IBWAA SELECTS BLYLEVEN IN 2010 HALL OF FAME VOTE
Los Angeles - The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) has selected pitcher Bert Blyleven in its inaugural Hall of Fame election.
Blyleven, a 287-game winner, who pitched for five teams in a 22-year major league career, was named on 88% of IBWAA ballots, and was the only player to receive 75% of the vote, the same threshold required by the Base Ball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), in the election which determines the actual inductees.
IBWAA ballots listed the same 26 nominees as did the traditional writers', used the same December 31, 2009 deadline for votes to be valid, with no rounding up of percentages permitted for selection (i.e., a 74.85 count would not suffice).
Blyleven's 287-250 lifetime mark places him 27th on baseball's all-time list, his 4970 innings pitched is the 14th highest total in the sport's history, and his 3701 strikeouts ranks fifth all-time, behind Nolan Ryan (5714), Randy Johnson (4875), Roger Clemens (4672) and Steve Carlton (4136).
Blyleven started 685 games during his career, which puts him at 11th all-time. Of the top 15 players on the career starts list, only Blyleven, Tommy John (700 starts) and the not-yet-eligible Tom Glavine (682) are not members of the Hall of Fame. Blyleven is one of only nine men to throw 60 shutouts in a career, and of the top 20 in the category, he is the only man not in the Hall.
Complete voting results are as follows:
Bert Blyleven: 88%
Roberto Alomar: 65%
Jack Morris: 63%
Andre Dawson: 47%
Barry Larkin: 47%
Mark McGwire: 47%
Tim Raines: 47%
Edgar Martinez: 41%
Lee Smith: 41%
Don Mattingly 29%
Dale Murphy 29%
Fred McGriff: 24%
Alan Trammell: 24%
Dave Parker: 12%
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 by Howard Cole, editor of BaseballSavvy.com, to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as an alternative voice to the BBWAA.
Among others, IBWAA members include Kevin Braun, freelance writer and former copy editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Tim Brown, YahooSports, Tom Hoffarth, Media/General Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLosAngeles.com; Ben Maller, FoxSports.com; David Pinto, BaseballMusings.com; Gary Warner, Travel Editor, Orange County Register; 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 $20. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available.
For more information on the IBWAA, please visit the temporary webpage here, http://www.baseballsavvy.com/internetbaseballwriters.html. In the coming months, the IBWAA can be found at www.InternetBaseballWriters.com.
Contact:
Howard Cole
Acting Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Notable sports deaths of the decade by Neil Best
Notable sports deaths of the decade
December 31, 2009 by NEIL BEST / neil.best@newsday.com
Bobby Murcer during introductions for
The 2000s saw the deaths of dozens of prominent figures in New York sports, far too many properly to memorialize here.
Below are 21 21st century passings who stood out for various reasons, presented in alphabetical order and with no disrespect to the many whose names aren’t listed but are part of fans’ memories forever.
Hank Bauer, Yankees
(July 31, 1922-Feb. 9, 2007)
His seven championship rings and 17-game World Series hitting streak spoke for themselves. So did his decisive three-run triple in the clinching Game 6 of the 1951 Series.
Roy Boe, Islanders/Nets
(Sept. 14, 1929-June 7, 2009)
As owner of the Nets and Islanders during key periods for those teams he was a pivotal figure in Long Island sports. Alas, he sold Roosevelt’s own Dr. J to the Sixers.
Rosey Brown, Giants
(Oct. 20, 1932-June 9, 2004)
From a 27th-round draft pick to a pillar at offensive tackle, Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler, a Hall of Famer and still arguably the Giants’ best offensive player ever.
Donn Clendenon, Mets
(July 15, 1935-Sept. 17, 2005)
After arriving in mid-season from Expos, he drove in four runs and scored two in the Mets’ NL East clincher in ‘69, then was the World Series MVP with three homers.
Dave DeBusschere, Knicks
(Oct. 16, 1940-May 14, 2003)
Hall of Famer was defensive rock for Knicks’ only two NBA title teams. Later, as an executive, he pumped fist in celebration upon winning draft rights to Patrick Ewing.
Tommy Henrich, Yankees
(Feb. 20, 1913-Dec. 1, 2009)
“Old Reliable’’ hit first walk-off home run in World Series history in Game 1 against Brooklyn in 1949. He also was at bat when Mickey Owen dropped third strike in ’41.
Rusty Kanokogi, judo
(July 30, 1935-Nov. 21, 2009)
After hardscrabble childhood in Coney Island, she became a women’s judo pioneer, lobbying for inclusion in Olympics starting in 1988, when she was U.S. coach.
Corey Lidle, Yankees
(March 22, 1972-Oct. 11, 2006)
Despite only three months as a Yankee, his death in a small plane crash in Manhattan shocked the sports world and led to new flight regulations over the East River.
Wellington Mara, Giants
(Aug. 14, 1916-Oct. 25, 2005)
The NFL’ss most respected figure was associated with the football Giants for eight decades, and was sent off with a St. Patrick’s Cathedral funeral for the ages.
Tug McGraw, Mets
(Aug. 30, 1944-Jan. 5, 2004)
Colorful personality won World Series with ’69 Mets and ’80 Phillies but is best remembered for his rallying cry during Mets’ pennant run in ‘73: “Ya Gotta Believe.’’
Bobby Murcer, Yankees
(May 20, 1946-July 12, 2008)
Fan favorite during lean seasons in Bronx later became popular TV broadcaster. His finest moment: starring in victory hours after Thurman Munson’s funeral in ’79.
Bob Murphy, Mets
(Sept. 19, 1924-Aug. 3, 2004)
Member of Mets’ original broadcast team with Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner offered recaps, happy and not so happy, for 42 seasons before retiring after 2003.
Al Oerter, discus
(Sept. 19, 1936-Oct. 1, 2007)
The Sewanhaka High alum won gold in the discus in four Olympics in a row: 1956, ’60, ’64 and ’68. He narrowly missed qualifying for the ‘80 U.S. team in a comeback.
Floyd Patterson, boxing
(Jan. 4, 1935-May 11, 2006)
Turned from troubled Brooklyn youth into Olympic gold medalist in 1952, then won heavyweight title in ’56 and won it back in ’60 – at the time an unprecedented feat.
Johnny Podres, Dodgers
(Sept. 30, 1932-Nov. 13, 2008)
After decades of waiting ‘til next year, the Dodgers beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the ’55 World Series behind Podres’ 2-0 shutout; he was named Series MVP at 23.
Phil Rizzuto, Yankees
(Sept. 25, 1917-Aug. 13, 2007)
Holy cow, what a run! After a Hall of Fame playing career with the Yankees, he spent 40 years on their broadcast team as a lovable homer for his hometown team.
Kyle Rote, Giants
(Oct. 27, 1927-Aug. 15, 2002)
An early knee injury kept the No. 1 overall pick in the ’51 draft from being as great as he might have been, but he was hugely popular with teammates and fans.
Johnny Sample, Jets
(June 15, 1937-April 26, 2005)
He was on the winning side of two iconic NFL games: The overtime 1958 title game for the Colts and Super Bowl III for the Jets, in which he intercepted pass.
Malik Sealy, St. John’s
(Feb. 1, 1970-May 20, 2000)
The No. 2 career scorer at St. John’s was in the middle of a productive NBA career when he was killed by drunk driver during his time with the Timberwolves.
Brad Van Pelt, Giants
(April 5, 1951-Feb. 17, 2009)
The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker was the Giants’ best player during the bleak 1970s, and was a bridge from their Yankee Stadium days to the Giants stadium era.
Tommy Agee, Mets
(Aug. 9, 1942-Jan. 22, 2001)
No one old enough to remember Game 3 of the 1969 World Series ever will forget Agee, whose home run and two catches in centerfield lifted the Mets to a 5-0 victory.
December 31, 2009 by NEIL BEST / neil.best@newsday.com
Bobby Murcer during introductions for
The 2000s saw the deaths of dozens of prominent figures in New York sports, far too many properly to memorialize here.
