Yankees Have Plenty of Free Agent Questions to Answer

The Yankees have some huge names hitting the free agent market this year. Some will surely be back, some most certainly will not; then there are those who may or may not be back. There are also other free agents hitting the market that could be good fits for the Yankees. Let's take a quick look at where the team stands now.

Giants Readying for Monday Night Showdown in Dallas

The New York Giants roll into Dallas in a comfortable position atop the NFC East with a three game winning streak. They are playing a division rival with only one win and have a bye week afterwards. The Giants have returned to their roots running smash mouth football and knocking quarterbacks out of games at an alarming rate.


Tony Romo is on notice with his injured thumb. He should expect to spend the day running all over the place unless he wants to end up like Matt Moore, Jay Cutler, Todd Collins and Shaun Hill. "Yeah, we don’t like to see quarterbacks get knocked out," Cowboys' offensive line coach Hudson Houck told ESPN Dallas. "We faced some pretty good defenses the last three weeks. Tennessee was really good and last week [Minnesota] a really good pass rush." No disrespect to this teams, but they are not eating quarterbacks for lunch like the Giants have been. Injuries on the offensive line should make it an interesting afternoon for the Cowboys.

Rangers Outpitch, Outhit, Outplay Yankees to World Series

The Yankees took the field last night knowing that a loss meant the end of their season. Sending young Phil Hughes, an 18 game winner this season, to the mound seemed like a no-brainer. Though he was torched in game 2, he would surely come back and pitch his game with the season was on the line.


At time Hughes looked distracted and not into the moment. His eyes were not those of a focused, concentrated, 18 game winner. He didn't finish a few of his pitches, the Rangers made him pay. Starting in the bottom first inning when shortstop Elvis Andrus led off with a double, advanced to third on a single by center fielder Josh Hamilton and scored on a hit and run ground out by DH Vladimir Guerrero; the Rangers took advantage of every chance they had en route to a 6-1 victory.

Yankees vs Rangers ALCS Game 6 Preview

It's the second of 3 game 7s in a row for the Bombers in game 6 this ALCS, win or go home. Phil Hughes takes the mound for New York and Colby lewis takes the mound for Texas in what is a rematch of ALCS game starters. The Yankees lost game 2 7-2 to go down 2 games to 0 heading back to NY.

The first 5 games of this ALCS have been nailbiters or blowouts, it has been very lopsided. While the Yankees have scored a total of 18 runs, the Rangers have scored 32; yet the Yankees have somehow found a way to stay in the series. They pin all of their hopes on righty Phil Hughes tonight with the hope he will force a game 7 matchup between the Rangers Cliff lee and the Yankees Andy Pettitte.

FCC Joins Customers' Anger at Fox, Cablevision

According to published reports, the FCC has stuck it's long nose of inquiry into the ongoing dispute between the broadcaster and provider. In an attempt to not miss any more episodes of Glee, FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake has inquired as to whether the two are actually trying to make peace or just spending time running attack ads like Cuomo and Paladino.

"I know that you are aware that both broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors have a statutory duty to engage in 'good-faith' negotiations," the Los Angeles Times has reported Lake wrote, also going on to say that if either party is "aware of any conduct by the other side that you believe violates the good faith requirement, please so indicate and provide supporting evidence."

In a clear sign that the two sides are amicable, Fox advised customers unable to access their programming to "switch providers or purchase an over-the-air antenna now," also according to the LA Times.

What both these two fail to realize is that no one who watches Fox on Cablevision actually cares about this game of right and wrong. As far as all affected customers are concerned, both sides are equally wrong and need to resolve this dispute before the world series. Everyone in NY, NJ & CT knows the same family that owns the Knicks and Rangers also owns Cablevision. That bottom line is about to shrink if this problem doesn't disappear faster than Isiah Thomas.

NFL Safety Video Sent to Teams

The NFL sent the above video to all 32 teams illustrating which types of hits are unacceptable and which types of hits are good glean football.

More than any other team, the Giants appear to be victims of both the bad hits (Kevin Boss) and the good clean hits (Ramses Barden). ""I was watching the Sunday night game a little bit and I like what (former safety) Rodney Harrison had to say about how the only time they really got his attention was when they finally suspended him for a game," said Boss in a report on FanHouse.com. Boss has suffered multiple concussions in his career from being "blown up" by defensive players in the past.


