Joe Torre

Why was there absolutely no mention of Joe Torre last night during the last game at Yankee Stadium? I understand the Yankees existed before Torre, and they will certainly exist after Torre, but he’s a very big contributer to the team’s history. It was an insult to the fans to not even have him mentioned.

And I’m sorry, but where was Hank Steinbrenner last night? Say what you will about George, but at least that man has earned respect throughout the league. Hank is just making a mockery out of this team.

Ryan Ward was recently outed as spending the entire summer pretending to be Yankees’ pitcher Joba Chamblerlain.  According to the article, Ward could face some jail time. 

At the restaurant I used to work, I’d often get customers telling me I looked like Tony Stuart.  I never really saw the resemblence.  Maybe I should go parading around as Tony Stuart one of these days?  Maybe Halloween?

September Random Rants

Remember last year when Kanye West proclaimed to the world how he would never participate in another MTV VMA event?  Yeah, well, guess what?  Kanye is closing out this years VMA ceremony.  I just lost some respect for you, Mr. West.

Obama has said he does not plan on focusing on Palin’s personal issues.  Great way to save face, Obama — especially when you have the entire media focusing on Palin’s personal issues. 

I don’t trust Google’s new Chrome web browser one bit.  And neither should you. 

This one is not a rant, but a rave.  Bob Sheppard is planning on being at Yankee Stadium for it’s finale.  What a great thing that would be.

Hanna is moving towards the east coast and especially near the Carolinas+Maryland.  Great, just when we’re supposed to be in Baltimore for the weekend. 

Derek Jeter

I’m not the biggest Derek Jeter fan, I’ll be honest. I think his pride hurts him at times — perhaps he tries too hard to fit into the “Yankee mold,” so to speak. He’s certainly not a power hitter, and he’s certainly not the best defensively. But put that aside, and how can you not be impressed by the guy? Sure, many view him as being overrated, but anyone making that type of money is going to be deemed overrated.

Derek is on the threshold of reaching a rather significant milestone — 2,500 hits. He had 3 hits last night against Toronto, which put him at 2,498 hits. Derek needs 2 hits to reach 2,500. If he doesn’t do it tonight, then perhaps tomorrow (Friday) night in Baltimore.

Take a look at the all-time hit list below, and look how many at-bats, and seasons, it took for the players around him to accomplish that level.

All Time Career Hits Leaders

Derek Jeter even has the capability to crack into the top 5, too. He averages just over 200 hits per season. Lets just say Jeter, who is 34 years old, can, and wants to, play for another ten years. Lets also say he can continue putting up similar hit numbers. That’s an additional 2000 hits — putting him at 4,498. 4,498 is about 200 more hits than the current leader, Pete Rose.

Now, of course, Derek is getting older. I’m sure his numbers are going to dip, but even so, he has the potential to definitely make his way into the top 5 of all time. How incredible is that? Imagine if he stays healthy and his age doesn’t decrease his numbers dramatically? We’re witnessing incredible history here.

And without going into too much about Alex Rodriguez, he’s going to be in the running to pass Barry Bonds in the all time career home run total, too. How amazing is it going to be for us fans to witness possibly two great records be broken by two players on possibly the same team?

Update: Derek Jeter is now at 2,499 career hits.

Yankee Stadium

I’ve been really torn on the issue of Yankee Stadium being torn down after this season; only to be replaced with a new Yankee Stadium just next door.  For those who have been fortunate enough to see Yankee Stadium, you know exactly what I’m talking about — there’s a certain aura to the place.  You walk in there, and you’re overwhelmed by what is Yankee Stadium.  You can feel the history.  It’s all still there; within your reach.  You sit down in your seat, wherever it might be, and you know the crowd will be into the entire game, inning for inning and no matter what the score.  You don’t experience that anywhere else.

But when you think about it, the current Yankee Stadium isn’t the same house that Ruth built back in 1923.  Sure it stands on the same grounds, but it was more or less entirely renovated in the 70s.  Major things changed in the 70s for the stadium that set it apart from the 20s.  So why not start completely over in 2009?  In the end, what’s the big deal?  The history, and memories, will still be there — just carried over to a stadium a block away.  The prestige of the Yankees organization will still be there — just in another stadium.

