Brad's www.HistoryOfTheYankees.com Blog

JSA & PSA in Hall of Shame for $41k Blunder on 1939 HOF Induction Sigs of Babe Ruth, Larrry Lajoie and Others - by Peter Nash

2012-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

In response to Peter Nash's latest article, I posted the following.....

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=10958#more-10958

Hi Peter,

Thank you for the article that you published here. Sadly these "alleged" forgeries are and have destroyed the market. You can simply see by the prices people are asking that the memorabilia market is near dead. Some items are selling for 10-20% of their retail and book values. It is easy to understand why people have abandoned the market and have moved on to other collectibles. Sadly I see myself so many forgeries continue today and there are many buyers who simply are not educated or simply do not care. As I always tell people looking for authentication services, the only true way to guarantee a signature is to see the athlete sign the item right in front of you. That of course does not help with athletes who are deceased. For those items, people must simply do their homework and at this point, hope for the best. How sad that it has come to this. What was once a great market is almost dead, and there are no signs of revival at this point. The only company I buy from now is Steiner Sports. (No, I am not endorsing them or anyone else. I am simply stating I trust their services and have had a chance to oversee their operations in New Rochelle, NY on several occasions in person) I cannot say anything negative at all about the company in terms of authenticating items. I have seen too many items from 3rd party authenticators that are clearly fakes or at the very least "do not look right". As a huge Emmitt Smith fan and very well versed on his signature and collecting him since his days at Florida, I am amazed at some of the items for sale on auction sites that bear his name. So many of his "signatures" are not even close! And still people bid on these items without hesitation. At this point I tell people getting into the market to get educated about it and learn the "ins and outs" of the business before even purchasing their first item. It is also sad to see many athletes charge so much for their autographs during signings, but at this point, I can see why. Atleast you are paying to see the athlete sign the item right in front of you. Most importantly hopefully you can have a short conversation with him or her and maybe even pose for a picture. Thanks Peter for your continued articles. At the very least, it is bringing attention to a subject that needs coverage and exposure. Maybe it is time to "blow up" the entire industry and start over. I am not sure that is the answer, but something needs to change and soon before the market as we know it will be dead forever. This is not the way we would want to honor the great athletes that came before us. They deserve better.

Thanks for your time......Brad - www.HistoryOfTheYankees.com

BAGWELL CLOSEST, BUT IBWAA SELECTS NO ONE IN 2011 HALL OF FAME VOTE

2012-01-09T18:21:00.004-05:00

BAGWELL CLOSEST, BUT IBWAA SELECTS NO ONE IN 2011 HALL OF FAME VOTE

Los Angeles – In its third annual version of the Hall of Fame vote, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) did not tally the required 75% threshold for a single player this year. Houston Astros’ Jeff Bagwell was closest, with 61%.

The IBWAA selected Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Complete 2012 voting results are as follows:

Jeff Bagwell	60.87%
Barry Larkin	52.17%
Lee Smith	47.83%
Mark McGwire	43.48%
Jack Morris	43.48%
Tim Raines	43.48%
Dale Murphy	26.09%
Rafael Palmeiro	26.09%
Edgar Martinez	21.74%
Fred McGriff	21.74%
Don Mattingly	13.04%
Larry Walker	13.04%
Alan Trammell	8.70%
Bernie Williams	8.70%
Bill Mueller	4.35%
Jeromy Burnitz	0.00%
Vinny Castilla	0.00%
Juan Gonzalez	0.00%
Brian Jordan	0.00%
Javy Lopez	0.00%
Terry Mulholland	0.00%
Phil Nevin	0.00%
Brad Radke	0.00%
Tim Salmon	0.00%
Ruben Sierra	0.00%
Tony Womack	0.00%
Eric Young	0.00%

The IBWAA was created July 4, 2009 by Howard Cole, Dodger blogger for The Orange County Register and editor of BaseballSavvy.com, to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as an alternative to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Among others, IBWAA members include Kevin Baxter, baseball writer for The Los Angeles Times; Tim Brown, YahooSports; Tom Hoffarth, Media/General Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLA.com; Jill Painter, Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Roberta Shelburne, ESPNLA.com, Gary Warner, Travel Editor, Orange County Register; and prominent baseball authors Peter Golenbock, and Dan Schlossberg.

Association memberships are open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $10. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available.

For more information on the IBWAA, please contact Howard Cole.

Contact:
Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Hall of Fame Voting Breakdown 2012 - From ESPN

2012-01-09T18:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

I am curious, was the person who voted for Eric Young conscious when he made his vote? Why are some of these writers allowed to vote? How does Radke, Lopez, Mueller, or even Vinny Castilla receive votes? What a joke....I do feel Lee Smith is worthy, but it looks more and more like he will not get in. Another statement made against Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro with steroids. Question is, what do the voters do when Alex Rodriguez is eligible? Interesting.....

2012 Hall of Fame voting

Barry Larkin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his third appearance on the ballot. A player needs at least 75 percent of the vote to gain election.

Player	Votes	Pct
Barry Larkin	496	86.4
Jack Morris	382	66.7
Jeff Bagwell	321	56.0
Lee Smith	290	50.6
Tim Raines	279	48.7
Alan Trammell	211	36.8
Edgar Martinez	209	36.5
Fred McGriff	137	23.9
Larry Walker	131	22.9
Mark McGwire	112	19.5
Don Mattingly	102	17.8
Dale Murphy	83	14.5
Rafael Palmeiro	72	12.6
Others receiving votes: Bernie Williams, 55; Juan Gonzalez, 23; Vinny Castilla, 6; Tim Salmon, 5; Bill Mueller, 4; Brad Radke, 2; Javy Lopez, 1; Eric Young, 1.

--

YANKEES BY THE NICK-NAMES (I) by Harvey Frommer

2011-12-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

YANKEES BY THE NICK-NAMES (I)
With the hot stove baseball season in full swing, fans are eagerly awaiting the next one still many months away. Some have moved over to follow other sports. Some Yankee fans scour the news for free agent and trade rumors and moves. Others read Yankee books. Still others soak up what they can of Yankee history, trivia, oddities. For the "still others," this partial list of New York Yankee nick-names is for you.
Babe Ruth leads the pack in the number of nick-names attached to him. First called "Babe" by teammates on the Baltimore Orioles, his first professional team because of his youth, G.H.Ruth was also called "Jidge" by Yankee teammates, short for George. Opponents referred to him negatively as "The Big Monk" and "Monkey." He was also called "Two Head" negative nick-name used by opponents to describe the size of his head which seemed very huge to some.
Sports writers glamorizing the big guy came up with these monikers: "The Bambino", "the Wali of Wallop", "the Rajah of Rap", "the Caliph of Clout", "the Wazir of Wham", and "the Sultan of Swat", The Colossus of Clout, Maharajah of Mash, The Behemoth of Bust, "The King of Clout."
Other Yankee nick-names, expressions, bon mots that caught on through the decades include:
"Root" Owner Jake Ruppert's mispronunciation of Babe Ruth's name.
"Babe Ruth's Legs" - Sammy Byrd, used was employed as pinch runner for Ruth.
"Bam-Bam" - Hensley Meulens could speak about five languages. His name was challenging to pronounce.
"Biscuit Pants" - A reference to the way Lou Gehrig filled out trousers.
"Billyball" - the aggressive style of play favored by Billy Martin.
"Blind Ryne" - Ryne Duren's vision, uncorrected -20/70 and 20/200.
"Bob the Gob" - Bob Shawkey in 1918 served in the Navy as a yeoman petty officer.
"Brooklyn Schoolboy" - Waite Hoyt had starred at Brooklyn's Erasmus High School.
"Bulldog" - Jim Bouton was dogged.
Bye-Bye"- Steve Balboni, the primary DH of the 1990 Yankees, 17 homers but .192 BA.
"Chairman of the Board" - Elston Howard coined it for Whitey Ford and his commanding and take charge manner on the mound.
"Commerce Comet" - Mickey Mantle, out of Commerce, Oklahoma.
"Georgia Catfish" - Jim Hunter, name given to him by Oakland owner Charles Finley, shortened to just "Catfish."
""the CAT-a-lyst" - Mickey Rivers given this name by Howard Cosell.
"The Count" - Sparky Lyle, handlebar mustache and lordly ways
"The Crow" - Frank Crosetti loud voice and chirpy ways.
"Daddy Longlegs" - Dave Winfield, for his size and long legs.
"Death Valley" - the old deep centerfield in Yankee Stadium.
"Dial-a-Deal - Gabe Paul, for his telephone trading habits.
"Donnie Baseball" - Don Mattingly was the only player in any sport to have a nickname with the actual name of his or her sport in it.
"Ellie" - affectionate abbreviation of Elston Howard's first name
"Father of the Emory Ball" - Rookie right-hander Russ Ford posted a 26-6 record with 8 shutouts, 1910, using that pitch.
Flash" - Joe Gordon was fast, slick fielding and hit line drives.
Four hour manager" - Bucky Harris, who put his time in at the game and was finished.
"Fordham Johnny" - for the college Johnny Murphy attended.
"Gator" - Ron Guidry came from Louisiana alligator country.
"Gay Reliever" - Joe Page for his night owl activity.
"Goofy" or "El Goofo" - earned by Lefty Gomez for his wild antics
"The Great Agitator" - for Billy Martin, self explanatory.
"Horse Nose" - Pat Collins via Babe Ruth, a reference to a facial feature.
"Home Run Twins" (also "M & M Boys") - Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, phrase coined in 1961.
"Iron Horse" - Lou Gehrig, for his power and steadiness.
"Joltin' Joe" - Joe DiMaggio, for the jolting shots he hit.
"Jumping Joe" - Joe Dugan, for being AWOL from his first big league club as a youngster.
"Junk Man" - Eddie Lopat, for frustrating hitters and keeping them off stride with an assortment of slow breaking pitches thrown with cunning and accuracy.
"Kentucky Colonel" - Earl Combs, for his Kentucky roots.
"The King and the Crown Prince" - Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, self evident.
"King Kong" - Charlie Keller, for his muscular body type and black, bushy brows.
"Knight of Kennett Square" - Herb Pennock, for his raising of thoroughbreds and hosting of fox hunts in his home town of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
"Knucksie" - Phil Niekro, for his knuckleball.
"Lonesome George" - George Weiss, for his aloof ways.
"Lou'siana Lightnin'" - Ron Guidry, for his fastball and the state he came from.
"Mail Carrier "- Earle Combs, for his speed and base stealing skills.
"Major" - Ralph Houk, for rank held in the Armed Forces and demeanor.
"Man of a Thousand Curves" for Johnny Sain and his assortment of curve balls.
"Marse Joe" - Joe McCarthy, for his commanding style.
"Master Builder in Baseball" - Jacob Ruppert, and that he was.
"The Merry Mortician" -Waite Hoyt, for his cheery soul and off-season mortician work.
"Man in the Iron Hat" - Captain Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Hutson, for the same squashed derby hat he wore over and over again.
"Man nobody knows" - Bill Dickey, for his blandness.
"Mighty Mite" - Miller Huggins, for his size and power.
"Milkman" - Jim Turner, for an off-season job delivering milk.
"Mr. Automatic" - Mariano Rivera, for his virtually unflappable behavior and special skills as a Yankee stopper.
"Mr. May" - George Steinbrenner's sarcastic jibe at Dave Winfield because of his postseason struggles as compared to Reggie Jackson's successes and Mr. October nick-name.
"Mr. November" - Derek Jeter, for his World Series home run, the first of November, 2001.
"Mr. October" - In Game Five of the 1977 ALCS Billy Martin benched Reggie Jackson. In a comeback win against Kansas City Jackson returned to slap a single. Thurman Munson sarcastically called Jackson "Mr. October."
"Moose" - Bill Skowron's, grandfather called him Mussolini because of a resemblance to Mussolini. As the story goes, the family shortened the nickname to "Moose."
"Murderer's Row" - Yankee lineup boasting powerful batters: standard version was the meat of the 1927 lineup of Tony Lazzeri, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Earl Combs and Bob Meusel. Backup version was the 1919 entry of Ping Bodie, Roger Peckinpaugh, Duffy Lewis and Home Run Baker.
"My writers" - Casey Stengel's phrase for journalists he was close to.
"Nightrider" - Don Larsen called himself that because it reminded him of comic books heroes he read about and it fit with his late-night bar wanderings.
"Old Reliable" - Mel Allen gave Tommy Henrich that nickname after a train that made its way from Cincinnati through Allen's home state of Alabama and was always on time and could be depended on. Henrich was also called "The Great Debater" for his sometimes loquacious and argumentative ways.
"Ole Perfessor" - Casey Stengel, for the time in 1914 when he had a spring training baseball coaching stint at the University of Mississippi.
"The Peerless Leader" - Frank Chance, for his keen baseball mind.
"Poosh 'em up, Tony" - Tony Lazzeri was a magnet for Italian fans at Yankee Stadium who would scream out this phrase urging him to hit home runs.
"Prince Hal" - Hal Chase, for his charismatic, elegant, royal quality. "The Principal Owner" - George Steinbrenner, no doubt here.
"Push Button Manager" - Joe McCarthy, for his by the book ways.
"Ragin' Cajun" - Ron Guidry, for his Louisiana roots and fire.
"Rags" - Dave Righetti, abbreviation of his name
"Ruppert Rifles" - The Yankees, during Jake Ruppert's tenure.
"Sailor Bob" - Bob Shawkey, for his time spent mostly in 1918 in the Navy as a yeoman petty officer aboard the battleship Arkansas.
"Schoolboy" and "Schoolboy Wonder" - Waite Hoyt, for his major league debut in 1918 when he was a teen ager.
"Scooter"- Nick-name for Phil Rizzuto coined by Mel Allen. "When Mel saw me run, he said: 'Man, you are not running, you're scootin'. "And from scootin' I got "Scooter."
"Second Place Joe" - Joe McCarthy's three straight second-place finishes prompted this tag in the three seasons before the Yanks won four consecutive world championships, 1936-39. The name was also used when he was manager of the Cubs and had some disappointing second place finishes.
"Silent Bob" - Bob Meusel, for his aloofness.
"Silent One" - Chris Chambliss, for his taciturn manner, name given by Howard Cosell.
"Solid citizens"- Name Joe McCarthy gave to players he relied on.
"Slick" - Whitey Ford used a spitter to strike out Willie Mays in the 1964 All-Star Game. That was just one of the reasons for the Yankee star's nick-name.
"Slow" - Joe Doyle, for his time consuming pace.
"Smash" - Gil McDougald, for the verve of his personality.
"Springfield Rifle" - Vic Raschi, after his arm and his birthplace in Springfield, Massachusetts.
"Spud" - Spurgeon Ferdinand Chandler was called that,easier for everyone.
"Squire (or Knight) of Kennett Square" - Herb Pennock came from historic Kennett Square, PA an area of horsemen and fox hunters. Pennock himself was an expert rider and a master of hounds.
"Steady Eddie" - Eddie Lopat, for his consistency year after year as a Yankee pitcher, nick-name originated with Mel Allen.
"Stick" - Gene Michael, for his lean and long appearance.
"Superchief" Allie Reynolds, for his one-quarter Creek Indian ancestry and winning ways on the mound.
"Supersub" - Johnny Blanchard, home run hitter as a pinch hitter,. extraordinaire.
"The Switcher" - Mickey Mantle, for switch-hitting par excellence.
"T.J." - Tommy John.
"Tanglefoot Lou" - For Lou Gehrig, early days and fielding trials as a player.
"The Tabasco Kid" - Norman Arthur Elberfeld, for his liking of the stuff and his personality.
"Three Million Dollar Man" - Nick-name placed on Catfish Hunter when he signed with the Yankees as a free agent for that sum in 1974.
"Twinkletoes" - George Selkirk, for his running with his weight on the balls of his feet.
"The Unholy Trio" - Billy Martin, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, for their devilish ways.
"The Weatherman" - Mickey Rivers, for his knack for predicting weather.
"The Warrior" - Paul O'Neill, name pinned on him by George Steinbrenner for the outfielder's pugnacious ways.
"The White Gorilla" - Goose Gossage, for the way he looked.
"Whitey" - Whitey Ford, for the tow head blonde hair he sported as a 50s hurler.
"Window breakers" - Name given to the 1936 Yankees for their slugging power.
"Winny" - Dave Winfield, affectionate shortening of his name.
"The Yankee Clipper" - for Joe DiMaggio for the way he glided about centerfield at Yankee Stadium.
"The Yankee Clipper" - A slap at George Steinbrenner who longed to see his players clean-shaven.
"The Yankee Empire Builder" - Ed Barrow was all of that.

MLB: Top 20 Players with the Most World Series Rings

2011-11-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

Find the full article at: http://sportslistoftheday.com/2011/05/24/major-league-baeball-top-20-players-with-the-most-world-series-rings/

1.	Yogi Berra	1946-1965	10	Yankees: 1947, 1949-1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962
2.	Joe DiMaggio	1936-1951	9	Yankees: 1936-1939, 1941, 1947, 1949-1951
3.	Bill Dickey	1928-1946	8	Yankees: 1928, 1932, 1936-1939, 1941, 1943
3.	Phil Rizzuto	1941-1956	8	Yankees: 1941, 1947, 1949-1953, 1956
3.	Frankie Crosetti	1932-1948	8	Yankees: 1932, 1936-1939, 1941, 1943, 1947
3.	Lou Gehrig	1923-1939	8	Yankees: 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936-1939
7.	Hank Bauer	1948-1961	7	Yankees: 1949-1953, 1956, 1958
7.	Mickey Mantle	1951-1968	7	Yankees: 1951-1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962
7.	Babe Ruth	1914-1935	7	Red Sox: 1915, 1916, 1918; Yankees: 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932
7.	Johnny Murphy	1932-1947	7	Yankees: 1932, 1936-1939, 1941, 1943
7.	Tommy Henrich	1937-1950	7	Yankees: 1937-1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950
7.	Herb Pennock	1912-1934	7	Philadelphia A’s: 1913; Red Sox: 1915, 1916; Yankees: 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932
13.	Whitey Ford	1950-1967	6	Yankees: 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962
13.	Vic Raschi	1946-1955	6	Yankees: 1947, 1949-1953
13.	Allie Reynolds	1942-1954	6	Yankees: 1947, 1949-1953
13.	Red Ruffing	1924-1947	6	Yankees: 1932, 1936-1939, 1941
13.	Joe Collins	1948-1957	6	Yankees: 1949-1953, 1956
13.	Lefty Gomez	1930-1943	6	Yankees: 1932, 1936-1939, 1941
13.	Jerry Coleman	1949-1957	6	Yankees: 1949-1953, 1956
13.	Eddie Collins	1906-1930	6	Philadelphia A’s: 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930; White Sox: 1917
13.	Spud Chandler	1937-1947	6	Yankees: 1937-1939, 1941, 1943, 1947
13.	Charlie Keller	1939-1952	6	Yankees: 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1952
13.	Tommy Byrne	1943-1957	6	Yankees: 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1956
13.	Ralph Houk	1947-1954	6	Yankees: 1947, 1949-1953
13.	Bob Cerv	1951-1962	6	Yankees: 1951-1953, 1956, 1961, 1962
13.	Charlie Silvera	1948-1957	6	Yankees: 1949-1953, 1956

All About Baseball's Greatest team - - the New York Yankees by Harvey Frommer

2011-11-26T13:18:00.002-05:00

All About Baseball's Greatest team - - the New York Yankees
By Harvey Frommer

With the hot stove season in full swing and baseball news about free agents and trades dominating the headlines, for fans of baseball's greatest franchise, the Yankees, there is also a treasure trove of history to appreciate. So enjoy:

Yankee Stadium Factoids and Oddities

The original Yankee Stadium had 36 ticket booths and 40 turnstiles that ticked like clocks tallying up the gate. F.C. Lane, in a 1923 issue of The Literary Digest, called it "the last word in ball parks." Egotistical baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis arrived at the first game there via the subway. He was caught up in the swarm of bodies outside the gates and had to be rescued by the police.