One of those players is current teammate Antrelle Rolle, who blew Boss up when he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals last season: "A lot of times it's receivers or offensive guys that maybe are ducking their head or maybe they're running up high. Who's to say what? No one is at fault. Nothing's intentional." Rolle told FanHouse.com in the same report. ""A lot of times it's receivers or offensive guys that maybe are ducking their head or maybe they're running up high. Who's to say what? No one is at fault. Nothing's intentional."


James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers threatened to retire over the new enforcement of these rules after being fined $75,000 of the millions he is to make this season over the hit in the above video, saying "I'm going to sit down and have a serious conversation with my coach tomorrow and see if I can actually play by NFL rules and still be effective. If not, I may have to give up playing football," in a report on NFL.com. 


He should ask Todd Heap, DeSean Jackson and Kevin Boss if they think they can actually play by the rules and be effective if that type of hitting is allowed. The league is doing the right thing, preventing head, neck and spinal cord injuries should be applauded. All one needs to do is follow Ray Lewis example of a good, clean, hard hit. As Sandy Alderson said "a great player making a great play."

Girardi's Future in the Bronx

Joe Girardi will be a Yankee next year, remember I said that today and feel free to quote these words in the not too distant future. How long he will remain a Yankee? That's a better question to ask. Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman wrote the following in an article on SI.com: "The Yankees plan to bring back manager Joe Girardi at a raise, no matter what some fans may say about his reliance on his ever-present binder. He is well-liked by Yankees honchos..."


Regarding the Cubs managerial situation, especially when someone already has the job, it wouldn't be surprising to see Micro Joe sign a 2 year deal with the Yankees to keep his options open. He's young (45), very well respected around the league, a world champion as a player and a manager, has won manager of the year; he can go just about anywhere he wants if he decides the pressure cooker environment in New York isn't for him long term.


Not that one could possibly imagine the pressure he would be under in Chicago would be any different or easier to deal with.

Cablevision-Fox Feud Now 5 Days Old

Each time the Yankees win FOX execs hear dollar signs. Should the Bombers make the World Series, they will be in a position to force Cablevision to take whatever deal they throw on the table because of the serious problems the cable company will have if 30% of the tri-state area misses the pinstripes' chase of a 28th and 2nd championship in a row.

Cablevision's Twitter account, @No_New_Fox_Fees, has gone from being an auto-tweeting propaganda machine to a magnet for anger from Cablevision subscribers. One user wrote: "Unfortunately, this issue is bigger than Fox to us subscribers. We're pretty sick of service issues. Fios looks pretty good." Another wrote: Will you allow Verizon FiOS, ATT U-Verse to carry MSG HD feeds and put MSG back on Dish pending binding arbitration?" Which is a reference to Cablevision not allowing it's proprietary sports channels broadcasting Knicks, Rangers (NHL), Sabres, Liberty and Red Bulls games on the above providers in HD or at all in the case of Dish Network.

Fox's twitter account, @KeepFoxOn, has also become a lightning rod, though it appears more people support Fox than support Cablevision; which might be due to the latter having had this issue with multiple providers recently. Most notably, ABC being blocked until 15 minutes through the most recent Oscars telecast. One user wrote: I really think it is time to bring this to an end one way ore another. Why don't you guys be the adults and break the logjam." Another said: "You know what would be useful? FOX 5 Investigations on why Cablevision really sucks & holds viewers, like me, hostage..."

The Dolan family, which owns Cablevision, also owns MSG, the Knicks and the Rangers. Having recently run the Knicks into the ground like a wagon train in Oregon Trail at breakneck speed on barebones rations, they don't have too many friends in the NYC area. This problem is just adding feul to what had become a smoldering fire. Should the Yankees make the world series and there not yet be a resolution to this issue I would not want to be Charles Dolan. If he doesn't yet have a personal security detail he might want to start considering one.

Giants Injury News

According to Big Blue's website, Keith Bullock's injured toe has healed sufficiently enough to allow him to practice today. He has missed the last 3 games.

Mathias Kiwanuka, who's bulging cervical disk has kept him out the last three games, does not appear he will be available this week. He had an MRI earlier this week and did not hear the answer he was looking for.

Finally, Keith Boothe will attend his first practice for the Giants this year. He has been on the PUP since the season began with a torn pectoral muscle from lifting weights. The Giants have 3 weeks to activate him.