However, I realized the other day why I was so torn on the new versus old stadium.  And honestly, it comes down to my son or daughter just not being able to see the old stadium and what it had to offer.  I was very fortunate growing up and going to several Yankee games per year.  I wasn’t the biggest baseball fan, but even then, I just enjoyed the atmosphere of the game.  Every time we would go, my father would tell me stories about how him and his friends used to sneak out to go to Yankee games, or how his grandfather used to take him to games, or how he was able to see Player A do X, Y, and Z.  At the time, I could care less about those stories, as would any young kid.  But as now an adult, it’s those stories and the overall history of the Yankees that absolutely define the current stadium to me.  And it saddens me to not be able to share that same feeling with my children.

I am looking forward to the new stadium and what it has to offer.  I’m looking forward to being able to see the many memories to come in that stadium, too.  I certainly hope to be able to share those new stadium memories with my children, as well.

But when I’m at a game with my kid, and I’m doing what my father did to me, telling him stories.  They’re going to be about “the old stadium across the street.”  I’ll be able to tell him or her about how I was able to see Paul O’Neil hit three home runs in one game on August 31st, 1995 — but in the old stadium.  I’ll be able to tell him or her about the great seats my father used to get just five or six rows from the Yankee’s dugout — but in the old stadium.  And I’ll be able to tell him how his mother and I froze our asses off in an April game which resulted in us leaving in the second inning — but that all occurred in the old stadium.

Maybe I’m just looking into it a bit much.  Maybe it’s not the physical aspect of the Yankees that needs to be there to continually cherish all of these moments.  Maybe it’s just the memories themselves that define everything.  The memories will always live on, maybe soon in a different form, but they’ll still live on.

So maybe it is a good thing, this new Yankee Stadium.  Maybe it’s good to create new memories for a new generation.  I was fortunate enough to see a great dynasty, and I’ll always be able to share those memories with my son or daughter — just the same way my father did with me.  We’ll always hold on to these memories, and just because the current stadium is coming down, it doesn’t mean these memories will just vanish.  They’ll always be there for us to appreciate and to reflect upon.

The Sports Hernia is reporting that State Trooper, Jason Giambi, is back. 

The 2008 State Trooper Giambi is doing something that the 2007 version couldn’t do, actually hit, which is leading to fewer unwarranted tickets at first base.

New York Yankees great, Yogi Berra, is known throughout the world for quick comments and witty remarks — often dubbed Yogiisms.  I stumbled upon some quotes of Yogi’s that just made me laugh.

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going because you might not get there.”

On a trip to Cooperstown with Phil Rizzuto, Phil commented to Yogi, “I think we’re lost.” To which Yogi replied,

“Yeah, but we’re making great time.”

New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter, Jason Giambi, wears a gold thong whenever he’s slumping.  And for Jason, he’s been slumping for a very long time now.

Jason lends it out from time to time to other players who are slumping.  Both Jeter and Damon confirmed that they’ve have donned the gold thong a few times.

“I had it over my shorts and stuff, I was 0-for-32 and I hit a homer on the first pitch. That’s the only time I’ve ever worn it,” Jeter stated.

Damon stated he might need to wear it soon, as he’s currently batting a mediocre .255.  Damon was able to shed some light on the thought process of wearing the thong to get over a slump.

“You’re not worrying about your hands or your balance at the plate; you’re worried about the uncomfortable feeling you’re receiving,” Damon said.

Update: It turns out this was a rehashed interview and article from several years ago.  Some reporter dug it up, wrote a new article off of it, and then the rest of the media jumped on it.  Looks like I fell for it, as well.  Must have been a slow news day for that reporter.

Alex Rodriguez launched one last week against Clay Buccholz for a crazy four hundred and fifty seven feet.

There was a good article that captured a Manny Ramirez that the media, and public, don’t typically see.  “Manny being Manny” is usually shoved down our throats — a self-absorbed asshole that only cares about himself.  A quick interview and a day later, you see a different side of Manny. 

After all this is over, all I want is for my kids to go to college and to be their best friend.  That’s all I want. I don’t care about home runs or whatever.