Tagged: Xavier Nady

March 1, 2010

It’s All My Fault

The other day I wrote a post about how there hadn’t been a single controversy swirling around the Yankees lately. I even listed possible scandals that might be just around the corner. Well, as most people know by now, the answer turned out to be #2: “An A-Rod Something.” From the New York Times…

Rodriguez to Meet With Investigators

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

On Monday Alex Rodriguez said he didn’t know when he would meet with authorities but that he intended to cooperate.

By BEN SHPIGEL

Published: March 1, 2010

TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez said on Monday that he has been contacted by federal authorities seeking to interview him in connection with their investigation of the Canadian doctor Anthony Galea, who is suspected of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to various athletes.

Taking Balco Approach, Authorities Interview Athletes Linked to Galea(March 1, 2010)

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In brief remarks issued in the Yankees clubhouse after the team’s workout Monday afternoon, Rodriguez said he did not know when he would meet with authorities but that he intended to cooperate.

Asked by reporters if he had ever been treated by Galea, Rodriguez responded: “I can’t really get into that. You’ll know within time all at the same time.”

General Manager Brian Cashman spoke to reporters after Rodriguez did and said he did not know anything about federal authorities having an interest in Rodriguez until he read about it in newspaper reports on Monday morning.

Cashman said he did not want to comment further until the Yankees “get caught up to speed.”

However, one person in baseball familiar with the sentiments of Yankees executives said they were distressed that Rodriguez had again been linked to the issue of performance-enhancing drugs and that they do not know where the matter will lead. In a s
tatement the Yankees issued about an hour after Rodriguez spoke, they said that they had “never authorized Dr. Tony Galea to treat Alex Rodriguez nor do we have any knowledge of any such treatment” and that they would continue to monitor the situation.

Rodriguez’s remarks to reporters lasted all of 61 seconds. But brief as they were, they thrust the Yankees back into territory they have become painfully familiar with in recent seasons. Jason Giambi‘s links to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative case was a major distraction for the Yankees in 2005.

In 2008, Andy Pettitte was forced to hold a news conference at the start of spring training to address his use of human growth hormone, which had been first disclosed in theMitchell report.

And then one year ago, it was Rodriguez who held a news conference at spring training to elaborate on his use of steroids from a period ranging from 2001 to 2003.

By now, the Yankees have become used to this issue. But the fact that it is back again will undoubtedly rankle team executives, who have had to deal with repeated distractions from Rodriguez involving a whole assortment of subjects since he joined the Yankees for the 2003 season. In Rodriguez’s favor, of course, is that he is coming off a standout postseason in 2009 that helped the Yankees win their first championship in nine years.

During his remarks on Monday Rodriguez was asked whether the Galea investigation would distract him as he prepared for the 2010 season.

“This is about someone else, this is about someone else,” he replied in a reference to Galea. “Like I said, I’m going to cooperate the best I can and focus on baseball.”

Galea, who is based in Toronto, has been charged by Canadian authorities with conspiring to smuggle human growth hormone and other drugs into the United States. He has not been charged in the United States.

He has denied that he provided professional athletes with performance-enhancing drugs but said that he had used human growth hormone for the last 10 years and prescribed it for some patients. Among the more notable athletes he has treated are the golfer Tiger Woods and the swimmer Dara Torres.

So, digging deeper, just who is this infamous Dr. Galea?

For starters, if he’s really Canadian, then he explodes the myth that all Canadians are paragons of virtue.

Second, the Feds spoke to Jose Reyes about the guy and all Reyes said was, “He didn’t give me performance enhancing drugs. He just spun my blood.”

Which brings up another question: If blood spinning really works, then why did both Reyes and Xavier Nady, who had the procedure last year, end up having surgery anyway?

I don’t know whether Galea treated A-Rod and, if so, whether it was in connection with his hip surgery. I only know that I’d be hiding under my bed if the Feds said they wanted to talk to me. Of course, my impression of “Feds” is based on what I’ve seen of them on TV – an admittedly distorted view. But I bet they wouldn’t laugh at my jokes or engage in a debate over whether Hughes or Joba should be in the Yankees rotation. I picture them as very tall men with deep voices and bad skin – men who wear white socks and have guns in their ankle holsters. I think they would call me Ma’am and then grill me for hours without letting me eat or drink – not even a sip of water. I imagine that by the end of their “interview,” I’d be in tears, even if I did nothing wrong. But hey, that’s just me.

