proctor wasn't part of the deal. People in the bleachers kept checking their cell phones to find out what was going on. Around the 4th inning a woman behind me said that the deal had gone through. All she had heard was Abreu and Lidle for Matt Smith and some other prospects. I'm liking this deal very much. I'm really not worried about all of the talk of Abreu dogging it in the field. I think he'll do well here. He's not expected to be the best on the team. He's got a shorter porch in right field to work with. He can't be any worse in the field than Bernie (and I hear he has a pretty good arm). He already has an apartment in New York in the same building as Damon. And he'll be back with Bowa, who speaks highly of the guy. Although he will have to fight Larry to get his number 53.

In attendance record: 21-13

Wang Completes Me

Friday, July 28, 2006
Home Game 50
Yankees 6 Devil Rays 0
Subway Race Winner: B train
Cap Game: 3



Worm Killer Wang™ was in full effect tonight, recording his first career shutout. Just a beautifully pitched game. Only 2 hits and 2 walks the entire night. Wang has been flying under the radar all season, what with the rookie sensations like Liriano and Papelbon getting the headlines this year. He doesn't have very sexy strikeout numbers, and some insist that he won't be successful in the long run because of this. I'm not a stat head so I can't argue one way or the other, but I'll certainly take what he is giving this team. In this mlb.com fluff piece on Wang, Guidry mentions that he has the stuff to blow guys away, but he prefers to throw the sinker. It's working well so far, so I'd say to stick with it. At the end of that article, Mariners batting coach Jeff Pentland compares Wang to Roy Halladay. After tonight's game Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon made the same comparison.

One of the more anticipated moments of the evening was how the Stadium would react to A-Rod. Well, I'm quite impressed with my fellow fans tonight. He received a nice ovation when he was announced his first time up. And that continued through the evening. Yeah, there were a couple of smart asses who still booed. But I saw people who I know dislike the man clap and cheer him on. They know that the Yankees need him to do well. I can't say for sure what brought the change of heart on. Maybe they were sick of the media attention. Maybe it was because he ended the road trip on a good note. Maybe the fans who weren't booing finally got tired enough of the other mooks and decided to do something about it. Who knows. But, I think the shift is happening.

Random Notes:
– I was totally expecting rain tonight, but the weather held up. We were treated to some rather ominous clouds though. At one point it looked like the Bronx was burning.

– Dave, who sat behind me last year, met me at the game along with a couple of his friends. His friend Adam happens to work at the building where Jeter and Matsui live. I was told that Matsu's rehab is going well and he's anxious to get back. Hideki sounds like the real deal as far as being a nice guy goes. Adam saw him in a Duane Reade once and Matsui went out of his way to say hi to the guy.

I miss Matsui.


In attendance record: 20-13

Don't you know I'm the 2000 man? Redux

Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on hitting both his 2000th hit and 450th home run with one swing. Somehow I don't think he'll get the same coverage in the NY papers that Jeter got when he hit the 2000 mark earlier in the season, also in a loss.

A View to a Thrill

Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Home Game 48
Yankees 5 Mariners 4
Subway Race Winner: B train
Cap Game: WW (I was distracted by a blurry Rudy Giuliani)



I was a little concerned sitting in a box seat because the Yanks always seem to lose when I'm out there. But when I saw BOX 7 Row B pop up on the ticketmaster site, I just couldn't pass it up. The closest I had ever sat to the field was when I got Star Ledger seats through my old job, which were 2 rows behind the camera bay on the third base line. Great seats, but yesterday's was so much better. The seat was on the first base side of home plate about 7 rows back, but still behind the screen, which was a little distracting at first but I got used to it quickly.

Even more distracting than the screen was the on deck circle, especially since the screen wasn't in my way (although this one security guard always seemed to be.) A couple times I caught myself watching the guys on deck instead of the guys at the plate and I missed a couple ABs (luckily nothing of note happened). But really, how could I not stare Jeter and A-Rod and Bernie and Jeter and Giambi and Phillips and Jeter, when they're right there. When I take one of my male friends to a game in the bleachers they always end up ogling the hot chicks there. And I always end up complaining about the lack of eye candy for women at baseball games. Well, last night made up for it.