(Giants.com)

Apparently the ALCS is on FOX, according to CNN

CNN=Politics but it sure doesn't = research. Anchor Tony Harris went on the air to mock Lance Berkman for his spill during yesterday's game. Nothing wrong with a good chuckle at someone falling down, we all do it. Where he loses us is when he goes on to laugh at New Yorkers for being unable to watch the Yanks' games versus the Rangers because Cablevision is in a dispute with FOX, despite a CNN-made on screen graphic crediting TBS for the footage and the TBS score bug being on the screen.

The funniest part about all this is that TBS is owned by Time Warner. Yes, Tony Harris works for the same company as Ernie Johnson. Remarkable.

Swisher, Cano, Granderson Power Bombers to Game 5 Win vs Rangers

With Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent throwing out the first pitch, one would think the Yankees were down 3 games to 1 to the Red Sox. They weren't though, the team currently tormenting them is the up until now woeful Texas Rangers. Up until this season the Rangers had not one a single playoff series in their entire existence, going back to their days as the Washington Senators. After dispatching the Tampa Bay Rays they set their sights on and have dominated the Yankees in every aspect of the game.

With clouds hanging over the Stadium as if to remind the Yankees of the potentially dark day ahead of them they took the field just before 4pm to half empty Stadium. C.C. Sabathia rewarded the fans who did show up by firing a first pitch strike over the plate. The Rangers leadoff hitter would single into center field before being out in a double play of Rangers' third baseman Michael Young's bat. Josh Hamilton, the Rangers' Paul Bunyan-like center fielder, reached first but was stranded by Guerrero to end the inning.

Aaron "$%&!ing" Boone and Bucky Dent to Throw First Pitches

In a move that makes you wonder if the Yankees forgot who they are playing against this afternoon, Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent are throwing out the first pitches before the game.

Instead of bringing back two guys who beat a team that didn't even make the playoffs this season, maybe they should bring back Shane Spencer or Mariano Duncan, guys ont he team when they owned the Rangers.

Bringing back Ronan Tynan to sing God Bless America wouldn't be a bad idea either, if Eliot Spitzer can make a come back why can't Tynan?

ALCS Game 5 Preview: Rangers vs Yankees

This afternoon is it for the Yankees, win or go home. They have no margin for error. It's a good thing their ace CC Sabathia is taking the mound against the Rangers. The team mantra has been to worry about tomorrow after today, from Yankees manager Joe Girardi all the way to their closer Mariano Rivera.

"We haven't lost yet, we just have to play one game at a time. We cannot win three games at a time," said Mariano Rivera before the game "Just play hard today and forget about tomorrow...if we do that, we will have enough to win tonight."

On the season, Sabathia had a major league leading 21 and only 7 losses with a 3.18 ERA. For their careers against him, the Rangers are hitting only .175 with 3 home runs and 14 RBI. The team's best hitter against Sabathia is 3rd baseman Michael Young, who has 12 hits in 38 at bats for a .316 average. "For us as a team, we haven't really put too much stock into our post season past, because that's what it was, the past," said Young. "We're very confident with the guys in this room that we can do some good things."

In game 1 against the Rangers this ALCS Sabathia surrendered 5 runs on 6 hits over only 4 innings. He is looking for a better outing this time around. "We're down and we need everyone to pitch well. Of course I feel like I need to pitch that way every time out," said Sabathia. "I wasn't able to get it done in game 1, but I'll be ready to go...they're good, they can hit, they got a lot of power up and down." He is 8-3 after Yankee losses this season, there's no better man to have on the mound for this pivotal game.

The Rangers starter CJ Wilson was 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA during the 2010 regular season. In game 1 against the Yankees he allowed 3 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings. For their careers, the Yankees are hitting a collective .248 with 2 home runs and 18 RBI.  Nick Swisher has 6 hits in 20 at bats for .300 average to lead his teammates efforts against the former closer. Marcus Thames has 5 hits in his 11 at bats against him. The only real weak spot in the Bombers' line up would be Berkman, having no career at bata against Wilson and struggling mightily against lefties this season. He appears to be swinging the bat better as of late, hopefully it translates into something positive.

Mariano Rivera has pitched only one inning this entire ALCS, he hopes to be active later tonight and help the Yankees punch their tickets back to Arlington.