I really hope this A-Rod business goes nowhere and my blog post from the other day didn’t jinx anything.

January 26, 2010

In Sickness And In Health…The Yankees Endure

My husband Michael went to Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital early this morning. (The cause was a sudden infection related to a chronic illness. He was in pain, had a fever and was feeling horrible. It was scary.) We waited in the ER for many hours during which he was poked, palpated, CT-scanned, you name it. It was 4 o’clock by the time they finally admitted him and put him in a semi-private room.

No, his roommate wasn’t Jack Nicholson or Morgan Freeman, but the guy was sound asleep when Michael arrived – a blessing. I’ll make this short, because it’s been a long, depressing day, but I just had to share a funny light at the end of the tunnel. (No, it has nothing to do with Damon. And yes, I read that Nady went to the Cubs.) As I was trying to cheer Michael up, his nurse walked in and introduced herself. When I remembered I had the She-Fan Cam in my bag, as I always do, I asked if she would let me record her. I know, I know. I was in my husband’s hospital room, not at a baseball game, but I pressed on anyway. Imagine my surprise when – without any prodding whatsoever – she turned out to be a Yankee fan. She got my husband to laugh and she reminded me that the pinstripes appear when you least expect them to. Here she is in her own words.

Thanks to everybody on Twitter who sent good wishes to Michael and me. They’re much appreciated. As of now, he’ll probably be in the hospital for another four or five days – plenty of time for him to get well….and for me to interview his nurses. 🙂

December 29, 2009

While I Wait for the Yankees to Sign a Left Fielder…

My grandmother used to say, “A watched pot never boils.”

Actually, the water does boil, even if you stand there watching the pot, but the idea is to stop hovering while you’re waiting for something to happen and just let it be. So that’s my new strategy regarding the Yankees. I’m going to stop reading everybody’s opinions about who should play left field and just let the situation play out. Jason Bay is out of the picture. Matt Holliday is probably out of the picture. Boras wants more for Damon than the Yankees want to spend. Nady has had two Tommy John surgeries. And Reed Johnson, Scott Posednik and Jonny Gomes don’t inspire blog posts. Brett Gardner could still get the job, but didn’t I just say I was through speculating? Enough about this subject! I’m done, I tell you. When the Yankees have something to announce, I’ll write about it then. But there will be a moratorium on all discussion of who will play left field in 2010 starting RIGHT NOW!

Instead, has everybody seen this mashup of the top ten songs of 2009? I don’t hear/see “Empire State of Mind” anywhere, but maybe I’m missing something? I need the interlocking N-Y or I’m not happy.

December 10, 2009

How Many Outfielders Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?

Or, to put it another way, how many outfielders will make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster? Now that we’ve added Jamie Hoffmann, the Rule V Draft Pick who was half of the Bruney-to-Nationals deal, we have five – count ’em, FIVE – viable outfielders. And that doesn’t include Damon, who could still sign, plus one or two Hinske/Hairston utility types yet to be on our radar. Sounds like a game of musical chairs to me.

While it’s true that you can never have too many options, given possible injuries (hello, Xavier Nady) and mediocrity (that would be you, Shelley Duncan), the Yankees have some decisions to make and one of these guys is bound to get left out. Let’s look at the outfield as it stands tonight….

* Curtis “Grandy” Granderson *

He looks awfully snappy in his newly Photo Shopped cap and uniform, doesn’t he? Obviously, he’s not going anywhere. I hope he patrols center field for a long, productive time.

* Melky “The Melkman” Cabrera *

I assume Melky will move to left field with the acquisition of Grandy. He has a better-than-average arm and hits in the clutch. Is he the greatest player to wear the pinstripes? No, but I love saying the name “Melky” and having non-baseball friends go, “What?”

* Nick “Swishalicious” Swisher *

The presumed right fielder who started his Yankees life as our presumed first baseman before Tex came along and Nady went down, Swish has a decent arm, gets on base (except when he strikes out in key situations) and lightens up the clubhouse. He can also turn a routine fly ball into an adventure, and performs needless somersaults.