OK, enough of the girly stuff. On to baseball. I was quite impressed with Ponson. Yeah, he had a shaky first inning giving up 2 walks and a 3-run HR to the very tall Ritchie Sexson. But he was able to settle down for the rest of the game and gave up only one more run. He went 6.2 innings with 5Ks (3 of which came in the 4th inning) and even had a pick-off at first. Phillips helped him out in the 6th with a diving grab to his left and flipping to Sidney, who hustled to the bag, for the force. When Ponson was lifted in the 7th he got a really nice ovation. If he can pitch like that, as a 5th starter I'll take it. He just needs to work on his ball-to-strike ratio.

Since the All-Star break, the bullpen has really come through (aside from a poor second inning from Farnsworth on Sunday). My one big complaint about Torre (who turned 66 yesterday) is his bullpen management. But he's really done a good job lately. Proctor is looking really good (see what happens when you don't overthrow the guy Joe?). And I like what I saw from Wilson too. He seemed to have good movement on the ball.

Around the 4th inning, the security guards were handed rain coats. I didn't think that was a good sign. Soon we could feel the cold front coming on and the sky got a bit ominous. At that point it was 3-2 Mariners. Damon scored in the bottom of the first on a Giambi ground out and Phillips added another in the 2nd with a home run to left center. When the rain coats were handed out the Yanks looked like the were going to start another 2 out rally. Nick Green (getting the start at 3rd due to A-Rod's toe injury) got a 2-out single. Green would go 3-for-3 on the night. Stinnett followed with another single. But, nothing would happen that inning. No rain, and no runs. Seattle added another run in the 5th while the Yankees just couldn't do a thing at the plate. Both Posada and A-Rod (they each got a huge cheer when they emerged from the dug out) pinch hit in the 7th, but they couldn't move Green, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Meanwhile it's getting cooler and cooler and you could sense that this storm would come any minute.

So it came down to the bottom of the 9th. Phillips started things off with a double. Melky struck out. Then Guiel, pinch hitting for Green, singled to right, scoring Andy. I'm guessing this is when the heavy rain started (I honestly can't remember) because I stopped keeping score after Guiel's AB. All I know is it was coming down in buckets. Bubba came in to run for Guiel. Posada hit a ground ball to second. Again, my memory is fuzzy, but it ended up being a close play at first and Jorge was called safe. To my eye he looked safe, but I guess on the replay he was clearly out. So, the Yanks get a gift, which they will gladly take any day (who wouldn't). Of course all around the internet today all the Yankee-haters are bitching about the call. Look, every team gets breaks during the year. The Yankees aren't special in that regard. They have plenty of blown calls go against them. But when they do get one in their favor suddenly it's a fucking conspiracy. Let it go already.

So, Bubba moves to third on the play. Now it's first and third with 1 out. On the first pitch he sees, Damon hits a fly ball to center and Bubba scores on the sac fly. Game tied. Rain getting heavier. A-Rod is up. After working a 3-1 count, the umps finally decided to delay the game. Tarp comes out and I head into the concourse. After stocking up on paper towels and watching the rain from one of the handicap alcoves I head down to the Main Reserved seats where it's dry and watch the rest of the Mariano Rivera Yankeeography playing on the Diamond Vision.

After about an hour and a half, the crowd starts getting restless. The rain had let up a little and pockets of clapping and chanting of "Let them play" and such began. Finally, the rain stopped and what was left of the crowd roared, urging the crew to take the tarp off. About 5 minutes later, men in white adidas shirts and khaki shorts emerged and much happiness ensued. We rushed back to our seats as the players began filling the dugout. Soon enough they were on the field warming up.

I had visions of A-Rod taking the first pitch he saw deep and ending the game right there. But it was not to be as he struck out looking on 2 pitches (strike 3 looked a bit low and outside to me, but with the gift they got with Posada, I couldn't complain.)