Below are 21 21st century passings who stood out for various reasons, presented in alphabetical order and with no disrespect to the many whose names aren’t listed but are part of fans’ memories forever.
Hank Bauer, Yankees
(July 31, 1922-Feb. 9, 2007)
His seven championship rings and 17-game World Series hitting streak spoke for themselves. So did his decisive three-run triple in the clinching Game 6 of the 1951 Series.
Roy Boe, Islanders/Nets
(Sept. 14, 1929-June 7, 2009)
As owner of the Nets and Islanders during key periods for those teams he was a pivotal figure in Long Island sports. Alas, he sold Roosevelt’s own Dr. J to the Sixers.
Rosey Brown, Giants
(Oct. 20, 1932-June 9, 2004)
From a 27th-round draft pick to a pillar at offensive tackle, Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler, a Hall of Famer and still arguably the Giants’ best offensive player ever.
Donn Clendenon, Mets
(July 15, 1935-Sept. 17, 2005)
After arriving in mid-season from Expos, he drove in four runs and scored two in the Mets’ NL East clincher in ‘69, then was the World Series MVP with three homers.
Dave DeBusschere, Knicks
(Oct. 16, 1940-May 14, 2003)
Hall of Famer was defensive rock for Knicks’ only two NBA title teams. Later, as an executive, he pumped fist in celebration upon winning draft rights to Patrick Ewing.
Tommy Henrich, Yankees
(Feb. 20, 1913-Dec. 1, 2009)
“Old Reliable’’ hit first walk-off home run in World Series history in Game 1 against Brooklyn in 1949. He also was at bat when Mickey Owen dropped third strike in ’41.
Rusty Kanokogi, judo
(July 30, 1935-Nov. 21, 2009)
After hardscrabble childhood in Coney Island, she became a women’s judo pioneer, lobbying for inclusion in Olympics starting in 1988, when she was U.S. coach.
Corey Lidle, Yankees
(March 22, 1972-Oct. 11, 2006)
Despite only three months as a Yankee, his death in a small plane crash in Manhattan shocked the sports world and led to new flight regulations over the East River.
Wellington Mara, Giants
(Aug. 14, 1916-Oct. 25, 2005)
The NFL’ss most respected figure was associated with the football Giants for eight decades, and was sent off with a St. Patrick’s Cathedral funeral for the ages.
Tug McGraw, Mets
(Aug. 30, 1944-Jan. 5, 2004)
Colorful personality won World Series with ’69 Mets and ’80 Phillies but is best remembered for his rallying cry during Mets’ pennant run in ‘73: “Ya Gotta Believe.’’
Bobby Murcer, Yankees
(May 20, 1946-July 12, 2008)
Fan favorite during lean seasons in Bronx later became popular TV broadcaster. His finest moment: starring in victory hours after Thurman Munson’s funeral in ’79.
Bob Murphy, Mets
(Sept. 19, 1924-Aug. 3, 2004)
Member of Mets’ original broadcast team with Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner offered recaps, happy and not so happy, for 42 seasons before retiring after 2003.
Al Oerter, discus
(Sept. 19, 1936-Oct. 1, 2007)
The Sewanhaka High alum won gold in the discus in four Olympics in a row: 1956, ’60, ’64 and ’68. He narrowly missed qualifying for the ‘80 U.S. team in a comeback.
Floyd Patterson, boxing
(Jan. 4, 1935-May 11, 2006)
Turned from troubled Brooklyn youth into Olympic gold medalist in 1952, then won heavyweight title in ’56 and won it back in ’60 – at the time an unprecedented feat.
Johnny Podres, Dodgers
(Sept. 30, 1932-Nov. 13, 2008)
After decades of waiting ‘til next year, the Dodgers beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the ’55 World Series behind Podres’ 2-0 shutout; he was named Series MVP at 23.
Phil Rizzuto, Yankees
(Sept. 25, 1917-Aug. 13, 2007)
Holy cow, what a run! After a Hall of Fame playing career with the Yankees, he spent 40 years on their broadcast team as a lovable homer for his hometown team.
Kyle Rote, Giants
(Oct. 27, 1927-Aug. 15, 2002)
An early knee injury kept the No. 1 overall pick in the ’51 draft from being as great as he might have been, but he was hugely popular with teammates and fans.
Johnny Sample, Jets
(June 15, 1937-April 26, 2005)
He was on the winning side of two iconic NFL games: The overtime 1958 title game for the Colts and Super Bowl III for the Jets, in which he intercepted pass.
Malik Sealy, St. John’s
(Feb. 1, 1970-May 20, 2000)
The No. 2 career scorer at St. John’s was in the middle of a productive NBA career when he was killed by drunk driver during his time with the Timberwolves.
Brad Van Pelt, Giants
(April 5, 1951-Feb. 17, 2009)
The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker was the Giants’ best player during the bleak 1970s, and was a bridge from their Yankee Stadium days to the Giants stadium era.
Tommy Agee, Mets
(Aug. 9, 1942-Jan. 22, 2001)
No one old enough to remember Game 3 of the 1969 World Series ever will forget Agee, whose home run and two catches in centerfield lifted the Mets to a 5-0 victory.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Yankees hit with close to $25.7M luxury tax
Yankees hit with close to $25.7M luxury tax
NEW YORK (AP) — Winning came with a hefty price for the New York Yankees.
The World Series champions were hit with a luxury tax of nearly $25.69 million Monday, the penalty for once again crossing the payroll threshold in baseball's collective bargaining agreement.
New York is the only team to pay a tax for this season and has crossed the threshold in all seven years since the tax started. According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Yankees must send a check to the commissioner's office by Jan. 31.
The Yankees have been billed $174 million of the tax's $190 million total since 2003. The only other teams to pay have been Boston ($13.9 million for 2004-7), Detroit ($1.3 million for 2008) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,059 for 2004).
At least the Yankees got value for their spending, winning the World Series for the first time since 2000 after adding high-priced free agents CC Sabathia (FSY), A.J. Burnett (FSY) and Mark Teixeira (FSY). And the Yankees did lower their tax bill from $26.86 million last year, when their streak of consecutive playoff appearances ended at 13.
WORLD SERIES REWIND: Relive the Yankees 2009 championship
New York's payroll was $226.2 million for the purpose of the luxury tax and the Yankees pay at a 40% rate for the amount over $162 million. To compute the payroll, Major League Baseball uses the average annual values of contracts for players on 40-man rosters and adds benefits.
The Yankees' regular payroll — using 2009 salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses — finished at $220 million. That was a drop of $2.5 million from 2008 but more than $77.8 million higher than any other team — a gap larger than the payrolls of the bottom 11 clubs.
The New York Mets were second at $142.2 million, followed by the equally disappointing Chicago Cubs ($141.6 million).
Boston ($140.5 million) was next, followed by Detroit ($139.4 million) and NL champion Philadelphia ($138.3 million), a big increase from the $112.7 million the Phillies spent when they won the World Series in 2008.
Only two teams outside the top 11 by payroll made the postseason: Colorado (16th at $84.5 million) and Minnesota (23rd at $73.1 million).
Florida again was last in the majors, even though the Marlins raised their payroll by $10.5 million to $37.5 million. San Diego dropped from 23rd at $71.2 million to 29th at $43.2 million.
Half the 30 teams cut payroll from 2008. In addition to the Padres, Seattle dropped from $120.5 million to $102.3 million, Toronto fell from $98.3 million to $84.1 million and Cincinnati sliced from $82.9 million to $72.7 million.
Besides the Phillies, other teams with big increases were Tampa Bay ($51.0 million to $71.2 million), San Francisco ($82.1 million to $95.2 million), Kansas City ($69.2 million to $81.9 million), the Cubs ($130.5 million to $141.6 million) and Washington ($59.7 million to $69.3 million).
Overall payroll rose 1.2% to $2.91 billion from $2.88 billion, down from a 6.3% increase the previous year.