* Brett “Gardy” Gardner *

Gardy, not to be confused with Grandy, runs like crazy, as we all know, and covers a lot of ground in center. His arm won’t blow anyone away. But if he gets on base, his speed causes the opposition to spazz out. The word “if” is key here. He doesn’t get on base often enough.

* Jamie “Hoffy” Hoffmann *

The new kid looks a lot like the old kid (Shelley). Apparently, Hoffy played a lot of hockey and was even drafted by the NHL. According to Mark Feinsand of the Daily News, Cashman said of Hoffman: “He’s got a hockey mentality – a very athletic and hard-nosed outfielder.” I guess that means he’ll be good in brawls?

There they are – five candidates for three spots – with the possible addition of Damon. So who gets traded? Anybody? Hoffy could do time in Scranton. And The Melkman and Swishalicious could handle the corners. But where does that leave Gardy? There’s no one more fun to watch on the base paths.

And who could forget the story of how he went to NY-Presbyterian Hospital to read books to sick kids as part of Project Sunshine? He was given a “lucky” bracelet by a girl awaiting a heart transplant, remember? She said, “Maybe this will make you hit a home run.”

And then he played in the game later – only because Damon was ejected – and promptly hit an inside-the-park homer….and the girl suddenly received a heart from a donor. Talk about “meant to be.”

I know this will seem like I’m just echoing my post from last night about Joba/Hughes, but can’t we keep every single one of them? Right now all I want to do is hoard players. Isn’t that only natural in winter?

November 30, 2009

Introducing The 2009 She-Fan Awards

Baseball has already crowned the Rookies of the Year, the Cy Youngs, the MVPs, the Gold Gloves, the Silver Sluggers, the SI Sportsman of the Year (congratulations, Jeet) and, of course, the World Champions (congratulations, Yankees).

In other words, lots of hardware has already been handed out.

With the Winter Meetings scheduled to begin next week and nothing much happening in the meantime, it’s my pleasure to present the 2009 She-Fan Awards, which recognize excellence in the field of contributing to the success of the New York Yankees. Yes, that’s a mouthful, so let me put it another way. The award goes to a person or persons who helped the Yankees win this year.

No, it doesn’t go to a player. Or the manager. Or the general manager. It’s intended to spotlight those who are more obscure and who don’t generally receive the attention they deserve. And in case you’re wondering, the award itself is solid gold, has been custom-designed by my superb craftsmen here in Santa Barbara and, in keeping with the fan theme, looks like this.

Now, without further ado, the awards….

***** Best Surgeon *****

And the nominees are:

– Dr. Marc Phillipon (A-Rod’s hip surgeon)

marc philippon.JPG.jpeg

– Dr. David Altchek (Posada’s shoulder surgeon, as well as Mo’s shoulder surgeon)

– Dr. James Andrews (Chien-Ming Wang’s shoulder surgeon, as well as consultant to many Yankees, including Dave Robertson)

– Dr. Lewis Yocum (Xavier Nady’s elbow surgeon)

And the winner of the 2009 She-Fan Award for Best Surgeon is…Dr. Marc Phillipon.

It was a tight race right down to the wire. Dr. Altchek performed surgeries on not one but two valuable Yankees shoulders and certainly merited attention. That said, A-Rod’s hip surgery was more delicate and it allowed the Yankees third baseman and clean-up hitter to return to the team in May, sparing us another minute of Cody Ransom, providing protection for Tex in the lineup and treating us to that heart-stirring walk-off homer in the 15th inning against Boston. Congratulations, Dr. Phillipon. Enjoy your award.

Coming next: the 2009 She-Fan Award for….you’ll have to wait and see.

June 26, 2009

CC Ran The Bases And The Earth Moved

He threw 98 mph. He didn’t walk a single batter. And he struck out eight en route to the Yankees 9-1 victory over the Mets. He also had an RBI single and scored during the Mets’ error-filled meltdown in the second. I could feel the ground shake as he chugged home. He’s as big as The Fridge, isn’t he?

Anyway, it was a masterful performance, marred only by Sheffield’s blast, and I hope he doesn’t catch the bug that claimed Jeter, the birthday boy, who was scratched from the lineup with a bad cough.

Other than CC, the hero of the night was Brett the Jet, who is insanely fast and could probably win a race with this guy.

Five-for-five with a homer, a triple and a stolen base? How hug-worthy was that?