So, the game went on. Joe had to do some shuffling in the field since Green and Cairo were out of the game at this point. Phillips went to second (his first appearance there in the majors) and Damon played first. Apparently a few weeks ago Damon had volunteered to play first in case of emergency. Joe was duped in thinking that he had played there before on a professional level, thanks in part to Giambi. Turns out Damon hadn't played there since little league. Ooops. Still he did a fine job. Plus, it got his weak arm out of center. Farnsworth retired the side in the 10th. Bernie doubled to right in the bottom half with 2 outs. But Andy grounded out to end the inning. Proctor pitched the 11th and got Sexson to ground out then hit Eduardo Perez. But he struck out the next 2 batters to avoid any damage.

I was starting to think that this game would never end. I was after 12:30 at this point. But leading off the 11th, Melky came to the rescue. He dumped a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right. Cue the jubilation and noogies from Bernie. Melky pulled an A-Rod and threw his helmet into the air before reaching home, which Damon caught and spiked like a football.

I've seen plenty of home runs from the other end of the Stadium. When they're coming towards you it seems like it takes forever to get out. It's also easier to tell if it's going to be caught or go over the wall. I've also seen games from the upper deck behind home plate. There every deep fly ball looks like it has a chance to go out, but again, the angle you're at makes it seem like the ball isn't moving very fast. But watching one from behind the plate at ground level is a whole different experience. It's very hard to tell if a hit has enough distance to go out, but the speed coming off of the bat is tremendous. Andy's home run looked like it was shot out of a cannon. I was pretty much in line with the path of the ball. It just kept on going higher and getting smaller. And Melky's was just a beautiful sight.

I am so glad I decided to spoil myself and plunk down the money for that seat. I probably won't be doing it again any time soon, but last night made it so worth it.

Random Notes
– Rudy Giuliani was sitting in his usual seat, next to the Yankee dugout. I couldn't really get a good shot of him. Someone was always in the way. Throughout the game he was signing autographs. He stuck it out and stayed for the entire game, a true Yankee fan.

– Chuck Zito was also at the game, sitting about 8 rows behind me and a section over to my left. Chuck is a former Hells Angel, former bodyguard, and current actor. He did not come back after the rain delay, although he did have on some nice Yankee wristbands.

– Old School Cotton Eye Joe was on during the 8th inning. Don't know if it was a tape or not though.

– More pics from the night can be found here.


In the next day or so I plan to recount another memorable game that happened on July 18th.

In attendance record: 19-13

Worth the Wait

The wait not only for the rain delay, but the wait to get a ticket for tonight. This game wasn't on my schedule but I wanted to go to it anyways. I can't go to tomorrow's game and the boys will be on the road until next Friday. I hit the jackpot this afternoon. I was checking ticket availability all day online just to see if a primo seat would open up, and at about 2pm one did.

This was my view of the end of the game.



I'll have a full re-cap tomorrow. Actually make that later today as it is 2am now. It's probably going to take me all day to get through my pictures and my thoughts on the night.

Cool Hand Wang

Monday, July 17, 2006
Home Game 47
Yankees 4 Mariners 2
Subway Race Winner: B train
Cap Game: #3



On the hottest night of the season so far, Wang was as cool as ever. It wasn't a pretty game. Worm Killer Wang™ got himself into some tight spots, but he managed to come away nearly unscathed, giving up 2 runs over 7 innings. The defense behind him didn't help matters, making 4 errors on the night (3 of which came from A-Rod). Seattle had their troubles in the field as well, recording 3 errors. Three of the Yanks 4 runs were unearned. But, a win is a win. I'm not too worried about A-Rod at this point. He had a great game on Sunday and a clunker yesterday. It happens. I don't think he's heading for Knoblauch territory, no matter how much the Baseball Tonight talking heads wish it to happen.

It was nice to see Mike Myers used for a second game in a row. He got his man once again in the 8th, inducing a ground out from Ibanez. Then Proctor came in and struck out both Sexson and Everett. Scott went back to using T.N.T as his warm up song. Luckily he didn't explode last night. Mo closed out the game in the 9th. For the 3rd straight time he put runners on before retiring the side. Maybe he's bored and needs to make things interesting. Luckily the rest of the bullpen should be rested tonight for Sir Sidney's pinstripe debut. With any luck he'll go 5 or 6 innings and the offense will give him some nice support.