Rangers ALCS Game 5 Lineup

The Rangers have made a few adjustments to their lineup versus the Yankees CC Sabathia this afternoon. Most notable is the absence of Yankee killer Bengie Molina:

1. Elvis Andrus SS
2. Michael Young 3B
3. Josh Hamilton CF
4. Vladimir Guerrero DH
5. Nelson Cruz LF
6. Ian Kinsler 2B
7. Jeff Francoeur RF
8. Matt Treanor C
9. Mitch Moreland 1B

Pitcher C.J. Wilson

Yankees ALCS Game 5 Lineup

Without Teixeira on the roster, Berkman slides into his position and Eduardo Nunez assumes Berkman's spot on the bench. Here is the Bombers lineup versus the Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson:

1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Nick Swisher RF
3. Robinson Cano 2B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Marcus Thames DH
6. Lance Berkman 1B
7. Jorge Posada C
8. Curtis Granderson CF
9. Brett Gardner LF

Pitching: CC Sabathia

Berkman to Start at First Base for Yanks

With Mark Teixeira's season over even if the Yankees somehow make it to the World Series, Lance Berkman will be playing first base for the Bombers tonight. 

At first it appeared that Teixeira was inexplicably sliding feet first into first base to try to beat Rangers pitcher Tommy Hunter to the bag, but it soon became clear that he was injured as replays showed him grabbing the back of his right leg while running up the line. After an MRI it was diagnosed as a Grade II strain of his right hamstring, an injury that takes 6-8 weeks to recover from in the best of circumstances.

"Disappointed, angry. You play all year and you battle all year to get a chance to help your team out in the world series and it's just not gonna happen for me this year" Teixeira told reporters in the clubhouse after the game.

With the Yankees on the verge of elimination and the World Series scheduled to begin on October 27, there is no chance for Teixeira to join his club should they make it that far. Replacing him on the roster is infielder Eduardo Nunez.

Molina, Hamilton, Cruz Propel Rangers to 3-1 Lead Over Yankees in ALCS

With the uncertainity surrounding A.J. Burnett's ability to pitch in tonight's game and the admitted drop in offense from the potential hall of famer Jorge Posada sitting on the bench in favor of the backup Francisco Cervelli, the Yankees manager Joe Girardi was confident in his decision to play the two. On what turned out to be a historic night for one of his former teammates, Bernie Williams could not have picked a better night to throw out the first pitch.

"I think I still would've went the same way. Being a catcher for years and understanding for years what is what like when you caught the same guy all the time, I believe in that catcher pitcher relationship, that people are able to form," said Girardi before the game. "It really had nothing to do with offense, its just those two have been together most of the time...we have a 39 year old catcher who doesn't play 7, 8 , 9 games in a row...its easier if the backup guy catches the same guy all the time...I believe in continuity."

Coming into this game with a 2 games to 1 lead, the Rangers have all the confidence in the world. They know that no matter what, they will will fly back to Arlington for at least one game. Should the Yankees push it to a game 7, Texas has pitcher Cliff Lee lurking in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to beat the Bombers again.

"Anything is possible...when you're in the playoffs usually that's what gives you the opportunity to be successful, pitching. The only thing we are really concerned about is Tommy Hunter today. We certainly expect him to go out there and pitch his type of game," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "The type of lineup the Yankees have, you don't know what's going to happen until the game is over."

"I'm just goin' at it as my turn to pitch in game 4...I'm not happy with my season," said Burnett before the game.

Teixeira Exits Early

Mark Teixeira strained his right hamstring running up the first base line in the 5th inning. He was replaced by Nick Swisher at first and Marcus Thames in the field and the third spot in the batting order.

More after the game...

Rangers at Yankees: ALCS Game 4 Preview

With the Yankees game 4 lineup changes previously documented in this publication and the discussion surrounding how long its been since Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett and catcher Francisco Cervelli also already out of the way, the focus now is on the pitching match up itself.

The Yankees are sending Burnett to the mound to face the Texas Rangers tonight not out of luxury, but out of necessity. They can't pitch their entire rotation again on three days rest before possibly pitching in the world series. However, in not pitching their rotation again on three days rest they are stacking the deck in favor of the Rangers making their first world series appearance in franchise history.

For the 2010 season, Burnett compiled a 10-15 record with a 5.26 ERA. In 186 2/3 innings he allowed 204 hits, 25 home runs, 78 walks and hit 19 batters while striking out 145 batters. The Yankees to basically need to score 6 runs to win the game if he pitches to his season averages, considering they couldn't even put together 6 hits last night it might be a tall order.