Despite claims to the contrary, the outfield wall at Yankee stadium has actually always been uniform height. The ground beneath sloped, and at the original Stadium, a sharp pitch to the outfield grass went uphill to the fence that was just three feet high.

Former star hurler Ron Guidry was a good drummer; he once kept a trap set at Yankee Stadium, and even had a gig in a post-game concert with the Beach Boys.

In 1988, a wall that was closed off for decades was unearthed. Among the findings; scorecard, a program and what was supposedly the bases used in 1936.

The shooting of the Billy Crystal film "61" took place in Detroit, not Yankee Stadium. Crystal maintained that the architecture there was able to more closely approximate that of Yankee Stadium in 1961.

The late and great public address announcer Bob Sheppard's favorite stadium moments; Don Larsen's perfect game, Roger Maris belting his then-record 61st regular-season home run in 1961, the Yankees' Chris Chambliss blasting a homer leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS against Kansas City that gave the Yankees their first AL pennant in 12 years and the Yankees' Reggie Jackson's three home runs against the Dodgers on three consecutive pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. Roger Clemens always patted the Babe Ruth monument for good luck before coming in to pitch.

Started in 1965, Bat Day has bragging rights to the longest running promotion.

By the Numbers

0002: After Allie Reynolds pitched his second no-hitter for the Yankees in 1951, Manhattan's Hotel Edison, where he along with some teammates lived, changed his room number from 2019 to 0002

1 1/2: This was the uniform number worn by opera star Robert Merrill, the man who for many years sang the national anthem at Yankee Stadium.

3: All three perfect games in Yankee Stadium history were witnessed by Joe Torre; Larsen's in 1956 as a 16-year-old fan, and the gems spun by David Wells and David Cone from the dugout as Yankee manager.

14: Yogi Berra stayed away from Yankee Stadium for 14 years, unhappy with the treatment he had received from George Steinbrenner.

$15.00: Bob Sheppard's per game earning in 1951 when he began working for the Yankees.

18: Joe DiMaggio's original uniform, number given to him by equipment manager Pete Sheehy and later changed to 5 for historical significance reasons. Ruth wore number 3 and Gehrig 4.

No. 42, which has been retired from Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson. A "grandfather clause" permits Mariano Rivera to wear this number. When he retires, the Yankees will probably honor both Robinson and Rivera with the official retirement of the number.

56: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak included 56 singles and runs scored. It covered 53 day games three night games, 29 at Yankee Stadium and 27 road games.

58: The original number of Mariano Rivera.

148: On May 12, 1959, Yogi Berra's errorless streak of 148 games came to an end when he committed an error on his 34th birthday.

185: Number of working days it took for the original Yankee Stadium to be built.

$400: This was the amount Mickey Mantle was paid in 1949 to finish out a minor league season.

413: Smallest Yankee home attendance for a game, September 25, 1966

454 2/3: This was the number of innings Jack Chesbro pitched for Highlanders in 1904.

457: Babe Ruth is the all time season leader in total bases. He reached this record in 1921 with 101 singles, 44 doubles, 16 triples and 59 home runs.

.471: Joe Torre's career winning percentage as a manager prior to coming to the Yankees in 1996.

1903: For the first time since 1903, two teams played two games in different stadiums he same day, July 8, 2000. The first game was at Shea Stadium and the second game was at Yankee Stadium.

$5,000: The reward promised to the one who caught the 61st home run ball of Roger Maris.

$6,000: The amount of money Don Larsen received for being on Bob Hope's TV show after he pitched his perfect game in 1956.

20,000: The number of letters Mickey Mantle never answered which were not bid on in the old Yankee Stadium fire sale in 1974.

Be Sure to Check Out a new collectibles website - Wikicollecting.org

2011-11-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

http://en.wikicollecting.org/top-10-most-expensive-new-york-yankees-memorabilia

Enjoy the website above.....

Thanks to Simon for pass it on....

Be well,

Brad

ROBINSON CANO AND CURTIS GRANDERSON HONORED WITH 2011 SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS - Yankees.com

2011-11-20T15:29:00.002-05:00

ROBINSON CANO AND CURTIS GRANDERSON HONORED WITH 2011 SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS November 2, 2011 – Louisville Slugger announced that New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Curtis Granderson were recipients of 2011 American League Silver Slugger Awards, marking the sixth time in the last seven seasons that multiple Yankees have received the honor in the same year.

For Cano, 29, it marks his third career Silver Slugger Award, having been recognized with the honor previously in 2006 and 2010. In 2011, he batted .302 (188-for-623) with 104R, 46 doubles, seven triples, 28 home runs, a career-high 118 RBI, and 38 walks in 159 games, including 150 starts at second base. His 81 extra-base hits ranked second in the Majors to Jacoby Ellsbury (83), and his RBI total ranked fourth in the Majors, trailing only Matt Kemp (126), Prince Fielder (120) and Granderson (119). Over the course of the season, he did not go more than two consecutive games without recording a hit.

For Granderson, 30, it marks his first career Silver Slugger Award. In 2011, he batted .262 (153-for-583) with 136R, 26 doubles, 10 triples, 41 home runs, 119 RBI, 85 walks and 25 stolen bases in 156 games, including 150 starts in centerfield. He set career highs in runs scored (first in Majors), homers (second in Majors behind Jose Bautista's 43) and RBI (third in Majors behind Matt Kemp's 126 and Prince Fielder's 120).

Yankees exercise 2012 options on Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher

2011-10-30T19:32:00.002-04:00

Yankees exercise 2012 options on Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher October 29, 2011 – The Yankees exercised their 2012 club options on All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and right fielder Nick Swisher on Saturday. Cano led the Yankees in average, doubles and hits, while Swisher is coming back for his fourth season in pinstripes.

KIMBREL, VALVERDE WIN IBWAA RELIEF PITCHER AWARDS

2011-10-18T19:07:00.003-04:00

KIMBREL, VALVERDE WIN IBWAA RELIEF PITCHER AWARDS

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced its relief pitcher awards Friday, naming Atlanta Braves' Craig Kimbrel the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year, and the Detroit Tigers' Jose Valverde the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year. The awards were created for the IBWAA in 2010.

Voting results are as follows:

NL Relief:

1^st Place:                 Craig Kimbrel, Atl
2^nd Place:                 John Axford, Mil
3^rd Place:                  J.J. Putz, Ariz

AL Relief:

1^st Place:                  Jose Valverde, Det
2^nd Place:                 Mariano Rivera, NYY
3^rd Place:                 Jonathan Papelbon, Bos

With the Relief Pitcher of the Year announcements, the IBWAA has concluded its 2011 award season. Below is a full list of all the winners.

NL MVP – Matt Kemp, LAD

AL MVP – Curtis Granderson, NYY

NL Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw, LAD

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander, Det (unanimous)

NL Rookie of the Year – Craig Kimbrel, Atl

AL Rookie of the Year – Mark Trumbo, LAA; Ivan Nova, NYY (tie)

NL Manager of the Year – Kirk Gibson, Ariz

AL Manager of the Year – Joe Maddon, TB

NL Executive of the Year – Doug Melvin, Mil

AL Executive of the Year – Andrew Friedman, TB

NL Comeback Player of the Year – Lance Berkman, StL

AL Comeback Player of the Year – Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos

NL Hoyt Wilhelm Relief Pitcher of the Year – Craig Kimbrel

AL Rollie Fingers Relief Pitcher of the Year – Jose Valverde

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 by Howard Cole, editor of BaseballSavvy.com and Dodger blogger for the Orange County Register, to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as an alternative voice to the BBWAA.

Among others, IBWAA members include Tim Brown, YahooSports; Fred Claire, former General Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLosAngeles.com; Ben Maller, ThePostGame.com and Fox Sports Radio; David Pinto, BaseballMusings.com; Mike Petriello, MikeSciosciasTragicIllness.com; and prominent baseball authors Peter Golenbock and Dan Schlossberg.

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $10. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available.

For more information on the IBWAA, please visit this page at BaseballSavvy.com, http://www.baseballsavvy.com/internetbaseballwriters.html

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

Yanks' radio voices in limbo

2011-10-18T18:39:00.000-04:00

Yanks' radio voices in limbo

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

BY PETE CALDERA

STAFF WRITER

The Record

NEW YORK – Among the list of Yankees' off-season considerations is their expired radio contract with WCBS-AM and, by extension, the fate of broadcasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.
Wherever the Yankees land on the dial in 2012, the club retains the right to approve their announcers – indicating a healthy possibility for the duo's return to the booth.
A decision on the Yankees' radio home could be made shortly after the World Series.
But until the rights holder is revealed, there's not much the club or its high-profile announcers can say on the matter.
Yet, the notion that Sterling or Waldman might have worked a final game as a Yankees announcer wasn't part of the personal reflection after the Detroit Tigers' clinching ALDS victory Oct. 6.
"I was very disappointed in the way the season ended, in many respects," Waldman said. "But none of them had anything to do with me."
Like any stunned Yankees fan, Sterling lamented the club's various missed opportunities.
"It was unbelievably disappointing, because they were so close – they were a base hit away," Sterling said of the Game 5 aftermath. "You thought that with the game in your ballpark [they could advance]. The pitching actually was very good, but they just didn't get the hit at the right time."
In Philadelphia, as Sterling noted, "they're probably saying the same thing."
But in the Bronx, at least part of the hot stove discussion is about broadcast teams and radio terms.
In their last contract with WCBS, the Yankees reportedly received $13 million per year for their radio rights. ESPN-AM 1050 has been mentioned as a possible landing spot, although the station might have to utilize other radio outlets to compensate for its weaker signal.
Clear channel, 50,000-watt WCBS has been the Yankees' flagship station since the 2002 season.
Sterling hasn't missed a game since he entered the Yankees' radio booth in 1989, while Waldman's Yankee association dates back just as far – first as a beat reporter for WFAN. Their broadcast partnership began in 2005.
Compared to the millions generated by the YES Network, the club's own television base, the radio operation is a relatively minor consideration.
Seton Hall professor Rick Gentile believes it's in the Yankees best interest to continue its association with WCBS, assuming the club isn't completely blown away by another offer.
"They're always in the driver's seat. But I think it'd be their inclination not to change anything. I'd be very surprised if they moved," said Gentile, director of the Seton Hall University Sports Poll as well as an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster and former CBS Sports executive producer.
"I can't imagine there's some lucrative radio deal out there that would make this deal look like a real bad one," Gentile said.
WCBS's strong signal and the fans' familiarity with its location on the dial are the primary reasons to keep that marriage intact. However, Gentile puts less stock in the broadcast team as vital to the operation.
With current exceptions such as Hall of Famer Vin Scully, who began with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and whose voice could be heard on transistor radios around Dodger Stadium, Gentile believes there's less of an attachment among fans and their favorite club's radio announcers.
Still, there's certain value in having someone who "bleeds Yankee pinstripes" like Sterling as the club's signature voice – with his well-mimicked home run calls and familiar personality.
"There is a comfort level," Gentile said. "He's their guy."

Find this article at: http://www.northjersey.com/sports/pro_sports/baseball/132033188_Yankees__radio_voices_in_limbo.html

IBWAA ANNOUNCES ROY, COMEBACK AWARDS

2011-10-12T17:49:00.002-04:00

IBWAA ANNOUNCES ROY, COMEBACK AWARDS

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced its Rookie of Year awards Monday, naming Atlanta Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel in the National League. The American League vote finished in a tie, with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's outfielder Mark Trumbo and New York Yankees' starting pitcher Ivan Nova sharing the honors.

The IBWAA NL Comeback Player of the Year award was won by St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder Lance Berkman, with Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury winning in the AL.

Voting results are as follows:

NL ROY

1^st Place:                 Craig Kimbrel, Atl
2^nd Place:                 Freddie Freeman, Atl
3^rd Place:                  Danny Espinosa, Wash

AL ROY

1^st Place:                  Mark Trumbo, LAA (tie)
1st Place:                 Ivan Nova, NYY (tie)
3^rd Place:                  Eric Hosmer, KC

NL Comeback

1^st Place:                  Lance Berkman, StL
2^nd Place:                 Ryan Vogelsong, SF
3^rd Place:                  Carlos Beltran, SF

AL Comeback

1^st Place:                  Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos
2^nd Place:                 Melky Cabrera, KC (tie)
2^nd Place:                 Casey Kotchman, TB (tie)

IBWAA Manager and Executive of the Year awards will be announced Wednesday, with Relievers awards to follow Friday.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

IBWAA NAMES JUSTIN VERLANDER AS 2011 AL CY YOUNG

2011-10-12T17:48:00.002-04:00

IBWAA NAMES JUSTIN VERLANDER AS 2011 AL CY YOUNG

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the fourth of its 14 annual awards Friday, unanimously naming Detroit Tigers' pitcher Justin Verlander its 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Voting results are as follows:

1^st Place:                 Justin Verlander, Det
2^nd Place:                 Jered Weaver, LAA
3^rd Place:                  CC Sabathia, NYY
4^th Place:                 James Shields, TB
5^thPlace:                  Dan Haren, LAA

IBWAA Rookie and Comeback awards will be announced Monday, October 10, followed by Manager and Executive awards Wednesday, and Reliever awards Friday.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

IBWAA NAMES CLAYTON KERSHAW AS 2011 CY YOUNG

2011-10-12T17:47:00.003-04:00

IBWAA NAMES CLAYTON KERSHAW AS 2011 CY YOUNG

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the third of its 14 annual awards Wednesday, naming Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Clayton Kershaw its 2011 Cy Young Award winner.

Voting results are as follows:

1^st Place:                 Clayton Kershaw, LAD
2^nd Place:                 Roy Halladay, Phil
3^rd Place:                  Ian Kennedy, Ariz
4^th Place:                 Cliff Lee, Phil
5^thPlace:                  Craig Kimbrel, Atl

Los Angeles Daily News' columnist Tom Hoffarth explains his Kershaw vote this way: "It wasn’t just because Kershaw racked up the Triple Crown numbers, or that the eight others who did the same since the first Cy Young was given out 55 years ago also won the award, too, nearly unanimously. That’s too easy. All the 'new' numbers support him as well. Kershaw was also first in WHIP (0.98), in opponent’s batting average (.207), and his run-support average (5.52) was tougher than Ian Kennedy (6.12) and Roy Halladay (5.89). A new standard has been established the last three years – Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum won the Cy in 2010, 2009 and 2008 on teams that finished under .500, with far less dazzling stats. And check it out: the 2011 Dodgers were actually above .500."

Mike Petriello, of MikeSciosciasTragicIllness.com, adds this perspective: "The NL Cy Young is really a complete toss-up between Kershaw (233.1 IP, 66 R), Halladay (233.2 IP, 65 R) and Lee (232.2 IP, 66 R), particularly since Baseball Prospectus has the Dodgers and Phillies defenses behind them essentially tied in effectiveness. A vote for any of the three would be completely defensible. From this viewpoint, Kershaw gets the slight edge simply because he was the most dominating, even in the somewhat more forgiving Dodger Stadium. He finished second in MLB (behind Justin Verlander) in strikeouts and second again (behind Zack Greinke) in K%. Only Verlander allowed a lower batting average to his opponents, and Kershaw's swinging strike percentage topped both of his Philadelphia competitors. Even with a slightly higher walk rate than Halladay or Lee, Kershaw held opposing batters to the lowest OPS of anybody in baseball, topping even Verlander."

Ron Kaplan, Features Editor at NJ Jewish News, sums up his feelings here: "Kershaw has enjoyed one of the best pitching seasons in several years. Despite playing for an underperforming Dodgers team and faced with a most distracting situation not of his own making with the team’s troubles this year, he managed to lead the NL in wins, strikeouts, and ERA – the pitcher’s “Triple Crown” – while allowing fewer than one hit/walk per inning. One can only imagine how much worse Los Angeles fans would have had it without Kershaw and Matt Kemp as the bright lights in an otherwise dismal campaign."

IBWAA AL Cy Young results will be announced Friday, with Rookie, Manager, Comeback, Executive and Relievers of the Year to follow next week.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

IBWAA ANNOUNCES MANAGER, EXECUTIVE AWARDS

2011-10-12T17:11:00.004-04:00

IBWAA ANNOUNCES MANAGER, EXECUTIVE AWARDS

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced its Manager of the Year awards Wednesday, naming Arizona Diamondbacks' skipper Kirk Gibson in the National League, and the Tampa Bay Rays' Joe Maddon in the American League.

The IBWAA NL Executive of the Year award was won by Milwaukee Brewers' general manager Doug Melvin, with Rays' Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman winning in the AL.