Random Notes
– Hot weather really brings out the mook in people. There were some guys behind me who seemed upset that the bleachers were fairly low key last night. This one guy was yelling at us (the collective us) in the bottom of the 3rd because we weren't up on our feet screaming for Jeter leading off the inning. There's a time and a place dude. The score was 3-1 in the 3rd inning. We don't need to be on our feet trying to get a rally going against the Mariners on a hot Monday night.

– Speaking of annoying fans, the wave was getting started during the bottom of the 7th. As per usual, when it made its way to the bleachers there was booing and "Take the wave to Shea" chants. Some guy right behind, who was all giddy that the wave was coming our way, was upset by the booing and said that's why Yankee fans suck. I asked him "why, cause we don't do the wave out here?" He said "yeah, the wave is fun." I told him the wave is stupid. Especially at this point in the game. The bases were loaded, it's a 2-run game. There are other things to do than the wave. It's just distracting. People should be watching the game, not waiting for their turn to stand up. I told him that they do the wave at Shea. He said he liked Shea better anyways. So I suggested he leave and go there instead. People like that will just never understand.

– Dunkin' Donuts is back sponsoring the Subway Race.

– In the top of the 7th a police helicopter flew by. Usually this isn't abnormal, but this one was circling the Stadium and had the searchlight going. At one point it hovered just beyond the left field wall, swirling the light around the area. I hope they found what they were looking for.

In attendance record: 18-13

Boy Wonder

I kept having to check to scoreboard just to make sure that Seattle really only had 2 runs. Wang was in super hero mode tonight, getting his teammates out of all sorts of jams. And Mo with another Wetteland-esque save. The Yanks better put up some big numbers tomorrow. He needs some rest. More on the game tomorrow.

The Chronicles of Mo

Sunday, July 16, 2006
Home Game 46
Yankees 6 White Sox 4
Subway Race Winner: D train (I think. It was tough to hear and I couldn't see the video screen)
Cap Game: #1 (Same deal. Couldn't really tell.)



You know that scene in The Chronicles of Riddick, where they're on the plant Cremetoria and the sun of coming up over the horizon and any living thing in the path of its rays was torched? Well, it was that kind of day. Our seats were still in the shade when we got there, but slowly that shade went away. Row by row was engulfed in sun-light, until it finally hit us. The closest thing to a cloud in the sky today was a sky-written Dunkin' Donuts advert. Steve was lucky he was in the shade today.

Walking the lead-off man is never a good way to start a game. Giving up 2 consecutive hits is even worse. Luckily Wright got out of it with some nice defense behind him. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Konerko hit a grounder to A-Rod, who got Iguchi in a run-down. It wasn't the prettiest of pickles but they got the out. Dye then grounded to A-Rod, who made a nice grab behind the bag, and turned a 5-4-3 double play. After a shaky start to the game Wright came out of it giving up only 1 run.

The Yanks wasted no time getting that run back. Jeter crushed one into the visitor's bullpen, his first dinger in about 2 months. Giambi followed with a walk. And A-Rod hit one out in nearly the same spot as Jeter's to put the Yanks ahead 3-1. I had a feeling that Alex would have a good day at the plate when he made those nice plays in the top of the inning.

The Sox got a run back in the 3rd on a rather bizarre play. Podsednik once again led off with a walk, moved to second on a single by Iguchi, and to third on a fielder's choice by Thome (Iguchi was out at second). With runners on the corners, Konerko hits a line drive into right field, scoring Podsednik. But I guess Thome held up a bit to see if it was going to be caught. When it dropped in, he lumbered to second base. When Guiel retrieved the ball, he fired to Jeter at second to force out Thome. So it was a FC 9-6 force at second. I wonder if Ozzie gave him an earful when he got back to the dugout or if he gets a buddy pass like Manny.