Against the Rangers Burnett was 1-2 this season with an ERA of 7.00. For their careers, the Rangers are collectively hitting .209 with 9 home runs off of Burnett in their careers. If the Yankees want to win the game they will need the Burnett that showed up in Game 2 of the '09 world series to show up. For the record he pitched 7 innings allowing one run on four hits and striking out nine with only two walks.

The Rangers have the edge in sending Tommy Hunter and his 13-4 record sporting a 3.73 ERA to the mound at first glance. Looking deeper into the statistics only further bolsters this claim. Against the bombers this year, Hunter won his only start going 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 strike outs. Scratch the surface a little more and one will find a chink in Hunter's armor. For their careers against him, the Yankees starting line up is hitting a collective .364 with one home run (by Granderson) and 5 RBI. Curtis Granderson practically owns Hunter in their relatively limited action with 4 hits in 6 at bats.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi probably is aware of these numbers and might be more of an evil genius than Yankee fans realize. Being "on rotation," as he put it and responding "nope" when asked if he was reconsidering after last night's loss might be the best decisions he makes the whole ALCS.

"It's tough not to play, period. But it is what it is...I'm ok. Get a win, that's it." Said Jorge Posada before tonight's game in response to Cervelli starting behind the plate.

(stats from ELIAS via ESPN.com)

Burnett, Cervelli and October 2nd

Why is October 2nd relevant to both A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli? It's the last time either of those two appeared in a game for the Yankees of course! Unless you count the simulated game Burnett threw in which he hit two of his teammates.

The Yankees season comes down to two players who haven't played in weeks. Should Burnett falter early and be replaced, expect Cervelli to go with him. The Yankees can't afford to lose Posada's bat when the only players on the team that are hitting are Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson.

For the record, Cervelli hit .271 with zero home runs and 38 RBI for the 2010 season. Cervelli has one career home run, Jorge Posada has exactly 260 more.

Yankees Lineup Changes for ALCS Game 4

Tonight's lineup has changed for the Yanks tonight with Derek Jeter inexplicably still leading off and playing short, Curtis Granderson 2nd in CF, Mark Teixeira 3rd at 1st, Alex Rodriguez cleaning up at 3rd, Robinson Cano and his team leading .375 in the playoffs 5th at 2nd, Nick Swisher 6th in RF, Lance Berkman 7th at DH, Brett Gardner 8th in LF and Francisco Cervelli catching for pitcher A.J. Burnett.

We all understand that Derek Jeter is the captain and one of the greatest postseason hitters in MLB history, but until they remove him from the top of the lineup they will not win this year. He is hitting .259 with an on base % of .289, unacceptable numbers for any player not named Jeter.

Curtis Granderson is batting .316 with an on base % of .458, those numbers are much more representative of a guy you want at the top of your order, not Jeter's. No disrespect to the captain, but facts are facts and the fact is that you aren't producing.

Swapping Marcus Thames out for Lance Berkman makes sense, neither has produced in the ALCS. They are interchangeable at this point, might as well shuffle the deck and see what happens.

Cervelli catching for Jorge Posada would normally be met with a measure of contempt directed only at a few people in recent Yankees memory: Carl Pavano, Javier Vasquez, A.J. Burnett. The contempt would not be for Cervelli, who did a fine job filling in for an injured Posada at times this year, but for Burnett who is like the New York Lottery every time he takes the field. Who is he to dictate who he pitches to when he can't win regardless of who is behind the plate?

This game has the look of a train wreck written all over it, but "hey you never know!"

Melky Cabrera Released by the Braves

Melky Cabrera was the wide eyed kid who came up the big leagues and let a routine fly ball off the bat of the Red Sox Trot Nixon sail over his head for an inside the park home run in the old Yankee Stadium back in 2005. By the end of the season he was busted all the way back down to Trenton to make sure that didn't happen again. He was back with the Bombers in 2006 and stayed as a relatively solid player with a penchant for clutch hitting during the Yankees title run in 2009.

During the 2009 off season he was traded to the Atlanta Braves with 2 minor league prospects for starting pitcher Javier Vasquez and reliever Boone Logan. With the "Melk Man" no longer delivering the Braves released him, according to various reports. Melky hit .255 with 4 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Braves while Vasquez was erratic at best, inefficient most often and left off the Yankees post season roster after going 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA.

Two players on the periphery of the trade did better than the big names. Reliever Boone Logan was consistently effective for the Yankees 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA in 51 appearances. Reliever Michael Dunn showed promise going 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings for the Braves.