Voting results are as follows:

NL Manager

1^st Place: Kirk Gibson, Ariz
2^nd Place: Ron Roenicke, Mil
3^rd Place: Fredi Gonzalez, Atl

AL Manager

1^st Place: Joe Maddon, TB
2^nd Place: Jim Leyland, Det
3^rd Place: Ron Washington, Tex

NL Executive

1^st Place: Doug Melvin, Mil
2^nd Place: Kevin Towers, Ariz
3^rd Place: Ruben Amaro, Phil

AL Executive

1^st Place: Andrew Friedman, TB
2^nd Place: Dave Dombrowski, Det
3^rd Place: Jon Daniels, Tex

The IBWAA wraps up its award season Friday with the naming of the 2011 Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year awards.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA

IBWAA NAMES CURTIS GRANDERSON AS 2011 AL MVP

2011-10-04T20:25:00.004-04:00

IBWAA NAMES CURTIS GRANDERSON AS 2011 AL MVP

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the second of its 14 annual awards Monday, naming New York Yankees' center fielder Curtis Granderson its 2011 American League Most Valuable Player.

Voting results are as follows:

1^st Place:                  Curtis Granderson, NYY
2^nd Place:                 Adrian Gonzalez, Bos
3^rd Place:                  Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos
4^th Place:                  Miguel Cabrera, Det
5^thPlace:                  Robinson Cano, NYY
6^th Place:                  Jose Bautista, Tor
7^th Place:                  Justin Verlander, Det
8^th Place:                  Michael Young, Tex
9^th Place:                  Dustin Pedroia, Bos
10^th Place:             Adrian Beltre, Tex

Los Angeles Times' baseball writer and IBWAA member, Kevin Baxter, explains his Granderson vote this way: "There was not a more complete player in the American League than Curtis Granderson. Certainly the Yankees' deep lineup provided him protection but from runs scored to home runs, from total bases to stolen bases, Granderson was near the top of every list. And almost forgotten is the fact he solidified the Yankee defense by playing an excellent center field."

David Pinto, of BaseballMusings.com, having voted differently, shares this perspective: "Justin Verlander turned in a memorable season, with his win total being his least impressive accomplishment. His ability to go deep in games while maintaining velocity, and holding opponents to a .191 BA despite an average defense made him the outstanding player of 2011 in the American League."

IBWAA Cy Young results will be announced Wednesday and Friday, with Rookie, Manager, Comeback, Executive and Relievers of the Year to follow.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

IBWAA NAMES MATT KEMP AS 2011 NL MVP

2011-10-02T15:48:00.006-04:00

IBWAA NAMES MATT KEMP AS 2011 NL MVP

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the first of its 14 annual awards Friday, naming Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp its 2011 National League Most Valuable Player.

Voting results are as follows:

1^st Place:                  Matt Kemp, LAD
2^nd Place:                 Ryan Braun, Mil
3^rd Place:                  Prince Fielder, Mil
4^th Place:                  Albert Pujols, Stl
5^thPlace:                  Justin Upton, Ariz
6^th Place:                  Joey Votto, Cin
7^th Place:                  Jose Reyes, NYM
8^th Place:                  Roy Halladay, Phil
9^th Place:                  Troy Tulowitzki, Col
10^th Place:                Hunter Pence, Phil

Los Angeles Times' baseball writer and IBWAA member, Kevin Baxter, explains his Kemp vote this way: "Consider 2011 a coming-out party for the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, who fully displayed his enormous abilities. No player in the National League had a more complete season than Kemp, who led the league in runs, homers and RBIs, had the third-highest batting average and also stole 40 bases. And he did it all in the middle of a lineup that offered him little protection. Oh, and he also led NL centerfielders with 11 assists."
Los Angeles Daily News' columnist and founding IBWAA member, Tom Hoffarth, adds the following: "If Braun has an edge in being valuable to a team winning a division title, Kemp was able to have the season he did for a team blanketed in off-the-field distractions without someone like Prince Fielder having his back in the lineup all season. You hate to be accused of having a local bias, but in this case, L.A. is not only where Kemp played, but where Braun grew up. You could find yourself rooting for both to have phenomenal years, which they did. It could have been easy to name them co-MVPs. But that would be the easy way out. This makes more sense."

Gary Warner, Orange County Register Travel Editor and founding IBWAA member, sums up his feelings here: "There are just some seasons that demand recognition, despite - or maybe because - of the performance of the team. Kemp went into the last two weeks as the first legitimate triple crown threat in decades. He put up those numbers in a lineup with far less protection than Braun and Fielder."

An announcement regarding the American League MVP is next on the docket, Monday, October 3, 2011. Cy Young results to come shortly afterwards, with Rookie, Manager, Comeback, Executive and Relievers of the Year to follow.

Among others, IBWAA members include Tim Brown, YahooSports; Fred Claire, former General Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLosAngeles.com; Ben Maller, FoxSports.com; David Pinto, BaseballMusings.com; Mike Petriello, MikeSciosciasTragicIllness.com; and prominent baseball authors Peter Golenbock and Dan Schlossberg.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Who will be next face of the Yankees? by Reid Forgrave

2011-09-18T16:50:00.001-04:00

Updated Aug 22, 2011 10:27 AM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

In the fourth inning of a game last week against the Kansas City Royals, the man who has been the face of the New York Yankees for the past decade and a half crossed paths with the man primed to be the next face of the franchise.
The Yankees were losing to the last-place Royals when Derek Jeter — he of 3,000 hits, five World Series rings and a lifetime of adulation from Yankees fans — stepped to the plate. A runner was on first. Quickly, Jeter fell behind in the count. Then, on a nasty low curveball, Jeter’s bat whipped through the zone with that familiar, frenetic swing. He smoked the pitch into the left-field corner and drove home a run to bring the Yankees within a run of tying the score. As Jeter sped around first and glided into second, you could forgive a Yankees fan for wondering whether the 37-year-old will keep playing forever.

PRIDE OF THE YANKEES

Which pinstripe greats made the list of the best Bronx Bombers ever?

Three batters later, after Jeter had been driven in to tie the score, up came the future face of the Yankees: the 28-year-old Home Run Derby champion, a homegrown Yankee like Jeter with a smile that lights up the field. On a full count, Robinson Cano fouled off a pitch. Then another. And another. Seven in a row, wearing out the pitcher. Then Cano turned on a pitch, paused for a beat to admire his blast — a majestic 449-footer into the fountain in Kauffman Stadium’s outfield — and rounded the bases, a scene Yankees fans hope to see repeated for another decade, maybe more.
This five-run inning, as it turned out, was all the Yankees needed to win and give them the best record in the American League.
And this inning, too, told the story of the 2011 Yankees: a team at a crossroads, where fans can watch the torch being passed from one dynasty to the next.
You can’t play baseball forever, and some day, the Yankees’ Key Three, those stalwarts who have been with the organization since their careers began — shortstop Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada and closer Mariano Rivera — will walk away from the game.
That day is likely coming sooner instead of later. All three have had well-documented struggles this year, amplified in the New York media echo chamber. And while each has overcome them lately — Jeter has been on a tear since coming off a June stint on the disabled list and picked up his 3,000th hit in the process; Rivera pitched two perfect ninth innings against the Royals after three rough appearances the previous week; and Posada, a DH-type these days who turned 40 last week, answered being benched with a grand slam and six RBI in his first start off the bench — these successes won’t last forever.

Life changes. The Boss becomes Hal and Hank Steinbrenner. The House That Ruth Built becomes The House That Wall Street Built. Cheap hot dogs in the concourse become sushi and a Hard Rock Café. And the Yankees’ Key Three, the men who have defined this franchise during one of the finest dynasties in recent sports history, become a part of pinstripe nostalgia, to be replaced by — well, by whom, exactly?
“A great will leave and another great will emerge,” center fielder Curtis Granderson said on a recent afternoon, sitting in front of his locker in the visitors’ clubhouse. “It could be Robinson (Cano, as the face of the franchise). Just because he’s been through minor leagues all the way through the system. He’s been there for a championship. He has different levels to his game, from a defensive standpoint, to offensive, and also power — he does a little bit of everything. He could definitely, easily step into the role.”
This year, Granderson has made an early case for becoming a future face of the Yankees, leading the American League in RBI and ranking second in home runs. The team is filled with stars who would be faces of most every other franchise: Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira. None of them, however, started in the Yankees franchise. And that means something, especially in an era where careers rarely are spent with one team.
“People love that homegrown player,” said Bradford Turnow, a fifth-grade teacher on Long Island who runs YankeesHistory.com. “Jeter’s the perfect example. There’s not too many things bigger than the Yankee brand name, but I do think it’ll take a major hit (when Jeter retires). When people go to Yankee Stadium, they look right to shortstop. They go to see No. 2, Derek Jeter. They’re not there to see A-Rod or the other guys.”

POWER RANKINGS

See if your favorite team is pointed in the right direction this week.

Contrary to the stereotype that they're the “team that buys championships,” the Yankees have the fourth-rated farm system in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus. That’s far better than a decade ago. But it’s too early to tell whether youngsters such as catcher Jesus Montero or pitcher Manny Banuelos will be able to succeed in the big leagues, much less become the face of a franchise.
“It’s definitely a changing of the guard,” said Jay Jaffe, a senior columnist with Baseball Prospectus. “We’ve already seen a lot of signs of the remaining three of their vulnerabilities this year. And we’ve seen how difficult it is to even broach the subject of ushering these guys into the sunset, but (Yankees manager Joe) Girardi and (general manager Brian) Cashman have been tasked with exactly that. It’s a connection, not just to the glory years but, to the restoration of the franchise as one of the pre-eminent in all of sports.”
It’s easy to forget that the Yankees hadn’t won a World Series in nearly two decades when Jeter, Rivera and Posada came along. The brand had fallen on hard times, with old Yankee Stadium being painted with empty seats throughout the 1980s.
Then came these three. (Throw in pitcher Andy Pettitte, and they comprised the Core Four. All played their first games for the Yankees in 1995.) They played ball well, and they played ball right. They became the faces of a franchise that was all about winning as a team, even in an era where players seemed more interested in individual accomplishments. Yankees fans knew there would be that immobile package every day at the ballpark, and there was a sense of comfort they could take in that.

HE DID IT!

Derek Jeter is the first Yankee to collect 3,000 hits. See the best shots from the celebration.

“Derek, in a sense, is the face of the Yankees, but that face is shared,” Girardi said in the dugout before a recent game, “because it seems like different nights there are different guys coming through.”
Inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, the many Yankees stars went about their business, preparing for the game. Jeter tried to explain to a gaggle of a dozen reporters why he has been hitting so well recently: staying back on the ball. Granderson sat at his locker, toying with his iPad. Cano watched video of Royals pitchers, grabbed a bat and headed to the indoor batting cage. Rivera disappeared into the kitchen. Sabathia tugged his pants onto his massive frame. A rerun of “Everybody Loves Raymond” played on a flat-screen television.
Teixeira sat near the showers, musing about the future of this great franchise.
“The pinstripes are bigger than anyone,” said Teixeira, who grew up a Don Mattingly fan. “Derek is the captain, and he’s going to be the face until he’s done playing. (But) I don’t think there’s a need for one face. It’s all about the pinstripes. It’s all about winning.
“The great thing about the Yankee franchise is that every generation steps up and wins championships. You had a guy like Reggie Jackson walk into town in 1977 and win two straight championships.”

DIAMOND STUDS

Baseball is more than stats and strategy. Who are MLB's hotties?

As Teixeira spoke, right past him walked Jackson, that Yankees great, wearing jogging shorts, a Yankees T-shirt and high socks, the face of another Yankees dynasty. Just another day in a Yankees clubhouse.
It’s hard not to be in awe of this franchise. And that’s the thing about the Yankees: It’s never really been about one player. The St. Louis Cardinals need an Albert Pujols as their face, the Atlanta Braves a Chipper Jones. With the Yankees, a few rise to that iconic level, and Cano just might.
But the Yankees don’t need him to. The sum of the pinstripes is greater than any one player.

Reid Forgrave has worked for the Des Moines Register, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Seattle Times. His work has been recognized by Associated Press Sports Editors, the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, and the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors.

See the article in full at:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Who-will-be-the-next-face-of-the-New-York-Yankees-081711

Derek Jeter 3,000 Hit Tracker - Newsday

2011-08-09T20:57:00.001-04:00

Track Derek's 3,000 Hits here: http://longisland.newsday.com/sports/jeter/

Rivera 600 Saves - Newsday

2011-08-09T20:48:00.000-04:00

Get all of Rivera's Stats here:

http://longisland.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/mariano-rivera-saves/

Batboy tell-all: Secrets of the Yankees - NY Post

2011-08-09T19:33:00.000-04:00

Batboy tell-all: Secrets of the Yankees

By LUIS CASTILLO

Last Updated: 5:45 PM, August 7, 2011

Posted: 1:29 AM, August 7, 2011

At age 15, Luis Castillo lived every city kid's dream -- he became a batboy for the New York Yankees. From 1998 until 2005, he ran errands for A-Rod, caught warm-up pitches from Andy Pettitte and David Cone, and partied with Ruben Sierra. As part of the last group of batboys who did not have to sign confidentiality agreements, Castillo is able to divulge Yankee secrets in his new memoir, "Clubhouse Confidential." Here are some of his favorite memories.
Opening Day 1998 is my first day on the job and I arrive at Yankee Stadium not knowing what to expect. Before long, a thin teenager with curly brown hair approached and introduced himself as Joe Lee. A former batboy for the Yankees, he was then a clubhouse assistant. After we shook hands, he said, "You know you can't start working here without being named."
Being named? I followed him back into the clubhouse, and the first player I met was Derek Jeter.
"Hi," I said. "My name is Luis Castillo."
Jeter frowned, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Nah."
I was thinking, no what? Why did he say no to me? But I didn't say anything, I just stood waiting. Jeter looked me up and down some more.
"That's it!" Jeter said. "Your nickname is Squeegee . . . You look like a squeegee." He smiled.
"What!"
"That's tradition," Joe Lee said, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me away. "He names everybody. As leader of the team he has to give everyone nicknames."
"I got a strange one!" I said. But I never had a chance to ask Derek Jeter why he named me Squeegee. I knew what a squeegee man was, though. They're guys who clean car windows for money, wearing baggy clothes and white jumpers and looking skinny in their clothes. That's how my uniform looked that first day.
At least I had been initiated and was now an official member of the team.
COMPLETE YANKEES COVERAGE
DEREK JETER
Every time Jeter walked into the clubhouse in street clothes, he would breeze by the young batboys, and the 14- and 15-year-old clubhouse attendants, and greet them with an offhand "How're you doin', biatches?" Bee-atch-es. You'd turn around and say to yourself, Hunh? Was that Derek Jeter who waltzed past, the team captain, the man who is -- in the public eye -- a model of correctness and good taste?
But this greeting wasn't meant to annoy anyone; on the contrary, it was intended to be a funny way to start our workday together. There's no question in my mind that Jeter's easygoing personality traits -- the way he joked, teased and bonded with players -- were something extra, almost in contrast to the aggressive fielding that fans had come to expect.
One day, for instance, Bill Clinton walked into the clubhouse with four Secret Service agents. This was after he had been out of office a few months, but everyone still acted as if he was the commander in chief. Players were saying, "Hello, Sir," and being polite as hell with him until Jeter -- in full uniform, on the way out to the game -- paused just long enough to say: "Hey, Mr. President, you staying out of trouble?"
Jeter didn't even stop to have a chat, he continued out to the field. The confused expression on Clinton's face said it all: Here was a man so shot up with confidence that even running into the president didn't make him miss a beat.
As for Jeter, staying out of trouble came naturally. When we went to bars you would find him sitting at a table with his personal trainer and a few other guys, sipping his drink. He would let his eyes play over the crowd, commenting only in the way his gaze lingered here and there on a woman he found attractive or interesting. His preference was for women who had a nice smile and personality.
But he never used the tricks of the trade, like other players did, to try to attract these women. After checking out the scene at a club, he would tell his personal trainer which girl he liked. He would ask the trainer to go up to the woman and tell her that Derek Jeter wanted to talk with her. Then he would leave the bar first and wait for her. I would often see groups of women giggling and leaving with the trainer, who would lead them to their rendezvous with the captain. In this way, Jeter avoided scandals and gossip and kept his meetings secret.
A-ROD
Because A-Rod was the leader or "the man" on other teams, he probably felt a need to compete with the leader of the Yankees; but here in New York this was Jeter's team and A-Rod had to take a back seat. Over time, however, A-Rod must have sensed that, despite their rivalry, there were things about Derek Jeter that were worth copying.
I had to chuckle at how he aped the captain. For example, Jeter and some of the other guys were terrific tippers. Roger Clemens gave me $3,000 at the end of the year. Posada gave me $7,000. A-Rod might come in with $1,400. Sure, it's still a sizable amount, but when he found out that other players were tipping higher, he had to imitate them, and he bumped his tips up. In fact, he had to make sure he was the best tipper in the league. He even tipped me $100 a week to make sure there was a creatine shake waiting for him after each home game.
A-Rod irritated the other players because he was so high-maintenance. He required his personal assistant to position his toothbrush on a certain part of the sink, specifically the edge near the right-hand cold water tap, leaning with bristles up over the basin. The first time he ordered me to do this, I couldn't believe my ears when he said, "And put some toothpaste on it."
Probably the strangest thing we had to do for A-Rod was lay his clothes out on the table so he could get dressed. You had to lay out these items in a predetermined order: socks at the head of the table, followed by undershorts, undershirt, shirt, pants, and then shoes. I had to carry his clothes from his locker to the trainer's room, where he liked to get dressed away from the prying eyes of the media.
A-Rod was different in another, childish way that made players laugh behind his back. When you watch games at home you sometimes see players come into the dugout after they hit a home run. If you've ever wondered what they're saying, it's usually things like "Way to go!" or "Good job!" Not A-Rod. After he hits a home run, he comes into the dugout and brags about it. Usually he's speaking Spanish to one of the other Latino players, and if he hit a home run he wouldn't shut up. "Wow, did you see I hit a home run?" he'd say. "That pitcher threw me a ball right over the plate and I smashed it over the fence. Did you ever see anything like that before?"
One cool evening we were in Boston and I saw him coming out of the Whiskey Park Bar, near the Public Garden. I happened to be wearing a suit because it was a swank watering hole and I was going to meet a couple of other players, including Bernie Williams. A-Rod was on his way out, with two blondes on his arms. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he said, "Wow, look a you! I never saw you in a suit." As he passed he reached into the breast pocket of my jacket, and I thought he was rearranging my pocket square. "Have a good night," he said, breezing by with his lovebirds.
Since he was married at the time, I was under the impression that he was walking the ladies out to their car, or perhaps stepping outside to sign some autographs. Perhaps, gentleman that he was, Mr. Rodriguez was planning to escort these young women to their suites, or convey them to their chaperones.
At any rate, when I got to the bar I happened to look down into my breast pocket and was surprised to find two hundred-dollar bills.
THE BOSS
There was a love/hate relationship between the team and George Steinbrenner, which took its most outrageous form with the system we called the "Red Alert." It worked like this:
As soon as his car appeared, Rob Gomez, manager of stadium operations, picked up his walkie-talkie and punched in the code for the security officer on duty downstairs. As George got out of his car, Mr. Gomez relayed a message to Craig Foley, the security guard standing in front of the clubhouse.
"Red alert. Boss in the house."
Gomez would calmly turn, smile, and wave to the Boss. Upon receiving word that Steinbrenner had entered the elevator, Mr. Foley would stride down the hallway, open the clubhouse door, and sound the alarm.
"RED ALERT!"
Whoever was in the room -- whether it was batboys, coaches, trainers or players -- would spread the word to everyone else.
"RED ALERT!"
Called from man to man, player to player, room to room, the alarm would spread like wildfire. You would see clubbies jump out of their chair and hang up the same piece of underwear six times. You would see coaches put down newspapers and start scribbling notes on clipboards.
George would get out of the elevator and walk down the hall. When the clubhouse opened, everyone would be working -- and George would love it. You could tell by the big smile. The Red Alert system had worked again.
We could also have a little fun at the Boss' expense. Just before Game 5 of the 2000 World Series against the Mets, Fox News was setting up wires and microphones in the Mets' visiting clubhouse. If we won that game, we would win the series, and it would be big news. By the time they had everything squared away, they had done a professional job of using black tape to conceal all the wires so that nobody would get hurt.
After the seventh inning, George was looking pink in the face and nervous. The score was tied 2-2. David Cone, who wasn't pitching that day, happened to cross through the room. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Spotting a microphone taped under the table, Cone stood looking at it. "Oh, my, my, my," he said, as if speaking to himself.
Steinbrenner approached.
"What's the matter?"
"Can you believe this?" Cone said. "Can you believe they'd do something like this -- "
"Like what?"
"Don't you see it? They taped a microphone under there."
"Who? Who taped a microphone?"
"The Mets."
"Are you ser--"
"They've got the room bugged."
"Holy crap!"
George was red in the face. The prankster had him going now, for sure, and Cone was having fun. For Cone, this was almost as good as winning games. George went nuts. He had taken the bait -- hook, line and sinker.
He started looking around for something, then turning to us, yelled, "Somebody get me a pair of scissors!" He wanted to cut the wire!
Yes, we were like a big family, and George was the father figure we all feared. Joe Torre used to take a lot of guff from him, but he never let it interfere with his game plan. "This is what the Boss wants," he would tell players in closed meetings. "But this is what we're going to do." And there would be smiles.
Matsui: Rally ho!
It was before Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, a game that we would lose. The series was tied 3-3 at that point, and it was particularly disheartening since we had won the first three games. Unknown to us, Boston's comeback was not to be stopped.
At any rate, at the end of the meeting it was traditional for Joe Torre to ask Jorge Posada what we were going to do. He would reply, "Grind it!" This time -- I guess to make Hideki Matsui feel more part of the team -- Torre turned to him at the end of the meeting.
"What are we going to do?"
Hideki paused for just a second before replying.
"Kick ass. Pop champagne. And get some ho's."
Joe dugout habit
Even during the rockiest and most difficult years of his being manager, Joe Torre was usually focused and kept his nose to the grindstone. There was only one thing that distracted him from work, however, and it wasn't women -- it was horses.
I found out about this quirk of his during a late-season game. Torre called me over in the dugout, and from the dark look on his face I thought it was something serious. He waited until I was close and then lowered his voice. "Go down to my office," he said. "I want you to check the score on the Off-Track Betting channel and see who won." I was stunned. It was during a game! I had never before been asked to leave my post.
"Make sure you find out the exact track and horse," he added.
I ran down into the clubhouse and found the attendant, Joe Lee.
"Joe, Mr. T just asked me to find out something about which horses won," I said. "What's he talking about?"
Lee was chewing gum and looked unimpressed about the whole thing. "Yeah," he said. "Don't you know why he's got that TV in his office? It's usually just tuned to one channel."
"What's that, the YES Network?"
"No, the OTB station."
Lee led me into Torre's office and showed me how to decipher the race results. I jogged up to the dugout and gave them to Torre, who grabbed the paper and studied it like his life depended on it. When he had discovered the information he wanted, he turned to Don Zimmer and showed it to him. The older man's eyes lit up, and before I left they were talking excitedly not about the next batter but the OTB results!
From "Clubhouse Confidential" by Luis "Squeegee" Castillo with William Cane. Copyright © 2011 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Press LLC.