The Yanks manufactured another run in the 3rd. Melky led off with a double, moved to third on a pop-out by Jeter, and scored on a sac-fly by Giambi. They would add two more in the 4th, courtesy of a mini 2-out rally from the bottom of the order. Double by Phillips, who scores on a single by Cairo, who scores on a double by Bubba.

Wright again couldn't make it through the 6th inning, but he did an admirable job nonetheless (the Yankee starters each gave up 3 runs during the series. Not too shabby). He left the game with 2 runners on and 1 out. Villone relieved getting pinch hitter Anderson to pop out, but the runner on third scored. Uribe followed with a single to left. Crede tried to score from second but was gunned down by Melky at the plate. That's his 8th assist on the year, the most in the A.L.

Villone got into some trouble in the 7th, when the first 2 batters got on base. But really, they were 2 plays that Jeter could have made. The first was a pop-up to shallow left. Jeter ran it down and we figured he would make another one of his over-the-head catches, but it ticked off his glove and dropped for a single. Next batter hits a ground ball to the Captain, a sure-thing double play ball. But Jeter boots it and the runners are safe. Myers comes in to pitch to Thome and gets him to pop up to center. Two young schmucks behind me were bitching about Myers. Saying stuff like "They pay him $5 million to pitch to one batter." First off, his salary is $1,150,000. Secondly, he's a freakin' lefty specialist. That's what he does. He pitches to lefties. And he's pretty good at it. If there was a lefty up after Thome he woulda pitched to him too. The rest of the 54,000 in attendance were smart enough to appreciate his effort and gave him a nice ovation when he left the mound. So, with the tying run at the plate, Farnsworth came in and got the next 2 outs to end the inning.

Now the 8th was a different story for Farns. He gave up a lead-off dinger to Pierzynski and 2 straight singles. Cue Enter Sandman. Pop-out to second. 4-6-3 double play. 7 pitches, inning over.

Mo decided to make his milestone save a little more interesting for us. To start the 9th, Iguchi doubles to right. Mo then walks Thome to put the tying run on base. But he get Konerko to hit into a 6-4-3 double play (the third DP of the game). Mo closes out the game by striking out Dye. His 21st of the year and 400th of his career.

We ended the afternoon with some Callahan's. Despite the heat, it was a fantastic day at the Stadium. Great game. Yankees sweep the defending champs. And Mo saves #400. (And Boston lost:-)

Random Notes
– When Bob Sheppard announced the Yankee lineup before the game, the theme to Superman was playing instead of the theme to Star Wars. Don't know if this was the first time or not or whether they will continue to use it.

– Sugar Ray Leonard, promoting The Contender threw out the first pitch.

– A piece of one of the signs in the upper deck was dangling the entire game. Hopefully they will get that fixed soon. There's a lawsuit just waiting to happen.

In attendance record: 17-13

The Boys Are Back in Town

Friday, July 14, 2006
Home Game 44
Yankees 6 White Sox 5
Subway Race Winner: 4 train
Cap Game: #1



Well, this post got done later than I had hoped. It was nice to see some Yankee baseball again, and even nicer to do so at the Stadium. What better way to start the second half than with a Friday night game against the defending World Series champs. The only bad part of these night games at this time of the year is that the sun is your eyes a lot longer. Watching batting practice can be hazardous if you're not careful.

I scored a couple extra tickets so my brother, his wife, and his friend from work came with me. The crowd was in somewhat of a lull in the beginning, which I attribute to the heat. We'd get a nice breeze once in a while, but for the most part there was little relief. Thank god they lifted that "no outside drinks allowed" policy early in the season. I already have water in my freezer for tomorrow's game.

Crede's 2nd inning, one out homer came rather quickly. It was the kind you barely had time to react to. It seems like when his stuff is off he'll struggle after giving up a homer, but Randy sat the next 2 batters down. I had confidence that he would continue to pitch a good game. Contreras also had a solid outing. He definitely isn't the same Jose that we saw in the Bronx. And while I was rooting against him last night, I am happy that he has found success. I always liked the guy and I wished he could've made it in New York.