Damon continued to excel (great dive/slide on that catch of Cora’s pop up in the first).

Cano played good ball in spite of his various ailments. And Pena had a couple of doubles, subbing for Jeter. But how about A-Rod. He’s looked like a different player in the last few games. Maybe it’s the day off he had during the week or the hip that’s finally healing or the fact that Kate Hudson is following him around the country and bringing him luck instead of jinxing him.

All I know is he made several nice plays at third and passed Reggie on the all-time home run list.

I wonder why the Mets’ defense goes all loosey-goosey when they face the Yanks. That second inning was like a bloopers reel. Maybe it’s because of their lame old theme song. Here’s Bob Costas singing it. Not good at all.

P.S. I’m sad about Nady. I thought he’d have a big year for us. And now he’s done.

Goodbye, X-Man. It was fun while you lasted.

May 3, 2009

Random Thoughts For A Rainout Day

#1) I wouldn’t have gotten to see today’s Yankees-Angels finale even if they’d played it. Why? Because I was blacked out. Not just on regular TV but on MLB.TV too. BLACKED OUT.

What was the deal? I live in California. I get all the Angels games on the local Fox Sports channel. But today, for some inexplicable reason, the baseball gods decided to issue a blackout restriction. Am I not paying enough for my Extra Innings package, my Cox cable, my MLB premium, my everything? It absolutely infuriated me.

#2) The rainout means Nick Swisher will have another day to rest his sore elbow. I admit I wasn’t one of his early supporters. I’m a Nady person. But Swish won me over (he had me at: “Sure, I’ll pitch”) and I miss not seeing him and his bat in the lineup everyday.

#3) The rainout today also means I didn’t have to watch Angel Berroa play third. Girardi had him slated to go instead of Pena, and An-hell’s error-prone defense could have been contagious and led to a whole lot of slipping and falling.

#4) Back to Nady. He is undergoing a medical procedure that could return him to the Yankees lineup much sooner and without surgery. According to Peter Abraham, he’s having “platelet-rich plasma injected directly into the area around the torn ligament in his elbow.” Ouuuwww.

#5) Just wondering: Who pays for Nady’s procedure, A-Rod’s hip surgery and the countless MRIs that players undergo as routinely as they take batting practice? Do the Yankees foot the bill for all this stuff? The players themselves? The players’ union? All I know is that Cigna, my health insurance company, gives me a hard time if I even look at my doctor.

#6) I wasn’t going to get into Selena Roberts’ book about A-Rod, but since the game was rained out I might as well. If MLB needs to investigate whether he used steroids as a Yankee and/or if he tipped pitches while in Texas, they should go for it and, if he’s guilty, give him the Pete Rose treatment. But seriously. How will Bud and his investigators ferret out the “anonymous sources?” It could be a challenge, given that Roberts herself won’t cooperate. What I truly don’t care about is what A-Rod may or may not have done when he was a kid.

For all I know he’s the most unpleasant, selfish, needy, womanizing man on the planet. But unless he’s done something that requires discipline from MLB, I refuse to act like he’s…..this guy.

(Daily Flip Video Contest Reminder) I’m getting some really great pix!

April 15, 2009

Just When I Wonder If Jeter’s Still Got It…

…he goes and has a game like today.

No, he didn’t throw himself into the seats or anything nearly as dramatic. But he’s like the guy who works at my local pizza place…he always delivers.

In the third inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Rays, he knew exactly where to be to make that 5-3-6 double play happen. He not only raced over to cover third but put a perfect tag on Kapler.

It didn’t hurt that the Yankees finally have a first baseman who can make that throw over to third. (No disrespect to Giambi. He sure was fun.)

Let’s see. What else did Jeter do today?

With the Yanks down 3-2 in the top of the eighth, he doubled and scored the tying run. Never mind about the pizza delivery guy. He’s more like my Fed Ex guy who shows up even if we’re having a mudslide.

Oh, and in the top of the ninth with the score still knotted at three? Guess who singled home the go-ahead run?

Yep. Which makes me think Jeter is not like the pizza delivery guy or the guy from Fedex, but rather like my primary care physician, Dr. Jeffrey Hadsall (affectionately known around my house as J-Had).

Like any good doctor, J-Had is in charge of making sure I don’t have a heart attack or stroke or otherwise keel over unexpectedly, and that’s exactly what Jeter does by making sure the Yankees don’t lose close games.

