Tagged: Don Mattingly
Yanks-Rays Round 1: Yankees By A TKO
Tonight’s series opener felt like it might be yet another seesaw battle between the two teams, but Curtis Granderson (or Grandis Curtison, as I called him in a moment of excitement) delivered the knockout punch with his second homer of the game. Whatever he and Kevin Long did to his swing worked, and his improved offense couldn’t have come at a better time. With Tex clearly ailing and flailing, Grandy is key to the Yanks’ success. Jeter looked a lot better at the plate too, and Cervelli seemed rejuvenated.
Ivan Nova continued to impress – until he kind of fell apart again. I guess he just runs out of gas.
Was I about to stick my hand into the TV and slap Logan and Gaudin when they couldn’t throw strikes? Uh-huh. But it all ended happily, if shakily, after Mo closed it out. As for Garza, maybe he should take Pedro Martinez’s line and call the Yankees his daddy. It was nice not to have to play scoreboard baseball during the game. The Yanks kept the Rays in the rearview mirror for another day. Whew.
And now a few words about the pre-game activities. Am I the only one who got choked up? What a ceremony, as only the Yankees can do ceremonies.
Watching the entire Steinbrenner family come out onto the field, including Mrs. Steinbrenner whom I’d never seen before, was touching, as was the procession of players past and present (Roy White is such a class act) who followed them to Monument Park, and the return of Torre and Mattingly who both got rousing receptions. After The Boss’ monument was unveiled, I was mesmerized by the sight of Mo crouched all by himself staring at it, as if he really was saying goodbye for the last time. Sob!
And how about Steinbrenner’s granddaughter and her rendition of “God Bless America?” I wasn’t expecting much, figuring she got the gig because of nepotism, but she was awesome. Bring her back, please! And speaking of anthems, how spooky was Frank Sinatra, Jr.? He not only sounded like his father but has aged the same way (well, maybe a little more jowly).
Anyhow, I’m sure it was a great night to be in the Bronx. I’m grateful I was able to see it all on TV way out here in the boonies of California. Speaking of which, I’ll be on a writers panel at the local Borders store in Goleta tomorrow night if anyone’s in the ‘hood. Stop by and say hi.
Good News/Bad News Sunday
The Good News was the return of Andy. If I could have hugged him, I would have.
He not only pitched well but went six innings. Now there are no more “What’ll we do without Pettitte” thoughts setting off panic in my brain. The Bad News was the Yankees’ inability to score with men on base – not with a man on third and nobody out, not with bases loaded, not with an opposing pitcher who had a tendency to walk batters. What happened to the sac fly? Is it not in this team’s arsenal? If I sound grumpy it’s because I was seriously frustrated by this game.
Then more Bad News: a blown save by Mo. Cue the people who will start saying, “He’s not the same. He’s done. He should retire.” Please. I don’t want to hear it. As a matter of fact, I’m mad at Mike Mussina right now. Yeah, Mussina. I finally caved in and bought the paperback of Joe Torre/Tom Verducci’s “The Yankee Years” for my flight home from the east coast. I was reading it last night when I came upon Moose’s quotes after the ’04 loss to the Red Sox in the ALCS. Here’s what he had to say about Mo:
“We were up 3-0 and Mo came in again with the lead and lost it. He lost it again. As great as he is, and it’s amazing what he does, if you start the evaluation again since I got here, he has accomplished nothing in comparison to what he accomplished the four years before. He blew the World Series in ’01. He lost the Boston series….I know you look at everything he’s done and it’s been awesome, I’ll admit that. But it hasn’t been the same.”
Excuse me? Mo has accomplished nothing? He lost the Boston series – like all by himself? I don’t think I’ll ever feel the same way about Mike Mussina again. Even if he had those thoughts, how could he make them public and trash his teammate – the same teammate who’s been picking up starting pitchers for years? I don’t get it.
Sorry for the digression. Anyhow, the Yankees lost today, but the Good News is they won the series and, with loses by Tampa and Minny, don’t give up ground.
Speaking of Joe Torre, I read that he and Mattingly are coming to the Stadium Monday night for the unveiling of Steinbrenner’s monument in Monument Park. I know Donnie will get a huge ovation and I hope Torre will too. He deserves it. I’m having trouble with what he says in his book about his players, but there’s no getting around the championship years and his relationships with the Core Four. It’s Good News that the big chill appears to be over between him and the organization.