I was also impressed with Aaron Guiel. I don't expect him to put up Sheffield or Matsui numbers, but I like how he plays. He did a great job of breaking up a potential double play in the 3rd. And he was the subject of 2 predictions made last night. He led off the 3rd inning and I turned to my brother and said "This would good time to break up the no-hitter." Four pitches later, Guiel singles to right. In the 6th inning, with the game tied at 2, Guiel comes to the plate with 1 out. My brother says "You know, the new guys that come to the Yankees always seem to have that one big moment." The words barely left his mouth, and Guiel put one into the seats in right field.

Actually my brother was 2-for-2 on the night. In the 8th, Melky knocked a single into center to score A-Rod and break the tie. Cairo hit a sac-fly to add on another run. My brother said, "Watch Damon hit a double now after not doing anything all night." And so he did, knocking in one more run to make it 6-3. And thank god he did because that run was needed.

Mo gave up 3 straight singles in the 9th, none of which were hit particularly hard. Thome lead off with a bloop single to center. If Damon was playing in a step or 2 he could've caught it. I still don't understand why the outfield doesn't play in a few steps with Mo on the mound. Batters rarely hit the ball hard off of him. It seems most hits he gives up are bloops into the outfield. With the bases loaded, he got Podsednik to ground out to first, scoring a run. Then Uribe hit a sac fly to right to score another. Bubba (defensive replacement for Bernie) made an outstanding catch, crashing into the side wall. With the score now 6-5, the Sox send Pierzynski in to pinch hit with the tying run on 3rd. The at-bat was excruciating. I think he broke 2 or 3 bats during it. I was getting a bit nervous because he seemed to be locked in on Mo. I could just see another bloop hit coming. But after 7 straight foul balls he hit a pop fly to Bubba in right (and promptly threw down his bat in disgust. I love it when jerks like him get upset.) Ball game over and fists pump everywhere in the bleachers. Number 399 for Mo. I was hoping today would be a blow out so I could see Mo get to 400. Now let's just hope that they give him the opportunity tomorrow.


In attendance record: 16-13

We're Not Gonna Take It

Sunday, July 2, 2006
Home Game 43
Yankees 16 Mets 7
Subway Race Winner: 4 train
Cap Game: #1



The crowd on Sunday night was easily the most electric of the 3 games. Partly due to the rain delay (people seem to get amped up while waiting for the game to start) and the fact that it was a rubber game. I met my friend around 7:30 in front of the entrance. The concession area was packed at this point so we decided to just sit in the rain. It really wasn't that bad, plus they were showing the David Cone Yankeeography which I hadn't seen yet. There was a rather ominous orange glow to the sky. It seemed to start behind 3rd base and eventually made it's way behind home plate. It was dramatic enough that several people around me pointed it out to whomever they were with.



My high hopes for Jaret Wright didn't pan out. At one point I really didn't think they would ever get out of the 2nd inning. If it wasn't for Nick Green's throw to home things could've been a lot worse. The Mets fans that were there didn't need any provocation to make their presence known. But that 2nd inning womping of Wright fired them up even more. They were quieted down a bit when Posada homered in the bottom of the inning. I think they realized that a 4 run lead wasn't going to cut it. And, well, it didn't.

I'd love to say that I called A-Rod's first shot, but I didn't. Instead I called one for Jeter and one for Giambi. Neither went deep, but both made it on base. Oddly enough, I didn't get the vibe that a majority of the fans around me expected A-Rod to fail in his at bat. For once it seemed everyone was cheering him on instead of making sarcastic comments. And man, did he come through. I didn't think it was going out at first. He hit a long fly ball in the first inning and I though this one would die short too. But it just kept on coming. It landed probably 15 rows in front of me and to my right. The bleachers went nuts. Fist pumps, high fives, hugs, screaming, the works. There was so much commotion I couldn't even see Alex rounding the bases. I completely missed the Lo Duca incident and didn't even hear about it until I listened to the post game in the car.