There were other Yankees who kept me from feeling sorry for myself about Xavier, whose elbow, it turns out, consists of this.

Cano’s two-run jack put the Yanks on the board….Damon knocked in Jeter with a single….Bruney threw killer stuff to strike out Upton and Crawford….Ransom doubled and scored the winning run…And Mo performed his usual 1-2-3 magic, talk about saving my life over and over again.

Special mention goes to Andy Pettitte, who pitched efficiently and skillfully and reinforced what a stellar rotation the Yankees have. There have been bumps in the road so far, but I still think this team will win it all this fall.

In the meantime, I’m so excited about tomorrow’s opener at the new Stadium that I’ll probably be up all night thinking about it. It’ll be on at 10 a.m. here in California, so I’m not even going to pretend to do any work. Tomorrow is all about the Yankees, their new home and the legendary players who’ll be there for the ceremonies. Oh, and beating the Indians would be nice too, so I don’t have to hear it from this guy.

April 15, 2009

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to Peter Abraham, Nady’s elbow needs surgery and he will miss the entire season? Excuse me?

Are we really talking about Xavier the VI or VII or whatever number of Xaviers he is? The guy I didn’t want the Yankees to trade? The player who, with Swisher, gives us the best, most versatile roster we’ve had in years? That Xavier? The X-Man?

I know he had his elbowed repaired some time back, but all he did last night was throw the damn ball back to the infield after a Rays’ hit. It wasn’t as if he labored through nine innings or tried to clock someone during a brawl or even slept on it wrong.

And so I must ask….

Are these people made of glass?

The Yankees haven’t issued any announcements yet, but I’m completely unglued by this news….as you can see.

I do have a question though….Why does Xavier have to miss the whole season? Can’t he go to the same miracle worker in Colorado who just sewed up A-Rod’s hip? I hear Vail is lovely this time of year.

April 14, 2009

AJ Burnett, My Hero

I don’t usually fall for men with “body art.”

And normally it takes me a while to form meaningful attachments.

But AJ Burnett has come to the Yankees’ rescue twice in a row, and that’s exactly the kind of behavior that wins my trust and affection.

Here’s how he did it against the Rays and their cowbell-clanging supporters.

* He threw six innings of no-hit ball, completely handcuffing the previously elusive Upton.

* He hit Zobrist on the foot in the second inning. But he protested that the ball hit the ground first and the umpire bought it, thanks to his great sales job.

* He buzzed one up and in to Longoria in the bottom of the fourth after Matt Garza had buzzed one up and in to Swisher in the top of the frame, displaying a keen sense of fair play.

* He wore a perpetual snarl/lip curl, and I almost expected him to point his glove at the Rays and yell: “Get. Off. My. Lawn.”

* After he gave up his first hit to Crawford in the seventh, followed by singles to Longoria and Pena, he could have lost his focus. Instead, he came back out in the eighth and retired all three men he faced.

* He was the guiding force behind the Yankees’ 7-2 victory over the Rays, out-dueling Garza and his fluttering glove trick.

Of course, there were other heroes….

Swisher for continuing to swing a hot bat….Gardner for smacking back-to-back doubles….Molina for picking off Pena (Carlos)….Girardi for replacing Ransom with Pena (Ramiro)…Jeter for homering to put the game away….Bruney for nailing down the “W”….Tex for playing with a sore wrist, although I hope that broken-bat foul didn’t make it worse.

Speaking of “sore,” Nady’s got an elbow problem? What’s up with that? I guess we’ll find out after he spends part of Wednesday in here.

P.S. Starting Friday, I’ll be a regular weekly guest on the sports talk radio show “The Natural.” Hosted by Greg Marotta, the show is broadcast live from 4-5 p.m. Eastern Time on WVNJ-AM 1160 throughout Northern New Jersey, Westchester, Rockland and parts of Manhattan, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as via streaming audio on their web site.

“‘The Natural’ goes after out-of-the-box guests,” said Greg of his daily show. “Larry Lucchino….Mickey Rourke…..and now Jane Heller.”

I never expected to be in the same sentence as either Larry Lucchino or Mickey Rourke. But wonders never cease and talking about the Yankees never gets old.

Confessions of a She-Fan