Payroll figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions, such as money included in trades. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values.
The commissioner's office computed the average salary at $2,882,336. The players' association, which uses slightly different methods of calculation, had its average at $2,996,106.
NEW YORK (AP) — Winning came with a hefty price for the New York Yankees.
The World Series champions were hit with a luxury tax of nearly $25.69 million Monday, the penalty for once again crossing the payroll threshold in baseball's collective bargaining agreement.
New York is the only team to pay a tax for this season and has crossed the threshold in all seven years since the tax started. According to the collective bargaining agreement, the Yankees must send a check to the commissioner's office by Jan. 31.
The Yankees have been billed $174 million of the tax's $190 million total since 2003. The only other teams to pay have been Boston ($13.9 million for 2004-7), Detroit ($1.3 million for 2008) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,059 for 2004).
At least the Yankees got value for their spending, winning the World Series for the first time since 2000 after adding high-priced free agents CC Sabathia (FSY), A.J. Burnett (FSY) and Mark Teixeira (FSY). And the Yankees did lower their tax bill from $26.86 million last year, when their streak of consecutive playoff appearances ended at 13.
WORLD SERIES REWIND: Relive the Yankees 2009 championship
New York's payroll was $226.2 million for the purpose of the luxury tax and the Yankees pay at a 40% rate for the amount over $162 million. To compute the payroll, Major League Baseball uses the average annual values of contracts for players on 40-man rosters and adds benefits.
The Yankees' regular payroll — using 2009 salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses — finished at $220 million. That was a drop of $2.5 million from 2008 but more than $77.8 million higher than any other team — a gap larger than the payrolls of the bottom 11 clubs.
The New York Mets were second at $142.2 million, followed by the equally disappointing Chicago Cubs ($141.6 million).
Boston ($140.5 million) was next, followed by Detroit ($139.4 million) and NL champion Philadelphia ($138.3 million), a big increase from the $112.7 million the Phillies spent when they won the World Series in 2008.
Only two teams outside the top 11 by payroll made the postseason: Colorado (16th at $84.5 million) and Minnesota (23rd at $73.1 million).
Florida again was last in the majors, even though the Marlins raised their payroll by $10.5 million to $37.5 million. San Diego dropped from 23rd at $71.2 million to 29th at $43.2 million.
Half the 30 teams cut payroll from 2008. In addition to the Padres, Seattle dropped from $120.5 million to $102.3 million, Toronto fell from $98.3 million to $84.1 million and Cincinnati sliced from $82.9 million to $72.7 million.
Besides the Phillies, other teams with big increases were Tampa Bay ($51.0 million to $71.2 million), San Francisco ($82.1 million to $95.2 million), Kansas City ($69.2 million to $81.9 million), the Cubs ($130.5 million to $141.6 million) and Washington ($59.7 million to $69.3 million).
Overall payroll rose 1.2% to $2.91 billion from $2.88 billion, down from a 6.3% increase the previous year.
Payroll figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions, such as money included in trades. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values.
The commissioner's office computed the average salary at $2,882,336. The players' association, which uses slightly different methods of calculation, had its average at $2,996,106.
Vazquez returning to Yanks, Melky off to Atlanta
Vazquez returning to Yanks, Melky off to Atlanta
December 22, 2009 by KEN DAVIDOFF / ken.davidoff@newsday.com
The Yankees are about to re-acquire Javier Vazquez, Newsday has confirmed, in return for a package headlined by Melky Cabrera.
Vazquez, 33, put up his best major-league season in 2009, going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA for the Braves. He struck out 238 batters in 219 1/3 innings. The New York Post first reported that the Yankees were targeting Vazquez as their fourth starter.
As SI.com first reported, the Yankees will receive Vazquez and lefty Boone Logan in return for Cabrera, young lefty pitcher Mike Dunn and pitcher Arodys Vizcaino.
Most Yankees fans probably don’t have fond memories of Vazquez. The team acquired him prior to the 2004 season, as part of a plan to make the team’s starting rotation younger, and Vazquez put up a 4.91 ERA. Joe Torre didn’t use him as a starting pitcher in the 2004 American League Championship Series, and when Vazquez relieved Kevin Brown in ALCS Game 7, he promptly served up a second-inning grand slam to Boston’s Johnny Damon.
Vazquez has established himself as an innings-eater who has, in general, put up better numbers in the National League in the AL. Now that the Yankees can slot him in the back end of their rotation, however, expectations should be reduced.
Cabrera, 25, put up a solid 2009 season, and he was in line to be the Yankees’ starting leftfielder. It’s unclear whether the Yankees will replace him with a big-money veteran _ Jason Bay, Johnny Damon and Matt Holliday are all still available _ but the Yankees have insisted they’re going to stick to a budget this offseason. Vazquez has one year left on his contract, at $11.5 million.
(Graf) With four established starting pitchers, the Yankees will likely wind up using either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes as the primary setup man for Mariano Rivera, assuming that Vazquez, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte all stay healthy.
December 22, 2009 by KEN DAVIDOFF / ken.davidoff@newsday.com
The Yankees are about to re-acquire Javier Vazquez, Newsday has confirmed, in return for a package headlined by Melky Cabrera.
Vazquez, 33, put up his best major-league season in 2009, going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA for the Braves. He struck out 238 batters in 219 1/3 innings. The New York Post first reported that the Yankees were targeting Vazquez as their fourth starter.
As SI.com first reported, the Yankees will receive Vazquez and lefty Boone Logan in return for Cabrera, young lefty pitcher Mike Dunn and pitcher Arodys Vizcaino.
Most Yankees fans probably don’t have fond memories of Vazquez. The team acquired him prior to the 2004 season, as part of a plan to make the team’s starting rotation younger, and Vazquez put up a 4.91 ERA. Joe Torre didn’t use him as a starting pitcher in the 2004 American League Championship Series, and when Vazquez relieved Kevin Brown in ALCS Game 7, he promptly served up a second-inning grand slam to Boston’s Johnny Damon.
Vazquez has established himself as an innings-eater who has, in general, put up better numbers in the National League in the AL. Now that the Yankees can slot him in the back end of their rotation, however, expectations should be reduced.
Cabrera, 25, put up a solid 2009 season, and he was in line to be the Yankees’ starting leftfielder. It’s unclear whether the Yankees will replace him with a big-money veteran _ Jason Bay, Johnny Damon and Matt Holliday are all still available _ but the Yankees have insisted they’re going to stick to a budget this offseason. Vazquez has one year left on his contract, at $11.5 million.
(Graf) With four established starting pitchers, the Yankees will likely wind up using either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes as the primary setup man for Mariano Rivera, assuming that Vazquez, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte all stay healthy.
Top 10 NY games of the decade
Top 10 NY games of the decade
December 21, 2009 by NEIL BEST / neil.best@newsday.com
Like any good story - be it from a book, a movie or a weekend in Vegas - the best part of a memorable game is reliving the details for days, and sometimes years, after it is over.
So it is with some of the best from New York sports in the 2000s, starting with the most shocking of all from a historic night in Glendale, Ariz.
As always in our series looking back at the past decade, extra credit was given for important games, but the regular season counts, too.
Especially when the Red Sox are in town. Or if Jumbo Elliott catches a touchdown pass.
1. Super Bowl XLII, Feb. 3, 2008, University of Phoenix Stadium
Some of New York's biggest championship upsets, such as Super Bowl III and the 1969 World Series, lacked a dramatic, climactic finale.
But like their Super Bowl XXV ancestors, the 2007 Giants won it all with a flourish, one so grand it was easy to forget the big picture:
Their 17-14 victory over the Patriots ruined the first 18-0 start in league history and foiled the most productive offense the NFL ever has seen.
After three quarters, the Patriots led 7-3 in a defensive struggle, one that hardly was the stuff of football lore.
The final quarter more than made up for it, with the lead changing hands thrice, the final time when Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone with 35 seconds left.