I can understand where Lo Duca was coming from. No catcher likes to see showboating a la the Manny's of the world. No one wants to see their pitcher shown up. But I really don't think that was A-Rod's intent. You can't expect him not to get pumped up after hitting a grand slam to put the Yanks up 6-4, in front of packed house, after all the shit Yankee "fans" have heaped on him. If he did that stuff at Shea, it would be a different story. But at the Stadium, I'm glad he showed that emotion.

Later in the inning, Melky doubled home Bernie and Nick Green(!) hit a freaking blast into the back section of the Yankee's bull pen. In all they scored 8 runs that inning. The cheering had become decidedly pro-Yankee from that point forward, save for a few attempts of "Let's go Mets".

The Yanks scored 4 more in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th, thanks to another A-Rod dinger. This one bounced off of the facing of the black seats. Alex grounded out in his final at bat in the 7th. There were a smattering of boos, but I think it was just some people being wise asses and/or Mets fans. It's weird, no one I know has booed him. Every fan that I'm either friends with or know in passing thinks the booing is ridiculous. Some people have had it and are starting to yell at the booers, which is nice to hear. Luckily, there wasn't anything to boo on Sunday night. Well, except for Jaret Wright's performance. But the Yankees won, and that's what really matters.

The bullpen had a pretty good weekend. If I counted correctly, their line was 14.1 innings, 9 hits, 3 runs. Not bad, right?

Random Notes
– I'm rather disappointed that the Yankees didn't have anyone perform the national anthem live at any of the games this weekend. Usually for the high profile weekend games they get somebody in.

– A-Rod's first HR was an opposite way shot. I believe it's his first at the Stadium this year. When Alex starts hitting to right field, good things happen.

– I was giving the little girl in front of me a hard time. She was clearly a Mets fan but she was wearing a Jeter shirt. I questioned her fashion choice and her mother thanked me because she was wondering the same thing (mom is a Yankee fan). We both started busting on her a bit, all good natured (she said she was cold and there weren't any Met shirts around the buy. I think she got a little embarrassed but she took the ribbing well. In fact there were really cool people sitting all around us. There was a group from Australia behind us. Anyway I think they were from Australia. Either that or New Zealand. It was cute hearing the one guy trying to explain the rules to his girlfriend. When A-Rod hit the grand slam I turned around and gave both a high five. They seemed to get really into the game after that. With the energy in that crowd I don't see how you couldn't.

– Speaking of the crowd, at around 10:00 it seemed like anyone who had kids under 4 left. If I'm not mistaken, the Yanks were still trailing at this point, so I guess they figured they better leave before it got really ugly.

– A guy sitting a few rows behind us and to our right puked around the 6th or 7th inning. I didn't hear it but I could smell it. At that point there were a fair amount of empty seats near us so the unfortunate people sitting around him could move away from the unpleasantness. Once some guys started taking pictures of the dude a cop finally intervened and escorted him away. Let's just say that there were times where I didn't appreciated the wind on a muggy night.

– Beltran's first home run landed about 8 rows in front of me and to my left.

– Are female Jeter fans (you know the kind) as annoying as their David Wright counterparts?

In attendance record: 15-13

Can I get a Hell Yeah!?

It seems as though my intuitions were correct. A-Rod and Melky knocked in 10 of the 16 runs and scored 4 between them. I'd play the lottery if the freaking state wasn't shut down.

I'll have a recap of the evening tomorrow. But I just want to say that Ron Villone came up huge tonight. He was huge on Friday night too. In fact he's recorded the last 3 Yankee wins. (And Ron's a Jersey boy too, so I gotta love him.)

Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty

Saturday, July 1, 2006
Home Game 42
Mets 8 Yankees 3
Subway Race Winner: D train
Cap Game: #2



I was "suck the life out of ya" hot yesterday. I was done for the rest of the day. Went through 2 liters of water by the 6th inning. For the second year in the row we sat in the left field bleachers for the Saturday Yankees/Mets tilt. Not by choice of course. I never really like sitting over there. Sure the view is a little different. And if you get seats in the last row (like we had yesterday), it's not too bad. At least I didn't have someone's sweaty knees in my back. But there's no hiding from the sun. And there were way too many Mets fans and not enough Yankee fans willing to quiet them down.