And finally, I went to see “The Town” today, the new movie directed by and starring Red Sox super-fan Ben Affleck. (Yes, there’s stuff at Fenway.) I absolutely loved it. This is a heist film that goes beyond the car chases and shoot ’em ups. It’s great entertainment and I highly recommend it. Here’s the trailer.
Apparently, MLB wasn’t wild about letting Affleck shoot his scenes at Fenway, given the R-rated material. But here’s what the New York Times said on the subject:
For the finale, the production spent 11 days in and around Fenway Park, but only after Major League Baseball was cajoled into putting aside its usual reluctance to cooperate with a film that is rated R, this time for violence, language, sexuality and drug use.
Good for MLB and Good News for movie lovers. Go see this one.
All Alone At The Top
I know. It’s only one day…in June. But first place is first place, and given all the injuries on this team it’s pretty satisfying for the Yankees to be where they are right now. What a game today, right? It had a little of everything – superb pitching by CC, a granny by Tex for his second homer in two days, a bunt by Swisher, an amazing catch by Gardner, a near-ejection by Posada (loved how Girardi had to clap his hand over JoPo’s mouth), another save by Mo, etc etc. What does it all mean as the Yanks head west?
It means that with the Rays, Red Sox and Jays all playing well, we’re in for a real dogfight.
(I decided to show kissing instead of fighting, but you get the idea.)
If A-Rod’s hip is OK and Tex gets hot and stays hot and Aceves comes back to help us out of the pen, I think we’ll be just fine. In the meantime, we’ve got Gardner. Seriously, I knew he was fast (duh) and could slap the ball around Damon style, but I never figured him to be this good. He’s hitting .312, for God’s sake. It seems as if he’s always on base and scoring a run. What a bargain he’s turned out to be.
Right now I’m in countdown mode. It’s only six days until I’ll be at Dodger Stadium watching the Yankees in person. Michael and I will be sitting with Twitter buddy @SunnySoCal, and lots of other friendly faces will be there too, including this blog’s Yankee she-fans, Peggy and Ladyjane, and our Dodger counterparts, Cat and Emma. And, of course, it’ll be a reunion for the players with Torre and Mattingly. I’ve gotten used to seeing Joe in Dodger blue, but not Donnie. Never Donnie.
She-Fan Exclusive: Personalized Scouting Report On Rangers
I don’t know anything about the Rangers, except that they’re the surprise first-place team in the AL West and their fans will boo A-Rod and Tex.
Oh, and that Josh Hamilton hit all those homers in the Derby at Yankee Stadium last year but didn’t win it.
A former basketball player in the Dominican, he can probably leap for balls in the outfield. Tip to Yankees: hit hard liners into the gap, not in the air.
What about the rest of the position players? The Yankees face them today and I felt the need to be more prepared. So here’s what I’ve learned.
1) Ian Kinsler.
He’s their leadoff guy and has 12 homers and 33 RBIs. But only one walk? Sounds like a free-swinger to me. Tip to Hughes: throw him stuff out of the zone.
2) Michael Young.
He went to college at Cal-Santa Barbara? I didn’t even know there was a Cal-Santa Barbara and I live here. Hm. But his favorite player growing up was Mattingly and he’s the ambassador for Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer, so he must be a good guy.
3) John Hamilton.
Mr. Home Run Derby only has six dingers so far this season, so he must be due. Tip to Hughes: don’t groove any.
4) Nelson Cruz.
A former basketball player in the Dominican, he can probably leap for balls in the outfield. Tip to Yankees: hit hard liners into the gap, not in the air.5) Marlon Byrd.
Not much to say here, except that one of his hobbies is weightlifting and that his favorite TV show growing up was “The Cosby Show.” Tip to Yankees: don’t let him lift you and mention Phylicia Rashad.
6) Chris Davis.
He was selected by the Yankees out of high school in the 2004 draft – but didn’t sign. The nerve. So far this season, he has SIXTY-FOUR STRIKEOUTS. Tip to Hughes: be aggressive in the zone and go right at him.
7) Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Not only does he have the longest last name in the majors, but he was born on my birthday. That means he’s a Taurus and is very stubborn. Tip to Yankees: don’t argue with him.
8) Elvis Andrus.
I wonder how many times his teammates have said, after a game, “Elvis has left the building.” The Venezuelan-born rookie shortstop has an older brother named Erold in the Rays organization. But the real point of interest is that his favorite player growing up was Derek Jeter. Tip to Jeter: Talk to him and he’ll be so star-struck he’ll screw up.
I’ll leave the pitching for another post. This should at least lay some groundwork for a successful series.
From My Inbox
For today’s post I decided to dip into some of the emails I’ve gotten recently from readers of my book. They’re all ages and from all parts of the country, and the excerpts are in their own words. See if you can relate to any of them.
From R: “My husband is a White Sox fan whose self-esteem is based entirely on whether his team wins or loses. When they lose, he gets so depressed that it scares me. I’m afraid he’ll do something crazy.”
I wrote back that while I do take it hard when the Yankees lose, I don’t take it that hard and that she should consider seeking professional help and/or medication for her husband.
From K: “I, too, have my rituals and superstitions. I blamed my husband for the loss of the Yankees’ 2004 season. It was his fault because he brought home the wrong kind of seltzer.”
I wrote back that I understood perfectly, having blamed myself for the Yankees 2001 loss to the Diamondbacks. It was my fault because I invited friends over for dinner instead of watching the game obsessively and without interruption.
From F: “My Mom grew up in Kansas City and passed on her passion for the Royals to me. But I grew up in New York and became a Yankee fan. I now live in Indiana, and because of the lack of coverage for either team and because I want to annoy all the incredibly annoying Cubs fans around me, I’m a Cardinals fan. So I’m a three-team girl.”
I wrote back that I can hardly cope with rooting for one team, but that having three teams to root for would definitely increase the odds of winning a game.
From W: “I’m a Yankee fan now living in Oklahoma. We migrate south for ‘Holy Week’ every year – the week the Yankees are in Arlington to play the Rangers. On Opening Day, dinner at our house is hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack, and it’s every bit as symbolic as turkey on Thanksgiving.”
I wrote back that ballpark food is fun, but that nothing beats turkey and stuffing (with gravy). If that makes me a bad fan, so be it.
From I: “I was in my Public Relations class today and our professor was handing back quizzes. She handed one to a girl wearing a Cubs hat and said, ‘Here’s a tip. Don’t wear a Cubs hat to class. You’ll fail automatically.’ I looked down at my Yankee sweatshirt and thought, Oh, great. I wonder what she’ll say to me. When she called out my name, I stood up in my Yankee attire and waited for her to say I’d fail. Instead, she said, “See, now THIS is what you need to wear to class if you want to get an automatic A.’ She even added, ‘If there’s ever a morning Yankee game, class will be cancelled.’ I didn’t really like her before today.”
I wrote back that I never had a teacher who talked about baseball, much less had a favorite team.
From D: “My local paper just ran a story about a young man who was drafted by the Yankees after he graduated from college, but he turned down the offer to go into the ministry.”
(No, she wasn’t talking about A-Rod. I just couldn’t help myself.) I wrote back that I hoped the young man was thriving in the ministry and that the Yankees’ farm system could manage with one less farmhand.
But wait. Could the farm system manage with one less farmhand? Sure, we had Ajax, Jesus, Miranda, Melancon, Brackman, Hughes and many other prospects. But what if this young man – the kid D had written to me about – was The Natural? What if he had the potential to be the next Ruth/Gehrig/DiMaggio/Mantle/Mattingly/Jeter? What if the greatest Yankee ever to put on the pinstripes was praying in church instead of playing in Triple A?
I couldn’t take any chances. I hopped on a plane and went in search of him. I’ll let you know if find him.
The First Wives Club
Last time, it was Amber Sabathia who was credited with nudging her husband toward the Yankees. This time, it was Leigh Teixeira.
According to Tex at the press conference: “She said, ‘I want you to be a Yankee,’ and it was a done deal.”
Wives make all the decisions in a marriage, let’s face it. Which leads me to wonder: Why isn’t Laura Pettitte telling her husband to be a Yankee? Is she too busy trying to get her singing career off the ground?