What at the time was the largest TV audience in sports history saw Manning win the MVP award, David Tyree's life change forever and the Giants' secure their seventh league title.
2. Game 7, 2003 ALCS, Oct. 16/17, 2003, Yankee Stadium
You could fill a top 10 list with Yankees playoff games from the '00s - Game 1 of the '00 World Series, Games 4, 5 and 7 of the '01 Series, Games 4 and 5 of the '04 ALCS, Game 2 of the '09 ALCS, etc.
But one stands above the rest: Game 7 of the '03 ALCS.
The Red Sox bounced Roger Clemens en route to a 4-0 lead and led 5-2 in the eighth when the Yanks got to a tiring Pedro Martinez - who assured manager Grady Little he was fine.
Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth and would pitch three scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the 11th, Aaron Boone led off against Tim Wakefield, and soon the Red Sox would be waiting another year to seek their first championship since 1918.
3. Giants-49ers playoff game, Jan. 5, 2003, 3Com Park
It was one of the wildest, most controversial playoff games in NFL history.
The Giants led the 49ers, 38-14, in a wild-card game late in the third when the offense congealed and the defense collapsed, allowing San Francisco to rally for a 39-38 lead.
A Matt Bryant field goal still would have won it in the final seconds, but Trey Junkin's snap was off target, forcing holder Matt Allen to attempt a desperate pass.
Allen might have hit Rich Seubert if Seubert had not been pulled down by Chike Okeafor. But the officials forgot the guard had checked in as an eligible receiver. No pass interference was called.
The NFL apologized the next day. It was too late.
4. Big East quarterfinals, March 12/13, 2009, Madison Square Garden
Syracuse upset Connecticut, 127-117, which seems like an unusually high score until you consider they played six overtimes, one short of a Division I record set in the pre-shot clock era.
The Orangemen, who had an apparent buzzer-beater waved off at the end of regulation, did not lead in any of the first five OTs but took charge in the sixth, starting with a three-pointer by Andy Rautins.
Said Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn, who played 67 minutes and had 34 points and 11 assists: "I can't even feel my legs right now.''
Syracuse came back the next night to beat West Virginia - in one overtime.
5. Game 6, NBA second-round series, May 19, 2000, Madison Square Garden
The 1999-2000 playoffs were the last significant gasp of the Patrick Ewing-era Knicks, who made it to Game 6 of the conference finals before losing to the Pacers.
There were dramatic turns along the way, including a second-round struggle against Pat Riley's Heat typified by Game 6, in which the Knicks fell behind by 18 but rallied to win, 72-70.
"This is absolute madness,'' said Riley, whose team scored only 25 points in the second half.
Game 7 was another thriller, with the Heat's Clarence Weatherspoon missing a shot in the final seconds and the Knicks - controversially - being awarded the ball after an out-of-bounds play.
6. Dolphins vs. Jets, Oct. 23/24, 2000, Giants Stadium
The Dolphins and Jets both were 5-1 when they met on "Monday Night Football,'' but there was little pre-game hype, seeing as how it was the night between Games 2 and 3 of the Subway Series.
There was no ignoring this one, though, not after the Dolphins took a 30-7 lead behind quarterback Jay Fiedler of Oceanside, then watched the Jets come back to win, 40-37, in overtime.
With some of the thousands of fans who had left early returning to their seats, the Jets tied it at 37 on a tackle eligible throw to Jumbo Elliott with 42 seconds left.
In the fourth quarter alone, the other Long Island-raised quarterback in the game, Vinny Testaverde, was 18-for-26 for 235 yards and four TDs.
7. Red Sox vs. Yankees, July 1, 2004, Yankee Stadium
The ALCSes of 2003 and '04 were defining events of New York's sports decade, but between those two series the Yankees and Red Sox showed even a regular-season game between them can be a classic. GRAF
It happened in July of '04, a 13-inning battle in the Bronx best remembered for Derek Jeter's catch and dive into the stands in the 12th. GRAF
There was much more that night, including a third-to-home double play started in the 11th by Alex Rodriguez, who later moved from third to shortstop to replace the injured Jeter.
Manny Ramirez homered in the top of the 13th, but the Yankees answered with two in the bottom. John Flaherty drove home Miguel Cairo to win it, 5-4.
8. NFC Championship Game, Jan. 20, 2008, Lambeau Field
Super Bowl XLII somewhat has obscured what preceded it, but how can you beat an overtime conference title game between two historic franchises at Lambeau Field - in below-zero temperatures?
The capper was Corey Webster's interception of Brett Favre on Favre's last play as a Packer at Lambeau, setting up a 47-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, who had missed two earlier tries.
Favre appeared far less comfortable in the cold than did Manning, a fellow Southerner. But even Favre didn't look as frozen as Giants coach Tom Coughlin, whose face was a bright, scary shade of red. GRAF
Plaxico Burress caught 11 passes for 154 yards despite the horrendous conditions.
9. Game 7, 2006 NLCS, Oct. 19, 2006, Shea Stadium
As special as the Mets' run to the '00 pennant was, there is no game fans will remember more from the 2000s than Game 7 of the '06 NLCS against the underdog Cardinals.
Oliver Perez and Jeff Suppan battled evenly through the early innings, and the Mets' Endy Chavez kept the score tied at 1 when he leaped over the leftfield fence in the sixth to deny Scott Rolen.
Yadier Molina's two-run homer in the ninth put St. Louis ahead, 3-1, setting up a dramatic bottom of the inning.
The Mets loaded the bases with two outs, but Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltran looking to eliminate the Mets' best team of the decade.
10. Galaxy-Red Bulls, Aug. 18, 2007, Giants Stadium
Why the Red Bulls when we have excluded the Nets and Devils? Because unlike the Nets and Devils they are the area's only major-league team in their sport - the world's favorite, by the way.
The mostly moribund franchise flashed its potential when it hosted David Beckham and the Galaxy in the summer of '07 and drew 66,238, the most for a league game there since the Cosmos era.
Better yet, the teams provided enough action to satisfy even the most skeptical soccer spectator, with the Red Bulls winning, 5-4, on a late goal.
Said Beckham, who set up three scores: "I haven't been involved in a game like that since I was 9 or 10 years old.''
December 21, 2009 by NEIL BEST / neil.best@newsday.com
Like any good story - be it from a book, a movie or a weekend in Vegas - the best part of a memorable game is reliving the details for days, and sometimes years, after it is over.
So it is with some of the best from New York sports in the 2000s, starting with the most shocking of all from a historic night in Glendale, Ariz.
As always in our series looking back at the past decade, extra credit was given for important games, but the regular season counts, too.
Especially when the Red Sox are in town. Or if Jumbo Elliott catches a touchdown pass.
1. Super Bowl XLII, Feb. 3, 2008, University of Phoenix Stadium
Some of New York's biggest championship upsets, such as Super Bowl III and the 1969 World Series, lacked a dramatic, climactic finale.
But like their Super Bowl XXV ancestors, the 2007 Giants won it all with a flourish, one so grand it was easy to forget the big picture:
Their 17-14 victory over the Patriots ruined the first 18-0 start in league history and foiled the most productive offense the NFL ever has seen.
After three quarters, the Patriots led 7-3 in a defensive struggle, one that hardly was the stuff of football lore.
The final quarter more than made up for it, with the lead changing hands thrice, the final time when Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone with 35 seconds left.
What at the time was the largest TV audience in sports history saw Manning win the MVP award, David Tyree's life change forever and the Giants' secure their seventh league title.
2. Game 7, 2003 ALCS, Oct. 16/17, 2003, Yankee Stadium
You could fill a top 10 list with Yankees playoff games from the '00s - Game 1 of the '00 World Series, Games 4, 5 and 7 of the '01 Series, Games 4 and 5 of the '04 ALCS, Game 2 of the '09 ALCS, etc.
But one stands above the rest: Game 7 of the '03 ALCS.
The Red Sox bounced Roger Clemens en route to a 4-0 lead and led 5-2 in the eighth when the Yanks got to a tiring Pedro Martinez - who assured manager Grady Little he was fine.
Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth and would pitch three scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the 11th, Aaron Boone led off against Tim Wakefield, and soon the Red Sox would be waiting another year to seek their first championship since 1918.
3. Giants-49ers playoff game, Jan. 5, 2003, 3Com Park
It was one of the wildest, most controversial playoff games in NFL history.
The Giants led the 49ers, 38-14, in a wild-card game late in the third when the offense congealed and the defense collapsed, allowing San Francisco to rally for a 39-38 lead.
A Matt Bryant field goal still would have won it in the final seconds, but Trey Junkin's snap was off target, forcing holder Matt Allen to attempt a desperate pass.
Allen might have hit Rich Seubert if Seubert had not been pulled down by Chike Okeafor. But the officials forgot the guard had checked in as an eligible receiver. No pass interference was called.
The NFL apologized the next day. It was too late.
4. Big East quarterfinals, March 12/13, 2009, Madison Square Garden
Syracuse upset Connecticut, 127-117, which seems like an unusually high score until you consider they played six overtimes, one short of a Division I record set in the pre-shot clock era.
The Orangemen, who had an apparent buzzer-beater waved off at the end of regulation, did not lead in any of the first five OTs but took charge in the sixth, starting with a three-pointer by Andy Rautins.
Said Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn, who played 67 minutes and had 34 points and 11 assists: "I can't even feel my legs right now.''
Syracuse came back the next night to beat West Virginia - in one overtime.
5. Game 6, NBA second-round series, May 19, 2000, Madison Square Garden
The 1999-2000 playoffs were the last significant gasp of the Patrick Ewing-era Knicks, who made it to Game 6 of the conference finals before losing to the Pacers.
There were dramatic turns along the way, including a second-round struggle against Pat Riley's Heat typified by Game 6, in which the Knicks fell behind by 18 but rallied to win, 72-70.
"This is absolute madness,'' said Riley, whose team scored only 25 points in the second half.
Game 7 was another thriller, with the Heat's Clarence Weatherspoon missing a shot in the final seconds and the Knicks - controversially - being awarded the ball after an out-of-bounds play.
6. Dolphins vs. Jets, Oct. 23/24, 2000, Giants Stadium
The Dolphins and Jets both were 5-1 when they met on "Monday Night Football,'' but there was little pre-game hype, seeing as how it was the night between Games 2 and 3 of the Subway Series.
There was no ignoring this one, though, not after the Dolphins took a 30-7 lead behind quarterback Jay Fiedler of Oceanside, then watched the Jets come back to win, 40-37, in overtime.
With some of the thousands of fans who had left early returning to their seats, the Jets tied it at 37 on a tackle eligible throw to Jumbo Elliott with 42 seconds left.
In the fourth quarter alone, the other Long Island-raised quarterback in the game, Vinny Testaverde, was 18-for-26 for 235 yards and four TDs.
7. Red Sox vs. Yankees, July 1, 2004, Yankee Stadium
The ALCSes of 2003 and '04 were defining events of New York's sports decade, but between those two series the Yankees and Red Sox showed even a regular-season game between them can be a classic. GRAF
It happened in July of '04, a 13-inning battle in the Bronx best remembered for Derek Jeter's catch and dive into the stands in the 12th. GRAF
There was much more that night, including a third-to-home double play started in the 11th by Alex Rodriguez, who later moved from third to shortstop to replace the injured Jeter.
Manny Ramirez homered in the top of the 13th, but the Yankees answered with two in the bottom. John Flaherty drove home Miguel Cairo to win it, 5-4.
8. NFC Championship Game, Jan. 20, 2008, Lambeau Field
Super Bowl XLII somewhat has obscured what preceded it, but how can you beat an overtime conference title game between two historic franchises at Lambeau Field - in below-zero temperatures?
The capper was Corey Webster's interception of Brett Favre on Favre's last play as a Packer at Lambeau, setting up a 47-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, who had missed two earlier tries.
Favre appeared far less comfortable in the cold than did Manning, a fellow Southerner. But even Favre didn't look as frozen as Giants coach Tom Coughlin, whose face was a bright, scary shade of red. GRAF
Plaxico Burress caught 11 passes for 154 yards despite the horrendous conditions.
9. Game 7, 2006 NLCS, Oct. 19, 2006, Shea Stadium
As special as the Mets' run to the '00 pennant was, there is no game fans will remember more from the 2000s than Game 7 of the '06 NLCS against the underdog Cardinals.
Oliver Perez and Jeff Suppan battled evenly through the early innings, and the Mets' Endy Chavez kept the score tied at 1 when he leaped over the leftfield fence in the sixth to deny Scott Rolen.
Yadier Molina's two-run homer in the ninth put St. Louis ahead, 3-1, setting up a dramatic bottom of the inning.
The Mets loaded the bases with two outs, but Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltran looking to eliminate the Mets' best team of the decade.
10. Galaxy-Red Bulls, Aug. 18, 2007, Giants Stadium
Why the Red Bulls when we have excluded the Nets and Devils? Because unlike the Nets and Devils they are the area's only major-league team in their sport - the world's favorite, by the way.
The mostly moribund franchise flashed its potential when it hosted David Beckham and the Galaxy in the summer of '07 and drew 66,238, the most for a league game there since the Cosmos era.
Better yet, the teams provided enough action to satisfy even the most skeptical soccer spectator, with the Red Bulls winning, 5-4, on a late goal.
Said Beckham, who set up three scores: "I haven't been involved in a game like that since I was 9 or 10 years old.''
Monday, December 21, 2009
Yankee Stadium not a landmark to U.S. government
Yankee Stadium not a landmark to U.S. government
Sep. 21--There will be no last-minute federal bailout of Yankee Stadium. The National Register of Historic Places has declined, more than once, to consider the big ballpark in the Bronx for landmark status -- an honorific, it turns out, that would not have guaranteed protection from demolition.
And the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which could have stopped this year's scheduled tear-down of the 85-year-old walls, repeatedly has rejected landmark designation because of the Stadium's 1974-75 "unsympathetic renovation."
One more game tonight and the joint is a goner. All those who are now offering testimonials extolling the Stadium as a cultural marker, a place of mythology and folklore passed from generation to generation and reflecting America's soul, will just have to accept that, of more than 80,000 National Register listings and more than 2,400 National Historic Landmarks, Yankee Stadium did not make the cut.
Even though the high school football field in Newton, Kan., a Works Progress Administration project completed in 1936 as part of the New Deal's recovery from the Great Depression, did. So did the former minor league/Negro League park in Indianapolis, used in filming the 1988 movie "Eight Men Out," formerly called Bush Stadium and now the 16th Street Speedway, site of midget auto dirt racing. Just to name two athletic museum pieces.
If it will make Yankee Stadium fans feel any better, both Tiger Stadium in Detroit and Cleveland's Municipal Stadium are listed as National Historic Landmarks, and both were bulldozed into oblivion, anyway.
In 1999, South Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano wrote to President Clinton about NHL status for the Stadium, only to be informed by the historic-places director at the time that, "while the contribution of the New York Yankees to baseball and America is of national importance in many respects, the National Park Service is unable to conclude that Yankee Stadium retains the high degree of architectural integrity required . . . "
A 1986 landmark survey, which examined several professional baseball stadiums, already had concluded that the Stadium's mid-1970s remodeling "compromised the integrity of the Stadium."
Likewise, NYC Landmarks Commission spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon said in an e-mail, a "number of requests" for landmark designation -- from Bronx assembly member Jeffrey Klein (now a state senator) and several members of the public -- were not pursued for the same reason. (The Yankees, by the way, never asked.)
"From an architectural perspective, they're right," said "Field of Schemes" author Neil deMause, who operates a Web site casting a critical eye on public subsidies for sports facilities. "But from a baseball perspective or fan perspective, they're not. The current stadium is much more like the original Yankee Stadium than the new one will be. It's the same footprint, the same building with a different face on it. I think it should have been landmarked. Probably, most people in the city feel that way, too."