HBO documentary on Derek Jeter's quest for 3000 hits - Derek Jeter 3K

2011-08-06T09:42:00.000-04:00

Please Tune-in to the HBO documentary on Derek Jeter's quest for 3000 hits - Derek Jeter 3K - which premieres TONIGHT, July 28, at 9 p.m. on HBO.

From what we hear this is a must watch!

The Yankee Captain wore a microphone for the game against Tampa Bay in which he went 5-5 and collected his milestone base hit on a home run off Rays left-hander David Price,

This documentary gives unparallel access to Jeter's approach at the plate, and his journey to 3,000 hits.

Make Sure To Watch "Yankees-Steiner Memories Of The Game", Below Is The Episode Scheduling

- July 28, 11:30 pm
- July 29, 11 pm
- July 31, 7 pm
- August 1, 7 pm

ESPN’s E:60 Features Yankees Star Curtis Granderson

2011-07-15T14:41:00.003-04:00

July 15, 2011

ESPN’s E:60 Features Yankees Star Curtis Granderson

ESPN's award-winning primetime newsmagazine E:60 will feature a heartwarming story involving New York Yankees star Curtis Granderson in the episode airing Tuesday, July 19, at 7 p.m. ET.

Granderson could get away with living the bling lifestyle – after all, he’s got a loud contract on the proudest team in baseball. But that’s not who Granderson is. Exemplifying this, as E:60’s Rachel Nichols discovered, is his bond with the family of Brian Bluhm, a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan who was gunned down in the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007.

Launched in October 2007, ESPN’s E:60 combines investigative reporting, in-depth profiles of intriguing sports personalities and features on emerging star athletes. These stories are presented in a fresh and innovative format that incorporates producer/correspondent meetings.

A preview clip of the Granderson feature can be viewed here.

- 30 -

Media Contact: Andy Hall

Metropolitan Collegiate Summer Baseball of Illinois to Host First-Ever All Star Game on July 17, 2011

2011-07-07T10:10:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, July 17th the MCSBI (Metropolitan Collegiate Summer Baseball of Illinois) will host our first ever All-Star Game at Trout Park in Elgin, IL. The game is comprised of 5 players from each of the 8 teams in the league (3 position players & 2 pitchers).

These players are the future of the game and deserve to play in front of a large crowd on that evening. There is no admission fee, and the quality of baseball will be top notch. The official rosters will be posted on Friday morning at www.metrocollegebaseball.com.

This is a wonderful opportunity to catch a ball game with family or friends at an awesome venue on a summer night.

In addition, we are also trying to reach out to as many professional baseball scouts as we can to evaluate at the event, so if you are one (or know of one) please be in attendance on that night.

For more information, please contact Nelson Gord at: nelson@illinoisindiansbaseball.com

Professionally in baseball,

-Nelson Gord

IBWAA ANNOUNCES 2011 MIDSEASON AWARDS AND ALL-STAR SELECTIONS

2011-07-05T14:46:00.004-04:00

IBWAA ANNOUNCES 2011 MIDSEASON AWARDS AND ALL-STAR SELECTIONS

2011 American League All-Star Game Starting Lineup

First Base:                 Adrian Gonzalez
Second Base:            Robinson Cano
Shortstop:                 Asdrubal Cabrera
Third Base:               Alex Rodriguez
Catcher:                    Alex Avila
Outfield:                   Jose Bautista
Outfield:                   Curtis Granderson
Oufield:                    Jacoby Ellsbury
DH:                           David Ortiz

2011 American League Midseason Awards

MVP:                         Adrian Gonzalez.
Cy Young:                 Justin Verlander
Rookie:                      Michael Pineda
Manager:                    Manny Acta

2011 National League All-Star Game Starting Lineup:

First Base:                  Prince Fielder
Second Base:             Rickie Weeks
Shortstop:                  Jose Reyes
Third Base:                Placido Polanco
Catcher:                     Brian McCann
Outfield:                    Lance Berkman
Outfield:                    Ryan Braun
Outfield:                    Matt Kemp

2011 National League Midseason Awards

MVP:                         Prince Fielder
Cy Young:                 Roy Halladay
Rookie                       Craig Kimbrel
Manager:                   Kirk Gibson

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

July 4, 1939 -- ALS, Lou Gehrig and Me

2011-07-04T15:18:00.000-04:00

July 4, 1939 -- ALS, Lou Gehrig and Me

By Fay Vincent

Published July 04, 2011 | FoxNews.com

On July 4, 1939, at Yankee Stadium, before a full house, Lou Gehrig stood in front of a microphone and announced he was “the luckiest man alive.” His somber teammates were lined up behind their captain and stellar first baseman. One of them, Tommy Henrich told me Gehrig had not planned to speak but changed his mind and broke the hearts of all who heard him. Henrich never forgot seeing Babe Ruth crying openly when he came over to hug Lou after the brief talk.
Just a few months earlier Gehrig had been forced to break his remarkable record of consecutive games when his powerful frame began to fail. His speech is still well known as the defining act of a remarkable baseball legend. Gehrig’s talk was emotional because everyone knew he was seriously ill—fans were told he had a form of “polio”-- and though his disease was then not as well understood as it is today, the public and his teammates knew he was not ever going to play again.
When he died a few years later, the disease-- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-- was named and is still known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Ever since then, baseball and that debilitating disease have been closely linked.]
My school classmate and friend Franz Opper was born on that Fourth of July in 1939 and many years later, in the midst of a busy career in Washington as an official at the SEC and on the staff of Congress, he learned he had ALS.
He and his wife Barbara stoutly confronted the illness and for many years Franz kept up a lively correspondence with me in which his letters never betrayed his declining health. When I was elected baseball Commissioner the letters took on a baseball flavor as Franz began to give me baseball advice. The letters were fun to read, full of wit and wry comments. And then came one with a serious request.
Franz asked me to try to arrange for him to come to Yankee Stadium for one final baseball game. He and Barbara knew their request was a challenge in light of what had become by then his complete disability. He was totally inert on a respirator unable to move any part of his body. He could only blink. He was able to communicate as his nurse help up the alphabet and pointed to the letters in turn until he blinked at the one he wanted to use to spell out a word. His letters were the product of determined and tedious effort.
I agreed to try to help and turned to George Steinbrenner the owner of the Yankees for assistance. And here comes a story about George that is witness to his generosity to those with acute needs. When I explained what Franz had asked and the many complexities the Yankees organization and I would have to face if we were to proceed, George was immediately supportive. “It is not going to be easy for us and him,” he responded, “ but we will help all we can.”
That was all I needed and with the deft cooperation of the Yankees, we brought Franz to a final game at the Stadium. His bed had to be tilted so he could see the field from the owner’s office Steinbrenner had made available but somehow we managed. The logistics effort was considerable but the touching letter I later received from Franz made it all worthwhile.
When I called George to thank him, he shrugged off my profuse appreciation –“I am glad it worked out for him.” I had the sense he was a bit embarrassed by letting me see his gentle side. This was not as well-known as the tough guy side. But I never forgot what he had made possible for my friend Franz.
Not long after the baseball visit, Franz died. He had endured many years of total paralysis, but never lost his good cheer.
It is impossible not to think of Franz when I see a tape of that memorable Gehrig speech at Yankee Stadium on the day he was born.
Interestingly, George Steinbrenner was born on the fourth of July as well.
It is often said baseball brings generations together. In baseball, Franz, George and I came together briefly. On this Fourth of July I will remember them and Gehrig and ALS. Presinding from the poet-- Life like baseball is a series of tragedies separated by times of sheer joy.
Fay Vincent is a former CEO of Columbia Pictures Industries and from 1989-92 served as the Commissioner of Baseball.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/07/04/july-4-13-als-lou-gehrig-and-me/

Make Your Own Yankees Video Today from Jib-Jab! FREE!!!!

2011-06-02T19:33:00.002-04:00

* Upload photos and "cast" yourself and up to 4 friends into a fun Yankees-themed video. * Free to set-up and use. * Pick from all 30 MLB Clubs. * Upload, share and send videos via email, Facebook and Twitter.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/fan_forum/jibjab/index.jsp?c_id=nyy&partnerId=ed-4791430-204895066

New Book: The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923

2011-06-02T19:12:00.000-04:00

A new book about Old Yankee Stadium has hit the shelves. The author is Robert Weintraub. It tells the story of the building of Yankee Stadium and the subsequent first Yankees title in 1923.

You can find the book here: http://www.amazon.com/House-That-Ruth-Built-Championship/dp/031608607X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305685471&sr=8-1

I hope you all get a chance to read it and share your opinions here.

Thanks and take care.....Brad

Head Athletic Trainer Gene Monahan Will Retire

2011-05-22T07:12:00.002-04:00

Head Athletic Trainer Gene Monahan, who is the longest-tenured employee in the Yankees organization, announced on 5/11 that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2011 season after 49 years of continuous service...is the longest-tenured Head Athletic Trainer in the Major Leagues, having worked in that capacity for the last 39 years...first worked for the Yankees organization in 1962, serving as a bat boy and clubhouse attendant during spring training while in his senior year at St. Thomas 
Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale...began his athletic training career with the Yankees' Class-D Ft. Lauderdale affiliate in 1963, and was promoted in 1965 to Double-A, where he served as head trainer for Columbus (Ga.) and Binghamton (N.Y.)...in 1969, made the jump to Triple-A Syracuse, where he worked through 1972 before heading the Yankees' Major League training staff in 1973.

Leyritz gets 2nd chance after fatal crash

2011-05-19T19:39:00.000-04:00

Leyritz gets 2nd chance after fatal crash

May 17, 2011 by BARBARA BARKER / barbara.barker@newsday.com

NEWARK
Somehow, he still walks with the same recognizable swagger.
Fifteen years, including three very difficult ones, have come and gone since Jim Leyritz's famous home run in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series. Yet, the former Yankees catcher still walks the baseball field with the confidence of a clutch hitter, with the feeling that he knows exactly what needs to be done and exactly how he's going to do it.

It didn't matter that he was wearing a gray T-shirt that says Newark Bears Tuesday instead of the Yankees pinstripes. It didn't matter that Riverfront Stadium in Newark is about as far away from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx as one can get and still be in professional ball. Leyritz was back home again, on a baseball field, which may be the one place for him in life where things always have made sense.
Six months after being cleared of vehicular manslaughter charges stemming from a 2007 automobile crash in Florida that resulted in the death of a 30-year-old woman, Leyritz is working as the pitching coach for the Newark Bears, who open their season May 26 against the Rockland Boulders. The unaffiliated professional team plays in downtown Newark and is managed by former Yankee Tim Raines.
"For me, this is a great opportunity," Leyritz, 47, said Tuesday during a team practice. "It's an opportunity to start my career over again and maybe get into the coaching ranks."
Leyritz played 11 years in the majors, primarily as a catcher, breaking in with the Yankees in 1990. During the course of his playing career, he made close to $11 million, and after his retirement in 2000, he worked as a commentator for ESPN Radio, MLB Radio and MLB.com.
Leyritz, however, went from a fan favorite with the Yankees to shunned outcast in December 2007. According to reports of the trial, after having drinks with friends on his 44th birthday, the car Leyritz was driving struck that of Fredia Veitch, a mother of two. Veitch, who also had been drinking, according to trial testimony, died as a result. Leyritz soon found himself looking at the prospect of spending up to 15 years in prison after being charged with vehicular manslaughter while driving drunk.
He ultimately was found not guilty of the charge last November, though he was convicted of a lesser DUI charge for which he received probation. He also settled a civil suit with the woman's family, according to reports.
One person who did not abandon him throughout the trial was Newark Bears owner Thomas Cetnar. Leyritz had played 19 games for the Bears in 2001, before signing with the San Diego Padres organization. He struck up a friendship with Cetnar, who then was the general manager of the Bears. The day after he got in the automobile accident, Cetnar flew to Florida to be with him.
And the day after he was acquitted, he offered him a job with the team. Leyritz, who is divorced and has primary custody of his three sons, was thrilled at a chance to bring them north for the summer to spend time around baseball.
"This is a league of second chances on the field," Cetnar said. "I think he's excited about turning the page after getting involved for three years in something that was tragic. Tragic for everyone involved."
Leyritz has written a book about his life that comes out June 7 called "Catching Heat," which discusses the car crash and trial. Because it has yet to be released, he would not talk specifically about the details of the accident Tuesday and what it was like to go through it.
He did, however, credit his religion, close friends and family for getting him through the last three years.
"I try to believe everything is a learning experience," he said. "Unfortunately, this was very painful for both families and everyone who had to go through it. But now, I'm able to move forward and move on and this is something I really want to do."
Another thing he wants to do is re-establish ties with the Yankees, adding that he is hoping he can go to Old-Timer's Day this year.
Cetnar believes that the experience has changed his friend.
"We all go through things in life that humble us as we mature," he said. "I think this has humbled him. He was always about doing the right thing, but I think he looks at things through different eyes now."
His swagger, however, is still the same.

Files reveal late Yankees owner blamed lawyers for Nixon donation

2011-05-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

Files reveal late Yankees owner blamed lawyers for Nixon donation

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

5/9/2011 4:15 PM ET

Newly released FBI documents revealed that George Steinbrenner assisted the agency in two investigations and shed new light on the illegal corporate contribution that Steinbrenner made to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972, The Associated Press reported on Monday.