Mike Quade Signs, Joe Girardi Cries on the Inside

Rumors have long been running rampant of Yankees manager Joe Girardi jumping ship to go back to his roots (having grown up in nearby Peoria and attended Northwestern University in Evanston) and manage the Chicago Cubs, a team he also played for from 1989-1992 and 2000-2002; making the all star game in 2000 for the only time in his career.

Those rumors were put to bed earlier today when the Cubs took the interim tag off Mike Quade and signed him to a 2 year deal with a club option for a third, according to a report on Cubs.com. Terms were not disclosed. Quade earned the job after leading the Cubs to the second best record in the NL, behind only the Phillies during his time as manager with a 24-13 record after former Cubs manager Lou Piniella retired in August to spend time with his ailing mother. Quade's a a journeyman minor leaguer with 24 years of coaching and managerial experience split between the majors and minors who's name one would not normally associate with Don Baylor, current Reds manager Dusty Baker and Piniella.

With the last three men having failed to lead the Cubs to October glory, the Cubs have decided to try a a different direction in giving Quade the opportunity to manage at the Major League level for the first time.

"Maybe the most important thing for me is I feel good that in spite of believing you could do this and in spite of training to do this, well, guess what? Now I got to do it," said Quade. "I've been comfortable doing it, it's exactly what I thought it would be, it's been fun, it's a challenge. Very seldom does everything you think about take place this way, and it's a tribute to all the people in the Minor Leagues who I've been around that I was this prepared to do it."

Quade taking the Chicago job leaves Micro Joe, as Yankee fans derisively call him, with only one option to manage next season; staying in the Bronx. Even though he will be negotiating with the Yankees, he will only be able to extract so much money out of them in his new deal without being able to pin them up against another team. Hopefully he doesn't over-manage his way out of pinstripes like many have commonly claimed he did down the stretch this season in giving up the AL East to set his rotation for the playoffs.

"I don't know how anybody could've done better than he did," said Aramis Ramirez after the Cubs final game on October 3rd.

A press conference is scheduled at Wrigley for 3PM central time to formally announce Quade's deal.

Cliff Lee Dominates Yankees, is Now Their Daddy

Another cool October night at Yankee Stadium began as a celebration of the life of Freddy Sez, the most devoted Yankee fan any of us has had the pleasure of meeting in either the old or new Stadium. It then continued as a celebration of the Yankees dynasty of the 90s with former first baseman Tino Martinez throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to a thunderous ovation. When it comes to bringing out the ghosts of the past to intimidate their opponents in the post season, no one does it better than the Yankees.

With his Yankee legacy already set in stone and the Hall of Fame not too far away, pitcher Andy Pettite took the mound with Hall of Fame captain Derek Jeter just over his right shoulder manning short stop. Both players, along with catcher Jorge Posada and closer Mariano Rivera, were team mates of Tino Martinez's; a sign of both their storied careers and that they will soon be joining Tino in throwing no more than ceremonial first pitches. Tonight one of them fought back the hands of time and turned in another vintage performance while the other one continued to wilt into the twilight of his career.

Derek Jeter came into this game hitting over .400 against Phillies starter Cliff Lee in 44 at bats with only a handful of strikeouts. This was the night for him to break out of his post season slump and show he isn't old yet. This is the type of night that his excellence in built the reputation earning him the nickname "Captain Clutch" that has defined his career.

Giants Release Shayne Graham, Claim Jamon Meredith

The Giants today were awarded offensive tackle Jamon Meredith off waivers from Detroit and released kicker Shayne Graham, who was signed Saturday and kicked four extra points vs. the Lions.

Meredith, a 6-4½, 304-pound second-year pro, played in eight games with four starts for the Buffalo Bills in 2009 – three at right tackle (Oct. 18 at the Jets, Oct. 25 at Carolina and Nov. 1 vs. Houston) and one at left tackle (Jan. 3 vs. Indianapolis).

Meredith, who played at South Carolina, entered the NFL as a 2009 fifth round draft choice by the Green Bay Packers, the 162nd overall selection. He was waived at the end of training camp and signed to the Packers' practice squad. The Bills signed Meredith to their roster on Sept. 22, 2009.

Meredith played the first two games of the current season for Buffalo before he was waived on Oct. 4. He was claimed two days later by the Lions, who waived him on Friday.