Strict brick-and-mortar arguments that the 1970s modifications completely replaced the "House That Ruth Built" in 1923, ignore the hallowed-ground considerations, that the playing field remains the place where sports giants have trod for more than three-quarters of a century. (Ruth and Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, Giants-Colts overtime, Lewis-Schmeling, Knute Rockne, and on and on.)
According to Alexis Abernathy of the National Register of Historic Places, criteria for NHL honors include "significant contribution to the broad patterns of history, associations with significant persons, distinctive architectural engineering or informational potential -- mainly archaeological."
To architect Aaron Parker, formerly based in New York and now in Minneapolis, said: "If baseball is our national sport and is a true reflection of our national character, then Yankee Stadium could easily be landmarked under [the first two criteria]. Indeed, if Yankee Stadium does not rise to that standard, no other structure in the nation qualifies."
A similar belief motivated the Boston citizens -- architects, lawyers, preservationists, hard-core fans -- who coalesced to form the "Save Fenway Park" group in the mid-1990s, when Red Sox ownership began making noises about dramatically redoing their storied old stadium.
Among the Save Fenway Park members was Erika Tarlin, a librarian from suburban Somerville who was outraged at plans to create "a Disneyland ballpark" that would replace much of the old Fenway flavor. "I grew up going to Fenway," Tarlin said in a telephone interview. "It is a symbol of Boston and I'd leave the city if they knocked it down. The city will lose its soul when they knock down Fenway.
"The situation at Yankee Stadium is so similar," she said. "These historic stadiums; what else makes you shudder besides Fenway and Yankee Stadium? It's nothing against change. That's not it. Fenway survives because it's organic and can adapt. I try to get to Yankee Stadium every year. It's a tragedy what they're doing there."
One more game, and this (unofficial) landmark will be history.
To see more of Newsday, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsday.com Copyright (c) 2008, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
© Copyright 2009 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2008 Newsday
Sep. 21--There will be no last-minute federal bailout of Yankee Stadium. The National Register of Historic Places has declined, more than once, to consider the big ballpark in the Bronx for landmark status -- an honorific, it turns out, that would not have guaranteed protection from demolition.
And the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which could have stopped this year's scheduled tear-down of the 85-year-old walls, repeatedly has rejected landmark designation because of the Stadium's 1974-75 "unsympathetic renovation."
One more game tonight and the joint is a goner. All those who are now offering testimonials extolling the Stadium as a cultural marker, a place of mythology and folklore passed from generation to generation and reflecting America's soul, will just have to accept that, of more than 80,000 National Register listings and more than 2,400 National Historic Landmarks, Yankee Stadium did not make the cut.
Even though the high school football field in Newton, Kan., a Works Progress Administration project completed in 1936 as part of the New Deal's recovery from the Great Depression, did. So did the former minor league/Negro League park in Indianapolis, used in filming the 1988 movie "Eight Men Out," formerly called Bush Stadium and now the 16th Street Speedway, site of midget auto dirt racing. Just to name two athletic museum pieces.
If it will make Yankee Stadium fans feel any better, both Tiger Stadium in Detroit and Cleveland's Municipal Stadium are listed as National Historic Landmarks, and both were bulldozed into oblivion, anyway.
In 1999, South Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano wrote to President Clinton about NHL status for the Stadium, only to be informed by the historic-places director at the time that, "while the contribution of the New York Yankees to baseball and America is of national importance in many respects, the National Park Service is unable to conclude that Yankee Stadium retains the high degree of architectural integrity required . . . "
A 1986 landmark survey, which examined several professional baseball stadiums, already had concluded that the Stadium's mid-1970s remodeling "compromised the integrity of the Stadium."
Likewise, NYC Landmarks Commission spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon said in an e-mail, a "number of requests" for landmark designation -- from Bronx assembly member Jeffrey Klein (now a state senator) and several members of the public -- were not pursued for the same reason. (The Yankees, by the way, never asked.)
"From an architectural perspective, they're right," said "Field of Schemes" author Neil deMause, who operates a Web site casting a critical eye on public subsidies for sports facilities. "But from a baseball perspective or fan perspective, they're not. The current stadium is much more like the original Yankee Stadium than the new one will be. It's the same footprint, the same building with a different face on it. I think it should have been landmarked. Probably, most people in the city feel that way, too."
Strict brick-and-mortar arguments that the 1970s modifications completely replaced the "House That Ruth Built" in 1923, ignore the hallowed-ground considerations, that the playing field remains the place where sports giants have trod for more than three-quarters of a century. (Ruth and Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, Giants-Colts overtime, Lewis-Schmeling, Knute Rockne, and on and on.)
According to Alexis Abernathy of the National Register of Historic Places, criteria for NHL honors include "significant contribution to the broad patterns of history, associations with significant persons, distinctive architectural engineering or informational potential -- mainly archaeological."
To architect Aaron Parker, formerly based in New York and now in Minneapolis, said: "If baseball is our national sport and is a true reflection of our national character, then Yankee Stadium could easily be landmarked under [the first two criteria]. Indeed, if Yankee Stadium does not rise to that standard, no other structure in the nation qualifies."
A similar belief motivated the Boston citizens -- architects, lawyers, preservationists, hard-core fans -- who coalesced to form the "Save Fenway Park" group in the mid-1990s, when Red Sox ownership began making noises about dramatically redoing their storied old stadium.
Among the Save Fenway Park members was Erika Tarlin, a librarian from suburban Somerville who was outraged at plans to create "a Disneyland ballpark" that would replace much of the old Fenway flavor. "I grew up going to Fenway," Tarlin said in a telephone interview. "It is a symbol of Boston and I'd leave the city if they knocked it down. The city will lose its soul when they knock down Fenway.
"The situation at Yankee Stadium is so similar," she said. "These historic stadiums; what else makes you shudder besides Fenway and Yankee Stadium? It's nothing against change. That's not it. Fenway survives because it's organic and can adapt. I try to get to Yankee Stadium every year. It's a tragedy what they're doing there."
One more game, and this (unofficial) landmark will be history.
To see more of Newsday, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsday.com Copyright (c) 2008, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
© Copyright 2009 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2008 Newsday
SAVE THE GATE - COMMEMORATIVE BRICK DRIVE
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
OLD YANKEE STADIUM PARK
"SAVE THE GATE"
COMMEMORATIVE BRICK DRIVE
Proposed by Citizens and Groups
from Around the Country to Help
SAVE HISTORIC GATE 2
at the
"The House That Ruth Built"
For the purpose of saving historic Gate 2 at Old Yankee Stadium, baseball groups historyoftheyankees.com, the Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium & the Committee to Commemorate Babe Ruth - speaking for and acting on behalf of Baseball fans, historians, architects, historic preservationists, and other concerned citizens, groups, and relevant experts from New York and around the nation, has voluntarily researched and developed a
public fundraising campaign to the City of New York, entitled the "SAVE THE GATE" Commemorative Brick Drive.
This Commemorative Brick Drive will be similar to ones throughout Major League Ballparks and other leading sports venues throughout the world, such as the highly successful programs employed by the Mets at Citi Field (Fanwalk), the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, and the Cleveland Indians' "Heritage Park."
Based on Committee studies and expert estimates, commemorative bricks at plazas & walkways encompassing the new parkland and ball fields scheduled to replace the historic site of Old Yankee Stadium could generate well over 5 Million dollars (as other MLB "legacy" brick memorials have) - depending on exact design. This would provide the City of New York millions of dollars more than is needed to save historic Gate 2!!
Legacy brick plazas & walkways would also dramatically increase YEAR-ROUND tourism and visitation to the much-in-need Old Yankee Stadium neighborhood - where residents and businesses have lost critical revenues with the Stadium's closure and destruction. Saving Gate 2 will make the new park one of the most respected and profitable in the country. These brick plazas & walkways would also simultaneously enhance the currently poor aesthetics of the preliminary "Heritage Field" plan, exponentially improving the historic and cultural "disconnect" decried by historic design experts. (Adding extra elegance and attraction, the commemorative bricks can be made in magnificent blue, white and gray combinations, in unique tribute to the Stadium's unparalleled place in history.)