Yeah, Randy stunk it up yesterday. But I'm not overly concerned with him. It was a different kind of suckiness than in the beginning of the year, and even then I wasn't too worried. The loss bothered me of course, but not as much as losses sometime do. I guess it was because of the company I was with. A friend from high school went with me as well as a couple of her friends. Since interleague started we've been going to one subway series game almost every year. We kept ourselves occupied between Trachsel's pitches by making fun of a really obnoxious Met fan. This was the kind of guy that other Mets fans couldn't even stand.

For some reason I have a good feeling about tonight. I think Wright (of the Jaret variety) will continue to pitch well. And even though they're facing another pitcher they haven't seen before, I think the offense will step up tonight. I sense a big night for A-Rod and Melky.

In attendance record: 14-13

One Hit Wonders

Friday, June 30, 2006
Home Game 41
Yankees 2 Mets 0
Subway Race Winner: D train
Cap Game: #2



What the hell was up with that rain? It wasn't supposed to do that until Sunday. It sucks that the weather cut Moose's outing short. The only Met to get on base against him got there via a Cairo error (who, by the way, promptly made up for it in the second and third innings by making 2 nice stabs that could've gone for hits). We were all ready for another no-hit attempt by Moose.

But then the rain came. There were so many freaking people there that we couldn't even get down the ramp for some shelter. An hour later, the game is ready to start again and we see Villone warming up in the bullpen. Later I found out that Moose tweaked his groin, so it was definitely the right decision. It was 1-0 at this point, thanks to a Giambi solo shot. When the delay started, Bernie was on first and Andy Phillips was up with 2 outs and I believe a 1-2 count. When play resumed, Bernie stole second and Andy drove him in with a single to make it 2-0. And that's how the score remained. Villone pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 base runners. A walk to Valentin in the 5th, which was erased by a strike 'em out/throw 'em out double play. And he gave up the first an only hit of the game, a bloop single to left by Chavez in the 6th. That too was erased when Villone picked him off first.

From then on the bullpen was perfect. Proctor relieved Villone in the 7th. There was a bit of a scare. With 2 outs, all of a sudden Jorge runs to the mound. Then Joe and a trainer come out. Justin, who watched the game with me, said "This is why we can't have nice things." I feared that Torre finally broke him. On the post-game I heard that he felt a twinge in his lower back but it was fine. He actually yelled at Joe that he was going to get the final out. And, he did, striking out Wright (who had 3Ks on the night). Farnsworth and Mo closed the game out, which took 2 and a half hours to complete, minus the rain delay.

On the other mound, El Duque had a pretty good outing. He actually came back after the delay and pitched through the 7th. But then again, he did come here from Cuba on a raft so his resilience shouldn't be a surprise. It was great to see him pitch again at the Stadium. I mean, I'm glad he lost, but I love watching him pitch nonetheless.

Random Notes
– Dave Winfield (next to Rickey, one of my favorite Yankees growing up) threw out the first pitch. I couldn't believe it. I thought there was still bad blood there. But I guess things have changed. According to Peter Abraham, the Boss was at the Stadium last night, so maybe things have cooled between the two guys. Maybe one of these days they can get him to come back for Old Timer's Day.

– The lack of Yankee offense as of late isn't bothering me too much, as long as they keep pitching like they have been. When the offense is slumping, they need the pitching to step up. And they have been. It's when both things aren't going so well that you have to worry.

– There were a lot more Mets fans there than I remember in the past. Or maybe it just seems that was because they are more vocal.

– On a non-Yankee note, it's official. Rangers broadcaster John Davidson will be going the St. Louis Blue as their president. I'm really going to miss him. Not only for his work with the Rangers, but also the national broadcasts he does (including playoffs) with Mike Emrick.

I'm off to game 2 in a little while. With Trachsel on the mound this could be a very long day.

In attendance record: 14-12