The late Yankees owner assisted the government on matters of national importance, according to the documents. One memo released Monday described a probe in which Steinbrenner, who died in July, assisted in an "undercover operation" that ultimately led to an arrest, prosecution and conviction. The other investigation was described as a "sensitive security matter."

The FBI deleted the specifics about the two probes before releasing the file on Steinbrenner. A separate document revealed that Steinbrenner assisted the bureau from 1978-83, and a memo from 1988 indicates that he offered the use of Yankee Stadium for the staging of more than 500 gambling raids against a major organized crime syndicate in New York. Another location was ultimately chosen for the raids in question.

In addition, the documents showed that Steinbrenner blamed inadequate legal counsel for the $25,000 donation to the Nixon campaign that led to him pleading guilty in 1974 to both a conspiracy to funnel campaign contributions to politicians and to making "false and misleading" claims about the contributions. Steinbrenner was also sanctioned for trying to coerce the testimony of employees of his shipbuilding company.

That series of events had a wide-ranging set of repercussions. Steinbrenner, who had acquired a majority stake of the Yankees in 1972, was fined $15,000 as part of his plea bargain and subject to further sanctions by Major League Baseball. Bowie Kuhn, the Commissioner at the time, suspended him for two years.

"Attempting to influence employees to behave dishonestly is the kind of conduct which, if ignored by baseball, would undermine the public's confidence in our game," Kuhn wrote in a 12-page ruling.

The suspension was later reduced to 15 months. In an unrelated case, Steinbrenner was later banned from day-to-day operations of the Yankees by Major League Baseball in 1990 in response to his dealings with reputed gambler Howie Spira. That sanction lasted three years, with Steinbrenner reinstated as managing partner in 1993.

Steinbrenner sought a presidential pardon in 1979 and the newly released FBI documents indicate that he told officials he would not have made the contribution to the Committee to Re-elect the President if he knew it was illegal. Steinbrenner, according to the documents, said his attorneys should have been more thorough in their research.

Another FBI memo, which was acquired after the AP and other organizations made a request under the Freedom of Information Act, indicated that Steinbrenner thought of his conviction as an "embarrassment." Steinbrenner was ultimately pardoned by the next President, Ronald Reagan, in January of 1989.

The FBI also released Steinbrenner's application for a pardon, which contained a detailed explanation of his side of the story. Steinbrenner said that the conviction hurt his business and limited his participation in civic and charitable affairs. Furthermore, he argued that a pardon would "permit me to contribute more of my services to the community."

The story and career of George (SNUFFY) Stirnweiss - Update

2011-05-02T20:08:00.000-04:00

March 18, 2011

TO: Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, Yankee teammates, fans, et al of George Stirnweiss

RE: The story and career of George (SNUFFY) Stirnweiss

In the pantheon of major league baseball greats a number of them played for the New York Yankees: Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, et al. These players were memorialized in the old Yankee Stadium and their careers are again remembered in the new stadium’s Memorial Park. These players are also in baseball’s Hall of Fame and have had books written about them and movies made of their careers.

There was another Yankee great, George, Henry, (SNUFFY) Stirnweiss whose story and career, in many ways, rivals the players mentioned above. But his story and career have been mostly forgotten both by the Yankees and major league baseball in general. Very much like one of his Yankee predecessors, Lou Gerhig, Snuffy’s life had a tragic ending when he died in 1958 at the age of 39 when a New Jersey Central Railroad commuter train on which he was riding ran through an open bridge into Newark, NJ Bay. A total of 40 people died in that wreck. Possibly by few other players in the history of major league baseball. Here is a summary of what Snuffy accomplished that season: he led the league in these offensive categories:

Batting average, on base %, slugging %, at bats, runs scored, hits, total bases, triples, extra base hits, times on base, runs created, stolen bases (12 offensive categories). There are some detractors who note that 1945 was a war year therefore the categories in which Stirnweiss led the league in 1945 should be marked with the infamous *. But it should also noted that while it is true that 1945 was a war year, it should also be noted that in 1945 there were close to 1,000 players in the American League but only Snuffy was able to accomplish what he did. And in addition to these offensive leaderships, and he and teammate Frankie Crosetti led the league in double plays. In one of his years with the Yankees, 1945, he had a season which is unmatched by any other Yankee and

One would have to go back to the 1911 season to find a comparable record when the immortal Ty Cobb batted .420 and led the league in most everything; he was the terror that pitfchers feared and shortstops and second-basemen feared when he was about to come sliding into 2^nd base. But, baseball in 1911 and 1945 were entirely different games.

In 1946, George was voted the Sid Mercer Memorial award as player of the year by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association. Some previous award recipients were: Dixie walker, Ted Williams, Joe Di Maggio, Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg, and Lou Gehrig.

In 1948 with only five errors tallied against him in 141 games, he set a major league fielding record with a .903 average

. In that same year, George was named major league baseball’s Father of the Year. George often said he was more proud of that award than any other he had ever received.

Again in 1948 with only five errors tallied against him in 141 games, he set a major league fielding record with a .903 average.

This is quite a record for a player who never was even placed in nomination for the Baseball Hall of Fame, much less elected.

Snuffy’s life had one major tragedy, the train wreck in which he was killed, and a few minor mishaps which destroyed his professional reputation.

The Central Railroad (CRR) of New Jersey on which Snuffy and 39 other people died in the wreck on September 15, 1958 was in serious financial difficulty. For just the first six months of that year the railroad was facing an operating deficit of close to two million dollars. For the entire year of 1957 it had only $140,000 operating profit from its passenger services and freight. Drastic measures had to be taken to keep the company out of bankruptcy. Among the cost cutting actions taken was to eliminate the very large expenses that were needed on various safety features. One of these features, the so-called ‘dead man’s switch’ which was the subject of much discussion at the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) hearing after the wreck. The switch is a device which shuts off power to the engine if the engineer becomes disabled. In its testimony at the ICC hearing the railroad claimed it didn’t need this switch since it always had a second man (a fireman) in the engineer’s cabin. But when the cabin was recovered from Newark Bay, only the body of Mr. Wilburn, the engineer, was found; The assigned fireman, Peter Anderson’s, body was found in another part of the train. The railroad could offer no reason why Anderson was not where he was assigned to be.

One of the minor mishaps in 1945 over which he also had no control was the decision by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). This organization which consists mainly of the newspaper writers in the cities where major league baseball is played. Each season they select the player to be given the “Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Along with the CyYoung award given to pitchers the MVP is a prestigious honor which players hold in great regard. In 1945 the BBWAA awarded the MVP to the Detroit pitcher Hal Newhouser. Newhouser had won 27 games that year and led his team to the American League championship and winning the World Series. There is little, if any, conflict with this choice. But the BBWAA also gave 2^nd place in the award to another Detroit player, Eddie Mayo who led the league in absolutely no category even giving him 7 votes for 1^st place. In contrast, Snuffy Stirnweiss was assigned to 3^rd place.

And then to heap insult on to injury in another dishonor placed on Snuffy by the BBWAA was in regard to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Election to the Hall is accomplished in two steps: (1) after having been out of baseball for five years, a player may then be placed on the ballot for election. He shall remain on the ballot for five years or until he receives a minimum of 75% of the voters. Unless the player is elected during one of his five years of eligibility, his name shall be removed from subsequent ballots.

Snuffy first became eligible for election to the Hall in 1957, but then died in 1958. The election rules allow a player who was previously eligible for election but then died before he become ineligible shall be eligible for being placed on the annual ballot for his full five years

It may be interesting to look at the names of a few of the players who were nominated for election by being placed on the ballot during the years when Snuffy was also eligible for such placement; each one received at least one vote for election. BUT Snuffy could never make to the list to join such notable players as: Kiki Cuyler, Eppa Risney, Nick Altrock, and Art Nehf. Just another example of the BBWAA in action.

The BBWAA action in the 1945 MVP voting along with their record in the Baseball Hall of Fame, could easily raise the possibility of some bias and/or prejudice by these writers in regard to Snuffy Stirnweiss. At least I believe it could be so..
.

It’s quite likely that I’ve gone on much too long with this diatribe in which I’ve likely exhibited MY bias and prejudice towards Snuffy. I hope I’ve built a case for my feelings.

It is likely that I’ve lost a number of readers by this point; yet I do have to offer one more bit. It is quite apparent that there might be two Snuffy’s: My Snuffy and the one seen by the BBWAA members.

So, let me provide this statement, which I hope, tells the story of:

WHO WAS THE REAL SNUFFY STIRNWEISS?

Who was the real Snuffy Stirnweiss? There was the Snuffy that

Had so many friends at Fordham Prep and The University of North Carolina. There was the Snuffy Stirnweiss that millions of Yankee fans worshiped as their baseball hero. The best way to learn about him is to listen to his many friends talk about him.

There was Fr. Matty O’Rourke. He and George were virtually inseparable friends during all of their days at Fordham Prep. There wasn’t anything they didn’t do together. When Snuffy needed help with his studies, which was quite often, Matty was there to lend a helping hand when Calculus became too much of a chore during the middle of football season. Although it had been sixty years or more, others spoke just as lovingly of their memories of Rabbit, as he was known during his Prep days.

One has only to listen to UNC President Erskine Bowles in several letters he wrote about how George is remembered at the university. He is still in the university sports hero status at the level of Charlie Justice.

The statement made by George Steinbrenner: iii regarding Snuffy’s career: “Stirnweiss never received the accolades his performance demanded. iwhich George deserved, Hopefully, your book will change that, and he will rightly receive his due. Of course there is some percentage of the millions of fans who saw him play who would remember him as do I..

But it is the Snuffy who is remembered by his teammates in basketball, baseball, and football, who after all these years have gone by, can still remember him at the end of every game running as fast as he ever did on the football field to get to the opposition teammates. Regardless of whether he was on the winning or losing team, everyone he could get to was given a warm, congratulatory handshake and a slap on the back (hugs weren’t the thing in those days). And he had words for them too. Probably some thought this was just grandstanding or showing off, but those who thought this didn’t know the real Snuffy.

He couldn’t have been more sincere when he said to a player who may have been the “enemy” just a few minutes earlier, “Great game. You have a wonderful team”. George had only love and admiration for those on the other side of the field. It wasn’t in his nature to behave in any other way. And he felt exactly the same way about his fellow teammates; and he told them often. And, those who knew the real Rabbit Stirnweiss knew his every word was sincere, earnest, and heartfelt.

It is probably best summed by again by Fr.Matty O’Rourke who was devastated when he heard of his friend’s death, especially since he wasn’t able to be at his funeral. It may have been close to sixty years since Snuffy’s death, but when Matty said to me: “I still miss George. He IS my best friend.”. He couldn’t have been more in earnest. There were tears in his voice.

It has been an effort of over three years to get the story of George Stirnweiss told. My research began with visiting with members of his family in New Jersey, followed by visits to Fordham Prep in New York, and the University of North Carolina. Of course I’ve spent countless hours searching the internet for what ever I could find. I have an e-mail file with close to 200 contacts with anyone who could tell me more about Snuffy. And every bit of these tasks was a true labor of love. I do not regret one minute spent in this work, even though I’m not much closer to getting his biography published, despite having sent the document to Acquisition Editors at close to 100 publishers. I came ”close” with only two (no point in telling that story). But, now age and health are bringing me close to the end of my being able to continue without some help (I’m starting my 84^th year and inflicted with Parkinson’s Disease, and several of the usual afflictions of an octogenarian: high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, hearing loss, macular degeneration in one eye (I’m a virtual Cyclops), et al. But I always tell myself, as I do others complaining about “old age”, that growing old might not be much fun, but it’s infinitely better than the alternative.

At one point, for about a year, I was working with an agent who made considerable effort to find a willing publisher. I know she was highly motivated because her getting paid was dependent on getting the book published. Although she was not successful in her efforts, when she quit, she did leave me with one piece of advice: “find a friend inside a book publisher” the chance of getting a submissions editor to read a unsolicited document for a biography about a relatively unknown baseball player are slim. But, working from the inside at the start will greatly improve your chances (**)

I most definitely am not seeking help with any of the aforementioned ailments since I’m already seeing too many physicians and taking 31 prescription medications daily. Thank GOD for the help I get from the VA and Medicare with the costs of all this medical assistance.

The help I urgently need is with making some effective contacts inside the world of book publishing. ** My hope is that there is a Snuffy friend who has a friend or a friend who has a friend inside some book publisher. Most publishers specialize in what they print: cookbooks, fiction, self- help books, etc. I am asking to publish the book as a paperback, gift-book that is a somewhat6 easier category to crack.

If you can help, please contact me via my e-mail:

Patmack27@comcast.net

Even when I use my VA hearing aids, I don’t function very well on the phone, but I can manipulate an e-mail message to enable me to read it.

REGARDS,

Pat

Talks hurt Derek Jeter-GM relationship - ESPN New York

2011-04-25T07:40:00.000-04:00

Talks hurt Derek Jeter-GM relationship
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESPNNewYork.com

The relationship between Derek Jeter and New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was seriously and perhaps irreparably damaged during last fall's contract talks, according to an upcoming book about the Yankees captain by ESPN New York columnist Ian O'Connor.

“Don't you think I've tried? I try, and sometimes I've just got to walk away and come back and try again, but you know I've tried. And every time I try, he'll do something that pushes me away."

-- Derek Jeter on '06 rift with A-Rod

The book, "The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter," details a Nov. 30 sit-down in which Jeter, his agent Casey Close and Creative Artists Agency attorney Terry Prince met with Cashman, team president Randy Levine and co-owner Hal Steinbrenner to iron out their differences. The Tampa summit lasted four hours, but Jeter stayed for only the first 45 minutes, telling his employers -- especially Cashman -- how angry he was that they had made details of the negotiations public.

When Jeter got up to leave the room, Cashman asked the shortstop to sit back down and hear him out. "You said all you wanted was what was fair," the GM told the shortstop. "How much higher do we have to be than the highest offer for it to be fair?"

Jeter, who had no other offers in his first pass at free agency, ultimately signed a three-year, $51 million guaranteed deal plus an option year and incentive bonuses. But the negotiations were often difficult. When Close told Daily News columnist Mike Lupica that the Yankees' negotiating stance was "baffling," Hal Steinbrenner gave Cashman the green light to take the fight to Jeter and Close in the media. The quote that would anger Jeter the most was the one Cashman gave to ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews, who quoted the GM saying that Jeter should test the market to "see if there's something he would prefer other than this."

Levine met with Jeter in the shortstop's Trump World Tower home the day before the contract would be finalized. According to the book, Jeter told Levine he needed more money added to the proposed performance bonuses in the Yankees' offer, bonuses tied to awards such as league MVP, World Series or League Championship Series MVP, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. Jeter spent a couple of hours making an impassioned plea to Levine, who was playing the good cop to Cashman's bad cop. Levine was so taken by Jeter's arguments that one official estimated the shortstop earned an extra $4-5 million in that meeting before signing the following afternoon in a suite at the Regency.

O'Connor's book demonstrates other awkward Jeter-Cashman moments. When the relationship between Jeter and Alex Rodriguez was at its coldest in 2006, the two came together for a dropped pop-up in a blowout loss to the Orioles. After the ball fell harmlessly to the dirt, Jeter gave A-Rod a death stare in full view of everyone in the ballpark.

Then-manager Joe Torre would scold the third baseman and shortstop for the drop, but Cashman asked his manager to do more. The GM asked Torre to talk to Jeter about improving his relationship with A-Rod. When Torre declined, Cashman confronted Jeter himself.

"Listen, this has to stop," the GM told the captain. "Everybody in the press box, every team official, everyone watching, they saw you look at the ball on the ground and look at him with disgust like you were saying, 'That's your mess, you clean it up.'"
"Show me the video," Jeter told Cashman in disbelief. "Show me the video."

The GM didn't bother, but advised Jeter to do a better job of embracing Rodriguez, if only for the sake of perception. One friend of Jeter's agreed with Cashman and told the shortstop to try to make A-Rod feel more welcome in the clubhouse.

"Now you're sounding like everyone else," Jeter told the friend, according to the book. "Don't you think I've tried? I try, and sometimes I've just got to walk away and come back and try again, but you know I've tried. And every time I try, he'll do something that pushes me away."

In 2007, Cashman decided he needed to address his shortstop's declining defense, and he didn't ask the newly-hired Joe Girardi to run this meeting for fear it might destroy the manager-captain relationship before it had a chance.

So Cashman met with Jeter at an Upper East Side restaurant, and the GM maintains he wasn't eager to blitz a beloved icon. "If you had a daughter," Cashman says in the book, "you'd want her to marry Derek Jeter. He's a great person."

But the GM did the job he was paid to do, telling Jeter the team needed him to improve his fielding in the offseason. According to the book, Cashman was under the impression that Torre had already approached the shortstop about the need to improve his range and, ultimately, about a possible move to center field.

Jeter shocked Cashman by telling him Torre had mentioned no such thing. The GM assured Jeter that the team had issues with his declining range. "You mean to tell me we were trying to win a championship every year," the shortstop told Cashman, "and there was a way for me to get better to help us do that, and nobody told me? ... I want to do everything I can to get better."

"I don't think you should have a problem with trying to get better," Jeter would tell O'Connor of the meeting with Cashman. Asked if he was on board with Cashman's suggestion that he needed to improve defensively, Jeter said, "Why wouldn't I be? It's important to get better and to be willing to listen."

This article can be found at: http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6422592

Maris' feat is more impressive with time- by: Mark Hermann - Newsday

2011-04-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

Maris' feat is more impressive with time

April 23, 2011 by MARK HERRMANN / mark.herrmann@newsday.com

As sports controversies go, the brouhaha over Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961 deserves an asterisk. That is, the controversy seemed like a big deal, but it really doesn't count. So slap on an asterisk, which has been the quick and easy way to discredit something for 50 years.
It goes back to the days when influential people thought Maris' record was flimsy enough to deserve an asterisk. He was criticized and vilified as he outraced Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle to surpass what then was the most celebrated standard in sports: Babe Ruth's 60 home runs in a season.
Hall of Famers said Maris wasn't worthy. Yankees fans held it against him that he wasn't Mantle. Purists, including baseball commissioner Ford Frick, said Maris technically didn't break Ruth's record because the schedule had expanded from 154 games to 162 in 1961 and Maris didn't hit his 61st within the first 154. Hey, get your red-hot asterisk here!