The Parks Department's preliminary plan for the historic Old Yankee Stadium is the highly controversial and criticized "Heritage Field", which retains absolutely NOTHING from Old Yankee Stadium. This as yet unapproved plan has been emphatically objected to by officials, experts, and fans, who regard it as historically, architecturally, and aesthetically "bland" and "inauthentic". It's MOST tragic failure is that it omits saving anything from original Yankee Stadium - a fatal flaw easily corrected with the saving of the 1920's era Gate 2. (The Parks Department abruptly withdrew from their October 5 appearance before the NYC Design Commission, where they were scheduled to defend against these widespread and well-informed criticisms in a Public Hearing before New York City Design Commission, which oversees the aesthetic and architectural suitability of all public projects in New York City.)
Parks Department has told the media (without providing any evidence whatsoever ) that the cost of saving Gate 2 - the original Stadium's most glorious remaining element - is too prohibitive, claiming (again without providing any evidence) it would cost "10 Million dollars". Architectural and structural engineering experts assess the cost at only 1 Million dollars, less than the cost of demolishing and removing the Gate. In other words, experts believe it will cost less to save Gate 2 than to destroy it!!!
In any case, the "SAVE THE GATE" Commemorative Brick Drive would eliminate any cost concern - providing up to 10 Million dollars - thereby saving a majestic part of America's greatest and most historically important stadium, thereby assuring that the historic site of Old Yankee Stadium be more properly preserved, protected & commemorated - making it one of the premier urban parks in America - rather than the unnecessary mediocre and uninspired architectural, aesthetic, cultural, and historical flop that's now proposed by the Parks' Department.
For further information, please call or write the contacts below - who can also put you in touch with historians, preservationists, architects, and other relevant experts, helping to save the gate.
SAVE THE GATE videos prepared by Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium members can be seen at:
http://www.ultimateyankees.com/savethegate.htm. See, for example: "TOP 9 REASONS TO SAVE THE GATE" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyqyl1WJuJM, a musical summary of why the Gate should be saved (to Four of a Kind's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"), which includes a brief depiction and description of the proposed SAVE THE GATE Commemorative Brick Drive (at "Reason No. 7", 1:04 - 1:14)
###
Information provided above was derived from consultation with top authorities in the fields of Baseball, architecture, New York history & historic preservation, as well as with top"legacy brick" fundraising experts.
______
For Further Information, Please contact:
Brad Turnow
historyoftheyankees.com
(516) 523-4749
(631) 874-5754
bhturnow@optonline.net
and/or
Tim Reid
Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
(754) 368-1295
savethegate@gmail.com
OLD YANKEE STADIUM PARK
"SAVE THE GATE"
COMMEMORATIVE BRICK DRIVE
Proposed by Citizens and Groups
from Around the Country to Help
SAVE HISTORIC GATE 2
at the
"The House That Ruth Built"
For the purpose of saving historic Gate 2 at Old Yankee Stadium, baseball groups historyoftheyankees.com, the Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium & the Committee to Commemorate Babe Ruth - speaking for and acting on behalf of Baseball fans, historians, architects, historic preservationists, and other concerned citizens, groups, and relevant experts from New York and around the nation, has voluntarily researched and developed a
public fundraising campaign to the City of New York, entitled the "SAVE THE GATE" Commemorative Brick Drive.
This Commemorative Brick Drive will be similar to ones throughout Major League Ballparks and other leading sports venues throughout the world, such as the highly successful programs employed by the Mets at Citi Field (Fanwalk), the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, and the Cleveland Indians' "Heritage Park."
Based on Committee studies and expert estimates, commemorative bricks at plazas & walkways encompassing the new parkland and ball fields scheduled to replace the historic site of Old Yankee Stadium could generate well over 5 Million dollars (as other MLB "legacy" brick memorials have) - depending on exact design. This would provide the City of New York millions of dollars more than is needed to save historic Gate 2!!
Legacy brick plazas & walkways would also dramatically increase YEAR-ROUND tourism and visitation to the much-in-need Old Yankee Stadium neighborhood - where residents and businesses have lost critical revenues with the Stadium's closure and destruction. Saving Gate 2 will make the new park one of the most respected and profitable in the country. These brick plazas & walkways would also simultaneously enhance the currently poor aesthetics of the preliminary "Heritage Field" plan, exponentially improving the historic and cultural "disconnect" decried by historic design experts. (Adding extra elegance and attraction, the commemorative bricks can be made in magnificent blue, white and gray combinations, in unique tribute to the Stadium's unparalleled place in history.)
The Parks Department's preliminary plan for the historic Old Yankee Stadium is the highly controversial and criticized "Heritage Field", which retains absolutely NOTHING from Old Yankee Stadium. This as yet unapproved plan has been emphatically objected to by officials, experts, and fans, who regard it as historically, architecturally, and aesthetically "bland" and "inauthentic". It's MOST tragic failure is that it omits saving anything from original Yankee Stadium - a fatal flaw easily corrected with the saving of the 1920's era Gate 2. (The Parks Department abruptly withdrew from their October 5 appearance before the NYC Design Commission, where they were scheduled to defend against these widespread and well-informed criticisms in a Public Hearing before New York City Design Commission, which oversees the aesthetic and architectural suitability of all public projects in New York City.)
Parks Department has told the media (without providing any evidence whatsoever ) that the cost of saving Gate 2 - the original Stadium's most glorious remaining element - is too prohibitive, claiming (again without providing any evidence) it would cost "10 Million dollars". Architectural and structural engineering experts assess the cost at only 1 Million dollars, less than the cost of demolishing and removing the Gate. In other words, experts believe it will cost less to save Gate 2 than to destroy it!!!
In any case, the "SAVE THE GATE" Commemorative Brick Drive would eliminate any cost concern - providing up to 10 Million dollars - thereby saving a majestic part of America's greatest and most historically important stadium, thereby assuring that the historic site of Old Yankee Stadium be more properly preserved, protected & commemorated - making it one of the premier urban parks in America - rather than the unnecessary mediocre and uninspired architectural, aesthetic, cultural, and historical flop that's now proposed by the Parks' Department.
For further information, please call or write the contacts below - who can also put you in touch with historians, preservationists, architects, and other relevant experts, helping to save the gate.
SAVE THE GATE videos prepared by Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium members can be seen at:
http://www.ultimateyankees.com/savethegate.htm. See, for example: "TOP 9 REASONS TO SAVE THE GATE" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyqyl1WJuJM, a musical summary of why the Gate should be saved (to Four of a Kind's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"), which includes a brief depiction and description of the proposed SAVE THE GATE Commemorative Brick Drive (at "Reason No. 7", 1:04 - 1:14)
###
Information provided above was derived from consultation with top authorities in the fields of Baseball, architecture, New York history & historic preservation, as well as with top"legacy brick" fundraising experts.
______
For Further Information, Please contact:
Brad Turnow
historyoftheyankees.com
(516) 523-4749
(631) 874-5754
bhturnow@optonline.net
and/or
Tim Reid
Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
(754) 368-1295
savethegate@gmail.com
Rivera named top Pro Athlete of '09
Rivera named top Pro Athlete of '09
Yanks closer haul grows with award from Sporting News
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Adding to his cabinet of accolades, Mariano Rivera on Thursday took home the Sporting News' 2009 Pro Athlete of the Year Award.
complete awards coverage
Rivera, who turned 40 after the season, saved 44 games with a 1.76 ERA while winning the fifth World Series title of his career -- not to mention allowing just one run in 16 postseason innings in the process. In June, he became the second player in baseball history to record 500 career saves. Later increasing that mark to 526, Rivera now trails only Trevor Hoffman's 591 saves.