(You’re no Rhianna, honey. Tell Andy to come home to the Bronx or we’re moving on without both of you.)
Back to the press conference. Wasn’t I pretty much on the money with my “pre-cap,” as Kathy of Redbird Chatter dubbed my last post?
Just as I called it, there was Yankees media relations director Jason Zillo welcoming everybody. I couldn’t help notice his thicker hair. Did he get plugs in the off-season or has he been consulting Guiseppi Franco?
I was wrong about Hal not saying a word. He said six or seven words.
I was wrong about Randy Levine too; I didn’t expect him to be there, let alone look like he’d come straight from a tanning bed.
I was right about Cashman’s demeanor, the presentation of roses to Leigh Teixeira, Girardi slipping the pinstriped jersey on Tex. I was right that Tex would make worshipful remarks about the Yankees, Don Mattingly, the fans, etc. And I was right about the softball questions the media would lob at him. I was wrong about George King. Where the heck was he?
Tex seemed genuinely excited to be a Yankee. He did. Yes, he’s getting paid a fortune but he would have been paid a fortune no matter where he went.
There’s just one thing: He’s kind of dorky. Take a look.
I bet he has Barry Manilow on his iPod. I bet he watches the Discovery Channel. I bet he collects stamps. I bet he puts a slice of Velveta on everything. I bet he wears pajamas.
Still, dorky or not, I like him so far. And I’ll like him even more when he goes 4-for-4 on Opening Day.
Boras’s Secret Book on Mark Teixeira
You know how Scott Boras puts together those big fat books promoting his free agent clients – the ones he fills with gaudy stats and then hands them out to GMs? Well, I managed to get my hands on the book about Mark Teixeira. So exciting because I covet the guy for the Yankees almost as much as I covet CC.
But this one is more like a sweet little biography, giving us a glimpse of Mark’s personal side. Nothing at all about his offense.
Or his defense.
Nothing about the millions he’s worth to some team. This story focuses on the man, the person, the human being behind the hype. Warning: It’s so heartwarming it might make you cry.
It all begins with Mark Charles Teixeira’s birth in Annapolis, MD. The date? April 11th, 1980.
Yes, for those who follow astrology, that means he’s Aries, the Ram – a good thing to be for a ballplayer.
Mark, it turns out, is of Portuguese ancestry, which explains his interesting and hard-to-pronounce last name. Here are some Portuguese people. Can you spot the resemblance?
Neither can I, but maybe he’ll grow into his looks.
His mom, a schoolteacher named Margie, and his aerospace company executive dad, “Tex,” wanted their son to make it in professional baseball so badly that they gave him a bat when he was only a small child.
As a teenager, Mark played varsity baseball at Mount Saint Joseph High in Baltimore, a Catholic prep school where he learned how to respect his elders (and future managers).
He went on to play for Georgia Tech, home of the Yellow Jackets.
While it’s understandable that he rooted for the Orioles growing up, the player he totally worshipped was none other than our own Donnie.
You already know how Mark played for the Rangers, was traded to the Braves in ’07 and landed with the Angels last year. But did you know that he married a woman named Georgia Leigh Williams (cute that her name is the same as his university, isn’t it?) and that they have a son, Jack, and a daughter, Addison? They live in perfect harmony here.
Mark is such a quality person that, early on in his career, he established a charitable foundation to provide scholarships to Dallas/Forth Worth students.
When he’s not playing baseball and spending time with his family, Mark enjoys his two favorite hobbies.
Golf, of course. And hunting.
The book doesn’t say whether Mark kills deer or ducks or pheasants, but the main thing is he doesn’t strike me as someone who would stuff his animals and hang them over the fireplace.
Finally, Mark explains in the book that he has always wanted to live in New York and play for the Yankees. He says that he loves the pinstripes and can’t wait to trade his Angels cap for this one.
Oops. I meant this one.
Donnie Baseball Makes Good in L.A.
Here’s a must-read article about Mattingly in the L.A. Times. Would the Yankees have gone into an offensive swoon if he’d been the manager (or at least stayed on as hitting coach)? We’ll never know. Sigh.
Confessions of a She-Fan 