Fact is, there never was an asterisk. The threat of it was just part of tainting with a broad brush, along with detractors' arguments that Maris was batting against diluted expansion-year pitching, playing in bandbox ballparks and hitting supposedly juiced balls.
What no one ever did insist, though, was that Maris himself was juiced. Not even the harshest nit-pickers ever accused him of cheating.
That brings us to today, with the controversy having come full circle. Today, purists are on Maris' side.
Today, what with all kinds of testimony of steroid use involving Mark McGwire (who broke Maris' record by hitting 70 homers in 1998 and later admitted using substances that now are banned) and Barry Bonds (who broke McGwire's record by hitting 73 in 2001 and who was convicted of obstructing justice in his steroids-related trial), Maris is the one without the controversy, or the asterisk.
"I still consider him the one who has the record," said Bobby Richardson, Maris' teammate and friend.
Today, there is new regard for the man who was, Maris' son Richard has said, fueled only by caffeine and Camel cigarettes.
As for whether Maris remains the rightful single-season home run king, Tony Kubek, who batted directly in front of him for most of 1961, said: "That's something I could not care less about. All I know is that Roger was a great ballplayer."
But Jim Coates, who had one of his best pitching seasons in 1961 and has written a book titled "Always a Yankee," was more direct about McGwire, Bonds, Sammy Sosa and others: "Here's my opinion on that. I think they should have every one of their records stripped. Guys like Roger and Mickey, they did it on their own."
A detailed new book, "1961*" by Phil Pepe -- a rookie Yankees beat reporter in 1961 -- devotes an epilogue to putting Maris in context of the performance-enhancing drugs era. "He's the last guy who was a true, clean home run champion," he said in an interview. "It hasn't all been proven, but it seems he is the last guy who did it without artificial aid.
"The steroid problem," Pepe said, "has made Maris bigger than he had been."
Maris certainly was a big name 50 years ago. He was on his way to a second consecutive American League Most Valuable Player award. He (and Mantle) appeared in two movies, "That Touch of Mink" and "Safe at Home." Still, his profile fell way short of Babe Ruth's.
By 1961, Ruth had been gone long enough to seem mythical. On the other hand, 1961 still was close enough in the sweep of history to have Ruth's contemporaries still around, throwing cold water on Maris' chase.
Kubek said a barb from Rogers Hornsby and the backlash from Maris' response rankled the Yankees' rightfielder and affected his strained relationship with the media. "Roger was a quiet North Dakota guy. He wasn't from the big city, with big quotes," Kubek said. "But he was the most accessible guy, maybe ever, in the first part of the 1961 season."
Said Richardson, "It was hard because nothing was coordinated, PR-wise, and Roger was asked the same questions over and over."
Pepe, who covered the 1961 Yankees for the New York World-Telegram and Sun and later became a columnist for the Daily News and then a radio commentator, said some reporters were "exasperated" by Maris' handling of unfolding history. "He didn't get it, he didn't understand," the writer said.
But Pepe added that there was no bias against Maris in the press box -- despite how reporters came across in "61*," a movie produced by Billy Crystal. "Why would you root against him? Why wouldn't you want to be part of that? I never heard anybody say, 'I hope he strikes out,' " Pepe said. "I liked the movie, but Hollywood has to have a villain."
Judging from the booing at Yankee Stadium, Maris was the villain as he went up against two Yankees icons, Ruth and Mantle (who hit 54 in '61). Teammates say it never drove a wedge between Mantle and Maris, who shared an apartment in Queens with fellow outfielder Bob Cerv. What the whole experience did do was separate Maris from patches of his hair, which wound up down the drain because of stress.
Harmon Killebrew, an Idaho native who hit 46 homers for the Twins in 1961, rooted for the North Dakota family man down the stretch. "Roger was a really likable person," Killebrew said recently. "But I don't know that a lot of people in New York were rooting for him. I think they wanted Mickey."
"Honestly, everybody on the team was pulling for Mickey because he had come up in the system. But when Mickey was hurt and couldn't play anymore, our allegiance switched to Roger," said Richardson, who became close with Maris and delivered the eulogy at his funeral in 1985 (saying Maris is "in God's Hall of Fame").
The baseball establishment seemed to have its own favorite in the race: a burly rightfielder who had put home runs on the map. Frick had been a ghostwriter for Ruth and was seen by some as a loyalist. For the record, the commissioner said at the time that he thought a 162-game season was only a temporary expansion-year experiment (it lasts to this day).
Pepe reports that Frick held a meeting that summer with veteran baseball writers to say there would be a special designation if anyone topped Ruth's record after the 154th game. "Like an asterisk?" columnist Dick Young reportedly asked, and Frick did not disagree.
As Pepe points out at the start of Chapter 10: "There was no asterisk. Not then. Not now. Not ever." (The asterisk in the title is deliberately ironic, the author said, because "that's what people remember.") Instead, Frick approved a separate listing for Maris as record-holder in a 162-game season. Ruth was allowed to keep his 154-game mark. That was changed in 1991 and Maris posthumously was awarded the record outright.
"With Roger, that record was the best thing and worst thing that ever happened," Kubek said. "The bad part was that people thought it was the only thing he could do."
Teammates saw him as a complete talent and competitor, a good outfielder with an outstanding arm. "He was the toughest player in all of baseball for breaking up the double play," Richardson said of Maris, a standout high school halfback. "He'd slide and knock you into leftfield."
Maris also helped make the 1961 Yankees one of the best teams in history. "The greatest one, as far as I'm concerned," Coates said. Former Yankees credit first-year manager Ralph Houk for using Whitey Ford on three days of rest instead of his customary four, producing a 25-4 Cy Young season. They still compliment Houk for shuffling the lineup to bat Maris third, ahead of Mantle, setting the table for history.
History is growing increasingly kind to the man who had only 23,154 witnesses for his 61st homer Oct. 1, 1961 (including 19-year-old truck driver Sal Durante, who caught it in the rightfield seats). Maris now comes off as the clean one, the fellow who didn't buckle under the specter of an asterisk.
During the height of the controversy, Maris told reporters, "A season is a season."
All things considered, no one else really has had one like it.

Get Some GREAT FREE Baseball Tips on Hitting and Pitching from Larry Cicchiello

2011-04-24T10:43:00.000-04:00

Hello Baseball Fans,

Check out the following links and get some great advice from Larry Cicchiello regarding hitting and pitching tips. Then be sure to check out Larry's website at: http://LarryBaseball.com

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Coaching-Tips--A-Very-Sneaky-Way-To-Help-Your-Teammate-Steal-A-Base-/881018

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Tips-On-Hitting--How-You-Can-Get-To-Know-The-Opposing-Pitcher-Very-Quickly-/879661

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Coaching-Tips--Eight-Ways-To-Know-That-Your-Pitcher-Is-Getting-Tired-/882439

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Hit-And-Run-Play--How-To-Execute-It-Perfectly--/1242299

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Pitching-Tips--How-You-Can-Get-To-Know-The-Tendencies-Of-A-Hitter-Very-Quickly-/1242691

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Tips-On-Hitting--You-Better-Be-Moving-Your-Head-/886207

Enjoy these great tips today!

Local Negro Leaguer, Stanley ‘Doc’ Glenn, dies

2011-04-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

Local Negro Leaguer, Stanley ‘Doc’ Glenn, dies

Tuesday, 19 April 2011 16:02

Written by Donald Hunt Tribune Staff Writer

Stanley Glenn

Philadelphia has lost a baseball legend. Stanley Glenn, who played for the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro League, passed away on Saturday, April 16. Ironically, Glenn died one day after Major League Baseball recently celebrated “Jackie Robinson Day.” Robinson broke the color line in baseball on April 15, 1947. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Glenn, a Yeadon resident, played against Jackie Robinson during his baseball career. He played for the Stars from 1944-1950. The man they call “Doc” was a terrific catcher. Prior to his passing, there were four surviving members of the Stars. Now, they’re only three: Mahlon Duckett, Bill Cash and Harold Gould.
Services for Glenn will be held on Monday, April 25 at Camphor United Methodist Church, 5620 Wyalusing Avenue. The viewing will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The funeral service will immediately follow the viewing.
Glenn was a tremendous high school ballplayer who could hit, throw the ball and call a good game behind the plate. He played baseball at Bartram High School in the Public League during the 1940s.
Carson “Cal” Puriefoy, Glenn’s nephew, followed his baseball career since he was a youngster. Puriefoy, director of public relations for the Philadelphia Stars, also worked closely with the Negro League Baseball Players Association. He will certainly miss Glenn’s warm personality and being around him for so many years.
“My uncle and grandfather (Charles Glenn) used to take me up to Elmwood (Avenue in Southwest Philly) to watch him play during the summer,” Puriefoy said. “I would spend my days watching Uncle Stanley play baseball. Patti LaBelle (R&B singer) didn’t live far from Elmwood.
“They called him “Doc,” but Uncle Stanley had another nickname. They called him “Slamming Stanley.” He was a great hitter at Bartram. He could hit the ball out to Elmwood Avenue. They won two city championships at Bartram. He played with Chip Wilkes who was a great player.
“He graduated from high school when he was 16 years old. Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston signed him when he joined the Stars. They played at 44th and Parkside (Avenue). But I watched Uncle Stanley play in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Newark, (N.J.) and New York.
“I saw him play against Larry Doby when he played for the Newark Eagles before he went up to the Cleveland Indians. He played against Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson. I remember watching him play at Shibe Park. Negro League teams could play in major league ballparks on Mondays. That was one day when they didn’t play their games.
“Uncle Stanley was a great speaker. I worked with him on getting him speaking engagements. He spoke at Northeastern University in Boston and Georgetown in Washington, D.C. He was my hero. He was a great man. I’m really going to miss him.”
Puriefoy worked tirelessly to support Glenn’s efforts. He did an outstanding job of promoting his book titled “Don’t Let Anyone Take Your Joy Away.” He wrote the book in 2006. He was 80 years old at the time.
“Negro League baseball is history, and a part of American history,” Puriefoy said. “He used to talk about that.”
Glenn was absolutely right. It’s also a sad part of history. Glenn was talented enough to play in the majors. The New York Yankees scouted him during his scholastic days. It’s just that baseball wasn’t taking Black players during those days.
Negro League players suffered a terrible injustice during those years. If you ever get a chance to interview or talk to any of players, there’s not a trace of bitterness in their voice even though they had every right to be bitter and upset being denied the opportunity to play in the big leagues.
Glenn never exhibited any harsh feelings towards major league baseball. He worked extremely hard to make life better for his peers. He was the president of the Negro League Baseball Players Association. In 2007, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association recognized Glenn, Duckett, Cash and Gould at its sports banquet. In 2003, the Stars were honored with a Negro Leagues Memorial Statue. Glenn was around for all those great moments.
“He really appreciated all those things,” Puriefoy said.

Contact Tribune staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or dhunt@phillytrib.com.

Funny Sports Quotes!

2011-04-10T11:08:00.000-04:00

Sports Quotes - This was sent to me via email. Thought I would share with my readers....Some pretty good ones.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson on being a role model: "I want all the kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I want all the kids to copulate me. "

New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season: "I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."

And, upon hearing Joe Jacoby of the 'Skins say "I'de run over my own Mother to win the Super Bowl, "Matt Millen of the Raiders said, "To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too."

Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann 1996: "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

Oiler coach Bum Phillips: When asked by Bob Costas why he takes his wife on all the road trips, Phillips responded, "Because she is too damn ugly to kiss good-bye."

Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh: "I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes."

Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach: "You guys line up, alphabetically by height." And "You guys pair up in groups of three, and then line up in a circle."

Clemson recruit Ray Forsythe, who was ineligible as a freshman because of academic requirements: "I play football. I'm not trying to be a professor. The tests don't seem to make sense to me, measuring your brain on stuff I haven't been through in school."

Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again with promoter Don King: "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton."

Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he keeps a Color photo of himself above his locker: "That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my clothes."

Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece: "I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."

Shaquille O'Neal, on his lack of championships: "I've won at every level, except college and pro."

Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Golota: "He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."

Pat Williams, Orlando Magic general manager, on his team's 7-27 record: "We can't win at home. We can't win on the road. As general manager, I just can't figure out where else to play." (1992)

Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice: "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt." (1982)

Tommy Lasorda, Dodger manager, when asked what terms Mexican-born Pitching sensation Fernando Valenzuela might settle for in his upcoming contract negotiations: "He wants Texas back." (1981)

Darrell Royal, Texas football coach, asked if the abnormal number of Longhorn injuries that season resulted from poor physical conditioning: "One player was lost because he broke his nose. How do you go about getting a nose in condition for football?" (1966)

Mike McCormack, coach of the hapless Baltimore Colts after the team's co-captain, offensive guard Robert Pratt, pulled a hamstring running onto the field for the coin toss against St. Louis: "I'm going to send the injured reserve players out for the toss next time." (1981)

Steve Spurrier, Florida football coach, telling Gator fans that a fire At Auburn's football dorm had destroyed 20 books: "But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet." (1991)

Jim Finks, New Orleans Saints G.M., when asked after a loss what he thought of the refs: "I'm not allowed to comment on lousy officiating." (1986)

Alan Kulwicki, stock car racer, on racing Saturday nights as opposed to Sunday afternoons: "It's basically the same, just darker." (1991)

Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player: "I told him, Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'" (1991)

Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins: "He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings."(1991)

Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D: "Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject." (1987)

National Geographic Channel to Air Demolition of Old Yankee Stadium in Late April

2011-04-10T09:44:00.001-04:00

The Demolition of Old Yankee Stadium will air on April 28 on the National Geographic Channel at 10:00 PM EST and 7:00 and 10:00 PM PST.

Be sure to check out this historical piece.

Parking rates at Yankee Stadium skyrocket

2011-03-31T21:43:00.000-04:00

Parking rates at Yankee Stadium skyrocket

March 31, 2011 by NEIL BEST / neil.best@newsday.com
Before the Yankees recorded their first official statistic of 2011 Thursday, many of their fans were unpleasantly surprised by this number on opening day: 35.
That is the cost, in dollars, to self-park -- it's $48 for valet service -- in the garages and surface lots outside Yankee Stadium, up from $23 in 2010 and $12 as recently as 2005.
"I guess it's expected -- when you have a $200 million payroll, someone has to pay the bills," said Deek Medzadourian, of Washington Township, N.J., before the home opener against the Tigers.
The hefty increase is not the Yankees' doing, though. The team does not control the lots.
"I'm still not happy about it," Medzadourian said. "I just texted my friend, who is driving here. I told him to be ready to pay."

The spiraling cost is a byproduct of the financial woes that have beset the corporation the city chose to build and operate the spaces surrounding the stadium. Primarily because of major underuse of the 8,500 or so available spots, the Bronx Parking Development Co. (BPDC) has flirted with defaulting on its bonds and is far behind in rent and taxes to the city, said people familiar with the situation. A city official, who asked not to be identified, estimated that the unpaid rent totals $10.5 million, and unpaid payments in lieu of taxes are $6.4 million.
The latest price increase was a last-ditch effort to increase revenue, at the risk of driving even more fans from official parking to alternate lots or public transportation.

"Everything is going up in this world, so I am not surprised parking is up, too," said Joseph Stamm of Flatbush before the game. "I would expect it."
The Yankees sought the large parking capacity around the stadium as part of its deal for new Yankee Stadium, but fans have flocked instead to public transportation -- including a new Metro North stop nearby -- and cheaper independent parking options. They include the Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market several blocks away.
The Yankees naturally are displeased about the negative public-relations impact of the $35 charge and have offered to work with BPDC to market the spaces, so far to no avail.
"If they asked us for help, we would gladly assist," said Alice McGillion, a team spokeswoman. BPDC would have faced default on its $237 million in tax-exempt bonds Friday if bondholders had not struck a deal last week to keep the company going at least through this season, after it dipped into its reserve fund.

"The agreement will give BPDC and the bondholders time to evaluate potential remedies to the current shortfall," said Kyle Sklerov, a spokesman for the New York City Economic Development Corp."Over the next year we will make ourselves available to assist in discussions with all parties involved to help evaluate potential alternatives. We remain open to exploring all options that the parties and others propose."
Sklerov stressed that the city is not at financial risk. "The bonds are not a general obligation of the city or the IDA [Industrial Development Agency] in any way, shape or form," he said.
A BPDC spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.
The Mets control the lots outside Citi Field under the terms of their lease with the city, said Dave Howard, executive vice president of business operations.
The city does have the right to approve prices. The cost for 2011 is $19, up from $18.
With John Riley and Robert Cassidy

BILL WHITE DISCUSSION/SIGNING AT YOGI BERRA MUSEUM ON APRIL 1

2011-03-28T17:02:00.000-04:00

Bill White, one of baseball's most significant figures in the 20th century, will discuss and sign copies of his new memoir at the Yogi Berra Museum& Learning Center on Friday, April 1 from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

A standout first baseman in the 1950s and '60s, and outspoken critic of racial policies in spring training, White became baseball's first African-American play-by-play man when he joined the Yankees' broadcast booth in 1971. He teamed with Phil Rizzuto for 18 years as one of the game's most popular announcing tandems.

In 1989, White became the highest-ranking black executive in baseball when he became National League president, serving until 1994.

Copies of White's new book, "Uppity: My Untold Story of the Games People Play" are available at the Museum. To RSVP or reserve a personalized copy, call 973-655-2378.

Question about the 1960 and 1961 Old Timer's Day Game - Help!

2011-03-25T18:16:00.000-04:00

Hello, I received the following question from a fan, named Sue. She asked the following:

"Brad,

Do you know when the date of 1960 Yankees Old timers game and if George McQuinn was a part of that game, as an old timer? Also do you know if there was an Yankees old timers game in 1961? If so, the date and if Joe DiMaggio was there, as well as George McQuinn?

My family & I were at one of those games and my brother was able to get some autographs. However, there us no date on them.

Thank You.

Sue"

Below was my response......

"Hi Sue,

As you already may know, George McQuinn played for the Yankees in 1947 and 1948. Played 144 games in 47 and 94 in 1948. Most of his career was spent with the St. Louis Browns, from 38-45. He was an All-Star in 47 and 48 with the Yankees and finished 6th in the voting for the MVP, won by Joe DiMaggio that year, with another Yankee, Joe Page, finishing 4th in the voting. Amazingly the Yankees had many players in the top 20 for MVP voting that year...also included were Tommy Henrich, Spec Shea, Yogi Berra, Allie Reynolds, and Billy Johnson.