It's been a banner hardware year for the Yankees, who have enjoyed plenty of attention since winning their 27th World Series title last month. Rivera has already won the Delivery Man of the Year Award, given annually to the game's best reliever, and his teammate, Derek Jeter, was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year -- becoming the first Yankee to claim that honor.
Rivera, by contrast, is the fourth Yankee to win the Sporting News' Pro Athlete of the Year Award. Ron Guidry won in 1978, followed by Joe Torre in '96 and the entire Yankees team in '99.
Two other Yankees, Jeter and first baseman Mark Teixeira, won both Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers this offseason.
The Sporting News honored Rivera alongside its College Athlete of the Year, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, and its High School Athlete of the Year, North Carolina basketball recruit Harrison Barnes.
And the accolade, like everything else in Rivera's career, is something the closer is sure to take in stride.
"You know what? I'm OK with whatever happens," Rivera told the magazine for its award story. "I'm not a guy who goes looking for numbers or chasing records."
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Yanks closer haul grows with award from Sporting News
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Adding to his cabinet of accolades, Mariano Rivera on Thursday took home the Sporting News' 2009 Pro Athlete of the Year Award.
complete awards coverage
Rivera, who turned 40 after the season, saved 44 games with a 1.76 ERA while winning the fifth World Series title of his career -- not to mention allowing just one run in 16 postseason innings in the process. In June, he became the second player in baseball history to record 500 career saves. Later increasing that mark to 526, Rivera now trails only Trevor Hoffman's 591 saves.
It's been a banner hardware year for the Yankees, who have enjoyed plenty of attention since winning their 27th World Series title last month. Rivera has already won the Delivery Man of the Year Award, given annually to the game's best reliever, and his teammate, Derek Jeter, was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year -- becoming the first Yankee to claim that honor.
Rivera, by contrast, is the fourth Yankee to win the Sporting News' Pro Athlete of the Year Award. Ron Guidry won in 1978, followed by Joe Torre in '96 and the entire Yankees team in '99.
Two other Yankees, Jeter and first baseman Mark Teixeira, won both Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers this offseason.
The Sporting News honored Rivera alongside its College Athlete of the Year, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, and its High School Athlete of the Year, North Carolina basketball recruit Harrison Barnes.
And the accolade, like everything else in Rivera's career, is something the closer is sure to take in stride.
"You know what? I'm OK with whatever happens," Rivera told the magazine for its award story. "I'm not a guy who goes looking for numbers or chasing records."
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Friday, December 18, 2009
MR. AND MRS. JONES GO TO WASHINGTON - GATE 2 NEWS!!!
PRESS RELEASE December 18, 2009
MR. AND MRS. JONES GO TO WASHINGTON
From: Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
Christmas has come early to the Bronx; Gate 2 at The House That Ruth Built is alive and well, standing proudly and defiantly (must be that Edison Concrete) as the rest of the Stadium slowly crumbles around her. She still serves as a reminder of and a portal to thirty-seven American League Pennants and twenty-six World Championships.
On Monday, December 14, representatives from the Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium walked the streets of the Bronx (specifically, 161st Street and River Avenue) as well as those of the Nation’s Capital, seeking funding, landmark status, and assurance that the Gate, which is original to the old Stadium (1923), will go untouched until all structural inspections, preservation cost estimates, and evaluation and analysis of those estimates have been conducted. After extensive review of its originality, aesthetic and architectural worth, and its great historical importance, the Design Commission of the City of New York recommended that the City’s Parks Department redo its preliminary plan to include Gate 2 as a monument in the new park.
Chris and Cindy Jones (Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium) traveled to Washington, DC last Monday, armed with press releases, letters, and photographs…ammunition as well as evidence of the Gate’s historical, architectural, cultural, and spiritual importance…and spoke with the offices of individuals and staff members of organizations whose support of the preservation effort could make a difference.
Chris and Cindy’s visit and correspondence(s) were also about requesting federal stimulus funds for this “shovel-ready” project, as well as for historic preservation funds for this preeminent historical site (as stated above). The Committee, to garner additional funds, has also initiated a Volunteer Worker Program and a Commemorative Brick Drive, much like the one at Citi Field’
Their trip was also a preliminary step toward application for Federal land marking and funding for the old Yankee Stadium site.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones spoke with individuals at the National Park Service (Historic Preservation Program); the office of United States Senator, Charles Schumer (New York); Congressman, Jose E. Serrano (New York’s 16th District); and Adolfo Carrion, former Bronx Borough President and currently White House Director of Urban Affairs. Ironically, the office of Jim Bunning, former Major League pitcher, 1996 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and United States Senator from Kentucky, was down the hall from that of Senator Schumer, and information regarding Gate 2 was left for him as well.
The Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium has also contacted the Steinbrenner Family and Mayor Bloomberg and requested that they supply the needed funds (if they don’t accept/approve/apply for the proposed funding).
Contact Information for MR. AND MRS. JONES GO TO WASHINGTON
Chris and Cindy Jones, Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
13722 Long Cove Place
Midlothian, Virginia 23112
Chris: chris_jones86@comcast.net
(804) 639-9472 (Home)
(804) 441-2112 (Cell)
Cindy: cin_jones@comcast.net
cindy_jones@ccpsnet.net
(804) 639-9472 (Home)
(804) 426-9911 (Cell)
MR. AND MRS. JONES GO TO WASHINGTON
From: Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
Christmas has come early to the Bronx; Gate 2 at The House That Ruth Built is alive and well, standing proudly and defiantly (must be that Edison Concrete) as the rest of the Stadium slowly crumbles around her. She still serves as a reminder of and a portal to thirty-seven American League Pennants and twenty-six World Championships.
On Monday, December 14, representatives from the Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium walked the streets of the Bronx (specifically, 161st Street and River Avenue) as well as those of the Nation’s Capital, seeking funding, landmark status, and assurance that the Gate, which is original to the old Stadium (1923), will go untouched until all structural inspections, preservation cost estimates, and evaluation and analysis of those estimates have been conducted. After extensive review of its originality, aesthetic and architectural worth, and its great historical importance, the Design Commission of the City of New York recommended that the City’s Parks Department redo its preliminary plan to include Gate 2 as a monument in the new park.
Chris and Cindy Jones (Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium) traveled to Washington, DC last Monday, armed with press releases, letters, and photographs…ammunition as well as evidence of the Gate’s historical, architectural, cultural, and spiritual importance…and spoke with the offices of individuals and staff members of organizations whose support of the preservation effort could make a difference.
Chris and Cindy’s visit and correspondence(s) were also about requesting federal stimulus funds for this “shovel-ready” project, as well as for historic preservation funds for this preeminent historical site (as stated above). The Committee, to garner additional funds, has also initiated a Volunteer Worker Program and a Commemorative Brick Drive, much like the one at Citi Field’
Their trip was also a preliminary step toward application for Federal land marking and funding for the old Yankee Stadium site.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones spoke with individuals at the National Park Service (Historic Preservation Program); the office of United States Senator, Charles Schumer (New York); Congressman, Jose E. Serrano (New York’s 16th District); and Adolfo Carrion, former Bronx Borough President and currently White House Director of Urban Affairs. Ironically, the office of Jim Bunning, former Major League pitcher, 1996 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and United States Senator from Kentucky, was down the hall from that of Senator Schumer, and information regarding Gate 2 was left for him as well.
The Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium has also contacted the Steinbrenner Family and Mayor Bloomberg and requested that they supply the needed funds (if they don’t accept/approve/apply for the proposed funding).
Contact Information for MR. AND MRS. JONES GO TO WASHINGTON
Chris and Cindy Jones, Committee to Commemorate Old Yankee Stadium
13722 Long Cove Place
Midlothian, Virginia 23112
Chris: chris_jones86@comcast.net
(804) 639-9472 (Home)
(804) 441-2112 (Cell)
Cindy: cin_jones@comcast.net
cindy_jones@ccpsnet.net
(804) 639-9472 (Home)
(804) 426-9911 (Cell)
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