The game in 1960 was played on Saturday, August 13, 1960 and featured "The 1939 American and National League All Star Teams".

The game in 1961 was played on Saturday, July 29, 1961 and honored "All-Time Stars of the New York Yankees, Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers." This was the 15th annual Old Timer's Game. This was the first time that the Yankees honored the all-time New York area ballplayers.

There has been an Old Timer's Game was played each and every year since 1947.

I would make sense that he was invited to the 1960 and 1961 games, as well as DiMaggio.

I wish I had more information on all the games, but there is so little on them.

The page I have dedicated to it is here: http://www.ultimateyankees.com/oldtimersday.htm

Sorry I could not be of more help. I will ask a friend of mine Paul if he knows anything more. He may have a program or yearbook that would show a list of invitees. If so, I will pass it on.

All the best,
Brad"
-----------------------------------
Any help on whether George McQuinn or Joe DiMaggio were there would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has those programs and can confirm, please contact me ASAP and we'll get the information to Sue.

Thanks for your help,

Brad

Big Deals, Pujols And Pachyderms - PressBoxOnline.com

2011-02-23T18:55:00.001-05:00

Big Deals, Pujols And Pachyderms
By Jim Henneman

SARASOTA, FL -- This is a tale of 10-year contracts, a reminder that timing indeed is everything, and the elephant that won't leave the negotiating room in any future contract talks involving Albert Pujols.

It all started after the 2000 season, when super agent Scott Boras found his perfect ploy while shopping the talents of baseball's best player at the time -- Alex Rodriguez. Talk about timing. There was Tom Hicks, owner of the heavy-hitting but pitching-starved Texas Rangers, ready to make a splash signing that would make him the talk of Texas and all of baseball. Oh boy, did it ever. Good timing.

While then-general manager Doug Melvin was desperately trying to upgrade then-manager Johnny Oates' pitching staff, Hicks didn't write the check, but made the $252 million, 10-year commitment that made A-Rod, at the height of his career, easily the highest paid player in the game.

You can read the rest of the story at: http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?ID=7402

2/23/11 - Everything’s $98.76 – One Day Only! CALL JASON TODAY FOR THESE AMAZING DEALS!!!

2011-02-23T10:47:00.003-05:00

Everything’s $98.76 – One Day Only!

That’s right! Everything on this e-mail promotion is just $98.76…check out the following pieces on a special 1-Day Only $98.76 Sale! Make sure to read all the way to the bottom, there are some names on this list you wouldn’t expect to be there! Reach me at 800-909-9162 for all orders. Have a great day!

***All prices below are only valid when ordering with me direct at 800-909-9162.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Stay Connected:

Friend Me on Facebook: Click Here Follow Me on Twitter:Click Here

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Bonus: Filthy Special!

MLB Parks 20x24 Collage – Contains Dirt From All 30 Stadiums $299 (reg $600)

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Bonus: Yankees Legends 2-Ball Set

Mickey Mantle & Joe DiMaggio Hand Signed 2-Ball Set $2,499 (reg $3,735)

Mantle Ball

DiMaggio Ball

2-Ball Case

Bonus: Buy One, Get One Free Display Cases

Need to protect your collectibles? Today, I’m offering a buy one, get one free special on select glass display cases. Free case must be of equal or lesser value to the case purchased. Some cases don’t apply. Contact me to reserve.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Everything’s $98.76

Andy Pettitte Hand Signed 2009 WS 8x10 $98.76 (reg $250)

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Derek Jeter “The Dive” Framed Filmstrip Collage $98.76 (reg $130)

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Yankee Stadium Seatback $98.76 (reg $250)

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-Jason (800-909-9162)

This e-mail offer expires on 2/23/11 at 5 pm.

Jason Klein

Director of Editorial & Web Content

Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Inc.

145 Huguenot Street

New Rochelle, NY 10801

Direct: 1-800-909-9162

Direct: 1-914-307-1093

jklein@steinersports.com

Successful "National" Opens Door for Another Charm City Blockbuster Collectibles Show

2011-02-19T15:59:00.002-05:00

Successful "National" Opens Door for Another Charm City Blockbuster Collectibles Show

April 22nd and 23rd at the Pikesville Hilton

Baltimore recently hosted the 31st Annual National Sports Collectors Convention (referred to as, “The National”) to rave reviews with over 35,000 fans and collectors that converged at the Baltimore Convention Center, August 4 – 8th. The five (5) day event is the largest collectibles show in the country, with dealers from all over the country exhibiting, including major licensed trading card manufacturers, game-used and vintage memorabilia dealers, grading, authentication and auction houses. More than seventy-five (75) athletes representing baseball and football signed autographs for the public throughout the duration of the show.

For the past thirty years the multi-billion sports collectibles industry has looked upon The National Sports Collectors Convention as their crown jewel event. Coming off the success of The National, other show promoters have recognized the rich sports tradition Baltimore provides, including loyal, knowledgeable fans and collectors who reside in Charm City.

MAB Celebrity Services, a New Jersey based collectibles show promoter and Schulte Sports, Inc., located in Woodstock, Maryland are teaming up to co-promote a regional blockbuster show featuring our Charm City Heroes, April 22nd and 23rd at the Pikesville Hilton. MAB was instrumental in bringing many of the high profile athletes in to sign at The National. Mollie Bracigliano, owner MAB Celebrity Services said, “We saw firsthand how Baltimore responded (to the event) and we look forward to working with Schulte Sports to bring another successful show to Baltimore”.

Although the Pikesville Hilton show won’t reach the 30,000 attendance mark set by The National in Baltimore, the caliber of athletes signing make it second to none. Scheduled to appear publicly and sign autographs are Baseball Hall of Fame and Orioles’ greats; Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray and Earl Weaver and also includes newly elected Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee and former Oriole star Robbie Alomar. In addition, all the living Baltimore Orioles who won American League Rookie of the Year honors will appear. They include Ron Hansen (1960), Al Bumbry (1973), Eddie Murray (1977), Cal Ripken (1982) and Gregg Olson (1990). They will be joined by Davey Johnson, Ray Knight, Bob Turley, Lee May, Marty Cordova and Juan Beniquez, with more baseball and football stars to be added to the current roster of signers.

The Charm City Heroes show will open at 6pm on April 22nd and close at 9pm. Admission is FREE Friday night with Frank Robinson and Gregg Olson scheduled to sign for the public from 6pm to 8pm. Saturday, admission is $8 and the doors open at 9am and close at 5pm. In addition to the athletes signing all day, JSA Authentication and many of the prominent Baltimore memorabilia/collector dealers will be set up to; buy, sell and trade their unique sports and entertainment collectibles.

For up-to-date information concerning which players have been added to the signing roster, what times players will be signing and how to purchase autograph tickets visit www.MABCelebrity.com. Exhibitors who would like to participate in the two (2) day show can contact Melissa@mab-celebrity.com or Ray@SchulteSports.com for more information.

Listen to Ray each Wednesday on Baltimore's Pressbox Power Lunch (Fox1370am) when he co-host with Stan Charles between 12 noon and 1pm - Ray@SchulteSports.com

Raymond M.Schulte

President / CEO

Schulte Sports Inc.

10545 Chester Way

Woodstock, Maryland 21163

Ray@SchulteSports.com

www.SchulteSports.com

www.SchulteAuctions.com

(410) 350-6226

With Yankees radio deal with WCBS-AM e ntering final year, ESPN-1050 & others could enter the bidding

2011-02-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

With Yankees radio
deal with WCBS-AM e
ntering final year,
ESPN-1050 & others
could enter the bidding

The offseason didn't produce major changes for the
Yankees, but as spring training approaches,
Bombers brass is contemplating an off-field switch.
The Yankees are entering the final year of their radio
contract with WCBS-AM. John Sterling and Suzyn
Waldman will open things up on Feb. 26 calling the
Phillies-Yankees exhibition game. The radio
industry is struggling. That doesn't mean the
Bombers' won't have options if they are seeking a
new radio partner.
WCBS-AM, the radio home of the Yankees since
2002, currently pays $13 million per year for the
Bombers radio rights. That's big moolah for a
baseball radio deal, but not tops in Major League
Baseball. That distinction belongs to the Red Sox
who are pulling down $18 million per for their
radio rights.
The Yankees probably are looking for Red Sox-like
money. Considering the state of the economy in
general, and the radio business in particular, they
will be lucky to get a slight increase from WCBS-AM
unless, of course, there's a "desperate" radio outlet
looming.
Like most rights-fee negotiations, the incumbent
station has an "exclusive" bargaining period. If an
agreement is not reached on a new contract with
WCBS-AM before that "exclusive" window closes,
other outlets can bid.
ESPN-1050 will be a player for Yankees rights. It
could play the role of the "desperate" outlet.
Acquiring Yankee baseball would instantly fill a
huge void for a station hustling for ratings,

bringing it higher visibility from a vast audience
that has no idea ESPN-1050 even exists. A 1050
partnership with the Yankees would instantly turn
up the competitive heat on WFAN, home of the Mets,
by increasing - probably significantly - 1050's
ratings.
There's a major stumbling block for ESPN-1050 - its
weak signal. Two Dixie Cups attached by a string is
a powerhouse by comparison. Seriously though,
Yankees brass probably doesn't want its games
airing on a station with - literally - no juice.
ESPN can alleviate the problem by purchasing a
station with a strong signal. Industry sources say
ESPN has shown interest in buying RXP 101.9, an
FM station owned by Emmis Communications. Emmis
was asking $125 million for the station, but the
price has apparently dropped to $100 million.
If ESPN does not acquire a station with a big-time
signal, but comes in with the highest bid, would the
Yankees decide to glom the money at the expense of
being stuck on 1050?
That would be risky business, potentially
disastrous. In 2005, St. Louis Cardinals suits
decided to buy 50% of KTRS-AM and move their
games off powerhouse KMOX-AM. The Cardinals
wound up having to place games on five other
stations in a failed attempt to reach maximum
listeners in the market. This season, the Cards are
returning to KMOX.

Spring Fling – Pitchers & Catchers Report - Contact Jason Today and SAVE!

2011-02-14T17:59:00.002-05:00

Spring Fling – Pitchers & Catchers Report

Spring is here…well, sort of! Around baseball, Pitchers & Catchers report today, signaling Spring is on the way! Reach me direct at 800-909-9162 to take advantage of the following “Pitchers & Catchers” specials!

***All prices below are only valid when ordering with Jason direct at 800-909-9162.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Yankees “Spring Fling” Set $49 (reg $75)

Today, I am offering you the opportunity to get your hands on this “Tradition Continues” Set. For a limited time only, while supplies last, I am offering a Two-Ball Spring Fling Set commemorating the historic 2009 season at Yankee Stadium. It was both the first year of the new building, and the Yanks captured their 27th World Series title. In this set, both events are commemorated as the 2009 Inaugural Season Baseball is matched with the 2009 World Series Baseball. This two ball set comes complete with a 2-ball glass display case.

2009 World Series Ball

2009 Inaugural Season Ball

2 Ball Glass Display Case

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The “Perfect” Pitchers & Catchers 2 Ball Sets:

Yogi Berra & Don Larsen 2 Ball Set with Case $199 (reg $385) Perfect Game Battery From 10/8/56

Don Larsen Ball

Yogi Berra Ball

2 Ball Glass Case

Joe Girardi & David Cone 2 Ball Set with Case $199 (reg $385) Perfect Game Battery From 7/18/99

Joe Girardi Ball

David Cone Ball

2 Ball Glass Case

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pitchers and Catchers

Jonathan Papelbon 11x14 Mini Dirt Collage $29 (Reg.$60)

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Ron Darling Hand Signed Baseball $49 (reg $90)

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Gary Carter Hand Signed “HOF” Baseball $89 (reg $220)

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Nolan Ryan MLB Baseball w/ "HOF" Insc. $99 (Reg. $150)

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Matt Cain MLB Baseball (MLB Auth) $99 (Reg.$150)

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Fenway Park Game Used Red Seatback (#2) $99(reg $200)

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Buster Posey MLB Baseball $99 (Reg. $150)

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CC Sabathia Signed MLB Baseball (MLB Auth) $149 (Reg.$250)

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Johan Santana MLB Baseball $149 (Reg.$200)

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Tim Lincecum Mosaic Framed 16x20 Photo (Ltd of 1,000) $199

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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Captain’s Special

Derek Jeter "The Flip" Filmstrip Collage 10x17 Photo Baseball $299 (reg $600)

Derek Jeter has hand signed this 10x17 filmstrip collage photograph of him completing the famous “Miracle Flip” play vs. Oakland Athletics during the 2001 ALDS. There are a limited amount being offered at this special $299 price! Reach me direct at 914-307-1075 to reserve yours!

Click Here To View

New A-Rod Photo – One Day Only Price!

Alex Rodriguez Touching The Joe DiMaggio Quote In The Yankee Stadium Tunnel Vertical 16x20 Photo $299 (Reg. $500)

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-Jason (800-909-9162)

Jason Klein

Director of Editorial & Web Content

Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Inc.

145 Huguenot Street

New Rochelle, NY 10801

Direct: 1-800-909-9162

Direct: 1-914-307-1093

jklein@steinersports.com

Pols Pitch Mets-, Yanks-bound Ferries from Glen Cove - By Long Island Press on February 1st, 2011

2011-02-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Pols Pitch Mets-, Yanks-bound Ferries from Glen Cove - By Long Island Press on February 1st, 2011

Local politicians are pitching ferry service between Glen Cove, Queens and the Bronx for baseball fans who don’t want to drive to see the New York Yankees and the New York Mets play.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced Monday that he has asked the two ball clubs to work with the City of Glen Cove to promote ferries from the waterfront to the stadiums. He’s pushing for discount ticket packages like those offered for Long Island Rail Road riders who take the train to Citifield.

“With very little investment from the Yankees and the Mets, we have the potential to get thousands of cars off the road, attract multiple ferry operators, and provide a safe and scenic trip for families and friends who want to catch a convenient ride to the ballgame,” Schumer said at a news conference at the Glen Cover Ferry Terminal.

The federally funded project to build the terminal began last June. Glen Cove officials and public transportation advocates have pushed for ferries from Glen Cove to downtown Manhattan and other destinations accessible via the Long Island Sound.
Ferry service to New York baseball stadiums is not be without precedent. Fans can currently ride boats offered by Manhattan-based New York Waterways and New York Water Taxi.

Schumer hopes that ferries from Long Island will bring a boost of economic activity to the Glen Cove waterfront area.
“The ferry terminal and docking facility at Glen Cove Creek is well positioned to handle a variety of uses as they relate to commuting, tourism and recreational components,” Mayor Ralph Suozzi said.
Schumer added: “A partnership between the Yankees and Mets and the Glen Cove Ferry would be a homerun for baseball fans throughout Long Island.”
By Geoff Smith

Rangers Fans! Adam Graves Meet & Greet - Steiner Sports - Call Jason Today and Reserve Your Spot!

2011-02-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Adam Graves Meet & Greet

Date: Wednesday February 23^rd, 2011

Time: 5:45pm – 6:45pm

Location: Steiner Sports Office (145 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801)

Graves Package:

- (1) Adam Graves Autographed 8x10 Rangers Celebration Stanley Cup Photo Framed

- (2) people to attend the event

- Brief Q&A session with Graves

-Photo opportunity with Graves

- Light food and drinks
- Please bring your own camera
- No autographs will be given at the event

Price: $145

-Jason (800-909-9162)

Jason Klein

Director of Editorial & Web Content

Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Inc.

145 Huguenot Street

New Rochelle, NY 10801

Direct: 1-800-909-9162

Direct: 1-914-307-1093

jklein@steinersports.com

YANKEES ANDY PETTITTE TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT ON FRIDAY

2011-02-03T18:20:00.002-05:00

YANKEES ANDY PETTITTE TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT ON FRIDAY 
Pettitte, 38, finishes his career with a 240-138 (.635) record and 3.88 ERA (3,055.1 IP, 1,317 ER) in 479 starts over 16 Major League seasons with the Yankees (1995-2003 and '07-10) and Houston Astros (2004-06). He is one of just 26 pitchers all-time to complete his career 100-or-more games over .500. Of the 19 Hall of Fame-eligible pitchers who have reached that plateau, only "Parisian" Bob Caruthers, who went 218-99 from 1884-92, is not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE FRIDAY, FEB. 4 AT 10:30 A.M. ET ON YANKEES.COM >>
http://link.mlblists.com/r/86S09Y/WTZVGZ/9B3VR/MP04XH/ORZVYA/VB/t?a=4411377&b=183690598

Yanks prez: Rangers owner 'delusional' by Andrew Marchand ESPN

2011-01-28T19:05:00.000-05:00

Yanks prez: Rangers owner 'delusional'

By Andrew Marchand
ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- Yankees president Randy Levine has fired back at Texas Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg, calling him "delusional." The message was direct: Mind your business and keep your team off "welfare."

Levine made his comments in response to Greenberg's opinion that the Rangers kept the chase for Cliff Lee going long enough for the Phillies to sneak in and take Lee from the clutches of New York to the National League.
"I think Chuck is delusional," Levine told ESPNewYork.com. "He has been running the Rangers for a few minutes and seems to believe he's mastered what everyone else is thinking. I think he should let Cliff Lee speak for himself. I'll be impressed when he demonstrates he can keep the Rangers off welfare. What I mean is make them not be a revenue-sharing recipient for three years in a row, without taking financing from baseball or advance money from television networks. Then I'll be impressed."
The Yankees and Rangers have been going at it in the board room and in the media ever since the Rangers beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees were chapped that Greenberg said Lee might not want to play in New York because of how the fans acted toward Lee's wife.
The Yankees, including part-owner Hal Steinbrenner, went to the airwaves and responded, calling out Greenberg. Now, Levine is taking on Greenberg again because the Rangers' owner said he was glad that Lee ended up in the NL and not with the Yankees.

"We didn't know specifically that Philadelphia was in on Cliff until the day he agreed to terms with Philadelphia," Greenberg said Sunday at Rangers Fan Fest. "But all along we thought if a mystery team would come forward that there was a pretty good chance that it would be Philadelphia.
"We had three different meetings with Cliff and his wife and his agent in Little Rock. At the very first meeting he spoke very highly of the experience he had pitching for the Phillies. And it was clear that pitching here and in Philadelphia were the two most enjoyable experiences of his career. Even though Philadelphia was probably not in, they were always in the back of our mind.
"I think if we wouldn't have gone to Arkansas that last time, I think he was going to sign with the Yankees. We pried the door open a little bit to give ourselves another opportunity. And ultimately the Phillies were able to take advantage of that opportunity that we created. While we would have preferred that he would have chosen to go with us, we're real pleased that he's going to the other league."
Greenberg, along with Nolan Ryan, completed the purchase of the Rangers this year, but the transaction was held up for quite some time, leading to Major League Baseball coming in to help the franchise pay its bills.

Andrew Marchand covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com. ESPNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews contributed to this report.

Do You Want to Meet Mariano Rivera? Live and In Person? Check This Out!

2011-01-27T18:24:00.001-05:00

An Evening with Mariano Rivera

Steiner Sports is proud to offer you the opportunity to spend an evening with the Greatest Closer in Major League Baseball History, 5-Time World Series Champion, and Future Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera. On Monday, February 7th, a limited group of people will be talking baseball and enjoying time with Mo at our New Rochelle Corporate Office.

Everyone in attendance will take home a Limited Edition 8x10 Photograph Framed, Hand Signed by Mariano Rivera and inscribed Enter Sandman, Final Pitch 9/21/08 This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be limited to just 100 people. These packages will sell fast so don’t miss out. If you have any questions, or wish to reserve spots, please reach Jason direct at 800-909-9162. Have a great day!

Breakdown of Mariano Rivera Event

When: Monday, February 7th, 2011

Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Who: Mariano Rivera

Where: Steiner Sports Corporate Offices

Spots Available: 100 Total Packages

What You Get:

Package 1- RIVEEVE20711A

- 1 Ticket (1 person)

- 1 Mariano Rivera Final Pitch at Yankee Stadium Scoreboard 8x10 Photo Framed Inscribed “Enter Sandman, Final Pitch 9/21/08”

- Q&A Session with Rivera

-Photo Opportunity with Rivera

- Light Food and Drinks

Price: $499

Package 2 - RIVEEVE20711B

- 2 Tickets (2 People)

- 2 Mariano Rivera Final Pitch at Yankee Stadium Scoreboard 8x10 Photo Framed Inscribed “Enter Sandman, Final Pitch 9/21/08”

- Q&A Session with Rivera

-Photo Opportunity with Rivera

- Light Food and Drinks

Price $899

-Jason (800-909-9162)

Jason Klein

Director of Editorial & Web Content

Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Inc.

145 Huguenot Street

New Rochelle, NY 10801

Direct: 1-800-909-9162

Direct: 1-914-307-1093

jklein@steinersports.com

George Wanted Me to Burn the Letters by Mary Jane Schriner's Blog

2011-01-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

Check out the latest entry from Mary Jane Schriner.

http://mjschriner.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/george-wanted-me-to-burn-the-letters/

Jeter's New Mansion is Ready to Move Into. Check it out!

2011-01-27T18:16:00.001-05:00

http://www.skweezer.com/s.aspx/-/www2~tbo~com/content/2011/jan/20/210300/construction-finished-on-derek-jeters-tampa-mansio/news-metro/

YANKEES, SORIANO AGREE ON A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT

2011-01-18T19:14:00.002-05:00

YANKEES, SORIANO AGREE ON A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT

The Yankees officially signed free agent relief pitcher Rafael Soriano to a three-year deal on Tuesday. Soriano, 31, led the American League with 45 saves while serving as the Tampa Bay Rays' primary closer in 2010. He posted a 1.73 ERA in 64 appearances and was rewarded with his first All-Star nod in his nine-year career. Prior to joining the Rays in 2010, Soriano, who boasts a career 2.73 ERA, pitched in relief for the Mariners and Braves.

from Yankees.com

Cano, Hughes to be honored at BBWAA dinner

2011-01-15T11:56:00.002-05:00

Cano, Hughes to be honored at BBWAA dinner

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

Wednesday, Jan. 12 12:26 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Robinson Cano and Phil Hughes will be presented with awards from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America at its annual dinner on Jan. 22. The gala affair, to be held at the New York Hilton, also features the presentation of baseball's eight national awards to both league's MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year and Managers of the Year.
Cano has been selected for the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award, coming off a breakout season in which he batted .319 with 29 home runs and 109 RBIs in 160 games for New York.
Hughes is being presented with the Good Guy Award after posting a career-high 18 victories and his first career All-Star Game selection, recording a 4.19 ERA in 31 games (29 starts).
Longtime Yankees principal owner George M. Steinbrenner, who passed away on July 13 at age 80, will also be posthumously honored with the Joan Payson Award for community service.
The New York chapter is also welcoming a trio of retiring managers for the Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award, honoring Bobby Cox, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre, who combined for 6,887 victories, 12 pennants and six World Series titles at the helm of their respective clubs.
The Mets will be represented at the function by pitcher R.A. Dickey, who has been selected for the You Gotta Have Heart Award.
Other award winners selected by the New York BBWAA chapter are Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew.
Tickets for the 88th annual BBWAA dinner are priced at $225 and can be purchased by e-mailing Phil Pepe at philpepman@cs.com.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com.

Don Mattingly host first Mattingly Charities fundraising event at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant - January 27, 2011

2011-01-09T20:10:00.001-05:00

Don Mattingly host first Mattingly Charities fundraising event at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant

Schulte Auctions to Conduct On-Line Auction Supporting Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shelton, CT - Mattingly Charities,a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, today announced their first organization fundraising event will be held Thursday, January 27,2011, 6pm - 10pm, at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant, located in New York City.

The event, hosted by Len Berman, will include an intimate cocktail reception, dinner, a silent auction, a question/answer session with Don Mattingly and will conclude with musical entertainment featuring talented youth members from The Boys' Club of New York. Former baseball greats Bernie Williams, Tom Seaver along with former New York Rangers' legend, Rod Gilbert will be attending, in addition to other athletes and celebrity friends expected to attend to support Don's launch of Mattingly Charities.
Founded by former New York Yankee Captain and current Los Angeles Dodgers' manager, Don Mattingly created Mattingly Charities to serve under- privileged youth by supporting programs that promote baseball and softball participation.
"We are very excited to officially kick-off Mattingly Charities and announce a very special relationship with the Boys' Club of New York," said Don Mattingly, 1985 American League MVP.

Schulte Auctions will be conducting an on-line memorabilia auction featuring numerous signed collectible items to benefit the fundraising efforts of Mattingly Charities. A Charlie Daniels signed fiddle, a B.B. King signed Lucille guitar, a Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride signed guitars, are just a few items currently posted LIVE on www.SchulteAuctions.com closing, Monday, January 31, 2011 at 10 pm EST.

For more information on how to purchase event tickets or donate on-line please visit www.MattinglyCharities.org or e-mail arielle.mazzei@mattinglybaseball.com

About Mattingly Charities
Mattingly Charities is a non-profit organization, created to serve underprivileged youth by supporting programs which promote baseball and softball participation in conjunction with other developmentary related activities, for the benefit of underprivileged youth, youth leagues, and social welfare and related organizations. 100% of the efforts of the organization will be focused on these activities. Initially, Mattingly Charities will partner with existing charities that already have established operations and aligned mission statements and serve primarily as a source of funding and equipment for these organizations. Funding will be generated year round through various activities including special events and direct solicitation of the general public.

Event Contact: Arielle Mazzei
arielle.mazzei@mattinglybaseball.com
http://www.mattinglycharities.org/
Media Contact: Ray Schulte
Ray@SchulteSports.com
(410) 350-6226 (cell)
http://www.schultesports.com/

Ex-Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren dies - AP

2011-01-09T11:46:00.002-05:00

Friday, January 7, 2011
Ex-Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren dies

Associated Press

LAKE WALES, Fla. -- Ryne Duren, an All-Star pitcher known for a 100 mph fastball, occasional wildness and Coke-bottle glasses that created a most intimidating presence on the mound, has died at his winter home in Florida. He was 81. Duren died Thursday, stepson Mark Jackson said Friday. An All-Star in three seasons, Duren helped the New York Yankees reach the World Series in 1958 and 1960. Duren's unique first name lives on in baseball history. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg's plaque in Cooperstown includes this note: "Named after former Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren." They are the only major leaguers named Ryne, according to baseballreference.com. But it was Duren's blazing heater -- and 20/200 vision in his left eye, 20/70 in his right -- that always attracted attention. The look was very Ricky Vaughn from the movie "Major League." Duren was known for coming out of the bullpen and throwing at least one of his warmup pitches to the backstop on the fly. He later kidded that he sometimes did it on purpose. Either way, opposing batters took notice, and Duren's reputation grew. "Ryne could throw the heck out of the ball. He threw fear in some hitters. I remember he had several pair of glasses but it didn't seem like he saw good in any of them," Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra said Friday. "He added a lot of life to the Yankees and it was sad his drinking shortened his career," he said. Duren wrote about his alcohol problems in his books "I Can See Clearly Now" and "The Comeback." He spent many years working with ballplayers, helping them with their addictions, and was honored by the Yankees for his efforts. Duren played for seven teams during a big league career from 1954-65. He went 27-44 with a 3.83 ERA in 311 appearances, all but 32 in relief. The right-hander struck out 630 and walked 392 in 589 1/3 innings, and threw 38 wild pitches. "Everybody knew Ryne," former Yankees teammate Bobby Richardson told The Associated Press by telephone. "He was a legend. "It got to be a thing at the Old-Timers' games. He'd come in and throw one into the stands. It was a lot of fun. But I can tell you, it was no fun to hit against him. Everyone was afraid he was going to hit them." Richardson recalled being on second base in a game when Duren was pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. Richardson noticed the catcher was softly tossing the ball back to Duren, so he started running and stole third without a throw. "Ryne took it as a slight and came over and told me that the next time he faced me, he was going to throw one right at me," Richardson said. That's when one of Duren's old carousing buddies, Yankees star Mickey Mantle, stepped in. "Mickey took him out drinking that night and calmed him down," Richardson said. "I saw Mickey later and he said, 'You're all right, he's not going to hit you now." Richardson, the 1960 World Series MVP who later worked for the Baseball Assistance Team and Baseball Chapel, praised Duren's efforts off the field. "He helped so many former ballplayers, counseling them and doing follow-up work. He really made a difference in so many lives," he said. In 1986, Duren testified in New York at a state Assembly hearing that was considering a bill requiring an alcohol-free zone at sporting events with 250 or more spectators. Rinold George Duren was born in Cazenovia, Wis., and was a prep star. His fastball was so overpowering, his youth coaches often had him play the infield, rather than risk having him hurt someone with his pitches. Duren once recalled he frequently played at second base as a kid. He could simply underhand the ball over to first and besides, he couldn't see well enough to play the outfield. He made his major league debut with Baltimore in 1954. He led the AL with 20 saves for the Yankees in 1958. That fall, he won Game 6 of the World Series with 4 2/3 impressive innings against the Milwaukee Braves, his favorite team as a boy. The Yankees then won Game 7 at Milwaukee for the championship. Duren was 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA in five World Series games. He was with the Yankees from 1958-61 and played for Baltimore, the Kansas City Athletics, Angels, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Washington. Duren was the first Angels pitcher to strike out four batters in an inning. His name is on the Walls of Honor display at Miller Park in Milwaukee as a Wisconsin-born big leaguer.

Girl killed in AZ melee Former Yankees Green’s grandkid - AP

2011-01-09T11:29:00.002-05:00

Girl killed in AZ melee Green’s grandkid

January 9, 2011 by The Associated Press

The 9-year-old girl killed by a gunman who opened fire at an Arizona congresswoman’s event is the granddaughter of former manager Dallas Green, The Philadelphia Phillies said Sunday.
Christina-Taylor Green was shot outside a Tucson grocery story when she went to see Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was meeting with constituents there. Giffords was among 13 people wounded in the melee that killed six people, including Arizona’s chief federal judge and an aide for the Democratic lawmaker.
“The Phillies organization expresses our heartfelt condolences to Dallas and Sylvia and the entire Green family on the senseless, tragic loss of Christina’s life,” team president David Montgomery said. “She was a talented young girl with a bright promising future. Her untimely death weighs heavily on our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected by yesterday’s horrific shooting.”

An uncle of the 9-year-old girl tells the Arizona Republic that a neighbor was going to the event and invited her along because she had just been elected to the student council and was interested in government.
Dallas Green is a former pitcher and manager in the major leagues. He’s an executive advisor for the Phillies, the team he managed to the World Series championship in 1980. Green managed the Yankees in 1989 and the Mets from 1993-1996.

Pettitte Not Coming Back Because of Clemens? Could Be....

2011-01-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 7, 2011
Updated: January 8, 3:01 PM ET
Clemens reason for Pettitte's pause?

By Wallace Matthews
ESPNNewYork.com

Nearly four years after he cashed his last Yankees paycheck, $18 million for a half-season's work and a 6-6 record, it is possible that Roger Clemens is still exacting a heavy price from the team.


	Pettitte and Clemens used to be very close, but not anymore.

We are now barely a month away from the beginning of spring training and Andy Pettitte has still not decided whether he wants to pitch in 2011. On Thursday, he told a New York Post reporter who showed up on his doorstep in Deer Park, Texas, the same thing he told reporters in the clubhouse in Arlington the night the Yankees were eliminated by the Texas Rangers, the same thing he has been telling the Yankees during their infrequent conversations this offseason: that he hasn't made a decision. All season long, I believed his reason -- a desire to spend time at home with his young but growing family, a desire I can relate to with two children of my own. But now, as Pettitte continues to dither on what he really wants to do, the thought occurs that there might be another factor at work. Clearly, it's not a matter of ability -- Pettitte's 11-2 record up to the point of his groin injury in July that robbed him of two months of the season proves he can still pitch, and probably better than anyone in the Yankees' rotation not named Carsten Charles. And it's not a matter of money -- right now, the Yankees' payroll sits at a treacherously low $170 million and with Cliff Lee out of the picture, you know that $30 million of Boss Bucks is just burning a hole in Brian Cashman's pocket. So either Pettitte wants to pitch, or he doesn't. What's taking him so long to decide? Well, maybe it is what is waiting for him in July, a hot seat on the witness stand in the upcoming federal perjury trial against Clemens. Pettitte is expected to be the government's star witness against his former teammate and buddy, and in fact, might be the only man standing between The Rocket and a jail cell. Clemens, of course, is a slimy character. His accuser, Brian McNamee, is every bit as slimy with a background that is maybe even more shady. No matter how strong the evidence or how many dirty syringes McNamee saved in a soda can in his basement, his and Clemens' testimony will probably cancel one another out just on the sleaze factor alone. That leaves Pettitte, and his word, as the swing vote -- and you know Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, is going after Pettitte in the only areas he can in order to discredit his testimony. He is going to do his level best to crush Pettitte's reputation for honesty and sincerity and religious convictions. Simply put, he is likely to try to paint Pettitte as a lying hypocrite whose word cannot and should not be trusted. The cross-examination could get embarrassing and highly personal.
And in a situation like that, pitching for the New York Yankees every five days and facing a ravenous media horde on a daily basis is not exactly where anyone in his or her right mind would want to be.
In that context, Pettitte's indecision becomes not only clear, but quite understandable. When Pettitte says he hasn't decided, it seems to mean that he really wants to pitch, but something is keeping him from committing himself to it.
True, there have been other offseasons in which he waited until well into January to decide -- one season, he announced his decision on Jan. 26 -- but never one in which this kind of thing was looming over his head.
Facing reporters to answer questions regarding his HGH use in a news conference in spring training was like an appearance on "The View'' compared with being grilled by a defense attorney trying to keep a client out of jail.
My guess is the fear of that is keeping Pettitte on the shelf so far this winter -- and if so, then Clemens is about to drag down his old team once again.
This, of course, is as much the Yankees' fault as it is Clemens' -- for forging an unholy alliance with a player almost universally despised in their clubhouse before he joined them, for indulging his "special desires,'' for allowing him to write his own rules. Clemens pitched well in his first stint with the Yankees, but the negative things he brought along with him negate many of his accomplishments.
He embarrassed the team by throwing a broken bat at Mike Piazza, forcing Joe Torre into the impossible position of having to defend the indefensible. He forced them to hire McNamee, who brought his own variety of shame and dishonor to the club.
Clemens, too, strung the Yankees along on what seemed like an annual Hamlet routine of to pitch or not to pitch, one year even going so far as to accept thousands of dollars worth of ''retirement gifts'' -- only to resurface the next year as a member of the Houston Astros. He neither returned the gifts nor showed an ounce of embarrassment.
But his crowning achievement came in 2007, when he played the Yankees for an $18 million contract -- more like $28 million if projected over a full season -- sat out until June, and then delivered a .forgettable 500 season. That was followed by his star turn in the Mitchell report, his shameful performance before Congress in which he introduced the word "misremembered'' to the sports lexicon, and then he slunk off, many of us
But now, perhaps he is rearing his ugly head again. Now, he may be one of the reasons -- not the only one, of course -- why the Yankees head into spring training with a pitching rotation that is decidedly third-best in the division. Perhaps he is the reason Pettitte is so reluctant to do what it appears he really would like to do for one more season.
As a man who has ties to both the Yankees and Pettitte told me Friday, "He's afraid of a lot of things right now. People have told him he's going to be a major distraction this year. He knows his name is going to be dragged through the mud and he knows that when you're a Yankee, there's nowhere to hide.''
Maybe Pettitte is hoping Clemens will come to his senses and cop a plea before his case ever gets to trail. Maybe he is waiting to see if U.S. district judge Reggie Walton, who has already pushed back the start date from April to July, will delay the trial further, to October or November.
Or maybe he really is wrestling with the issues he discussed all season, the struggle between wanting to continue doing what he does so well and wanting to enjoy his family while they are still around to be enjoyed.
But if that was the whole story, you would think he would have made his decision by now.
Something is keeping Andy Pettitte from issuing the final verdict on his 2011 intentions.
Perhaps it's the prospect of having to testify against Roger Clemens and stand up to what could be a public humiliation, both in the courtroom and in the clubhouse.
If that's the case, then once again The Rocket will have cost his former team a whole lot more than just money.
Wallace Matthews covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.