At South Carolina, Meredith started 38 games – 19 at left tackle, 11 at right tackle and eight at left guard. A native of Simpsonville, S.C., Meredith was born on May 11, 1986.

Graham was signed after Lawrence Tynes sprained his left ankle on Friday. But Tynes has improved and is expected to kick in Dallas.

(Giants.com)

Freddy Sez Schulman: Yankees Official Press Release

The New York Yankees are deeply saddened by the death of longtime fan Freddy Schuman, who passed away on Sunday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan at age 85.

The Yankees organization issued the following statement regarding his passing:

“Freddy ‘The Fan’ Schuman was an iconic Yankees fan who brought life, youthful exuberance and cheer to Yankee Stadium. The energy and excitement that resonates throughout the Stadium during a Yankees game is made that way by our fans, and Freddy was one of the conductors that could be counted on to bring our orchestra of fans together. Freddy endeared himself to all those he came in contact with, and we send our deepest condolences to his family and his thousands of friends.”

Since 1988, Schuman was a staple at Yankees games, rallying fans with handmade signs and his signature frying pan and spoon, which fans were encouraged to clang together to inspire the team on the field. He gained the nickname “Freddy Sez” from the words that began each of the messages he toted.

To honor Schuman, the Yankees will have some of his memorabilia on display inside Yankee Stadium’s Gate 4 prior to and during tonight’s scheduled 8:07 p.m. game vs. the Texas Rangers. Fans with valid tickets to tonight’s game will be able to view the items, including clothing, signs, and his frying pan and spoon, which fans will be able to clang together in his memory. The items will remain on display at Gate 4 for fans throughout the postseason and eventually become part of a display in the New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America located in Yankee Stadium.

Additionally, the Yankees will have a moment of silence for Schuman at approximately 7:53 p.m. prior to tonight’s game.

Source (yankees.com)

Andy Pettitte: Big Buck Hunter

Andy Pettitte makes a stronger case for a future induction into the Hall of Fame with every post season start he makes. He has a major league record 19 career playoff wins, winning his last 5 playoff decisions. Beating Cliff Lee for number 20 in the ALCS will make it harder for detractors to doubt his case for the Hall. His pitching opponent for tonight is Rangers ace Cliff Lee, who surrendered one run on 2 hits over 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks in his last start against the Yankees on September 8th.

Cliff Lee remarked of Pettitte in a report on MLB.com: "In my opinion he's probably the best postseason pitcher of all time just by the number of wins and the number of rings he's got."

ALCS Ratings on TBS Set Records

According to a press release by TBS, game one of the ALCS had the highest ratings for game one of an LCS in cable television history with a 5.0 rating good for over 8.1 million households, up over 39% from last year's NLCS coverage on TBS.

In terms of local markets, New York delivered a 13.9 rating and Dallas-Fort Worth delivered a 21.9 rating, up significantly from last year.

Via (Futon Critic)

Freddie Sez Dead at 82

According to the NY Daily News, Freddy Sez has died at age 82.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_freddy_sez_a_yankee_stadium_staple_for_the_last_20_years_dead_at_age_82.html?r=sports&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+nydnrss/sports+(Sports)&utm_content=Twitter

Yankee games won't be the same without his lucky spoon and frying pan rattling around the stands.

Giants Hang on to Beat Lions 28-20

The Giants started today's game with the type of optimism that comes from being on a 2 game winning streak against the alleged elite of the league and having a team that not long ago was 0-16 and has been a wreck for over a decade next on the schedule. Not only are the Lions not a wreck anymore, but they've done reasonably well with backup Shaun Hill under center.

After only one first down and not gaining much else on the first drive of the game, Matt Dodge was called in to punt. He continued his struggles this season by fumbling the snap and allowing the Lions to recover, starting at the Giants 43 yard line. A few plays later, Hill converted the turnover into a touchdown catch by Nate Burleson on 3rd and 1 from the 14 on the left side of the end zone to make it 7-0 after the PAT. Detroit wasn't really challenged much by the Giants defense and made them pay for Matt Dodge's mistake.

Week 6-Lions vs Giants Preview

When the Lions (1-4) take the field against the Giants (3-2) this afternoon at 1:05pm, they look to build on last week's strong performance from quarterback Shaun Hill in their 44-6 dressing down of the St. Louis Rams. Hill completed 22-37 passes, amassing 227 passing yards and 3 touchdowns by the final whistle. Supporting him in his effort will be TE Brandon Pettigrew, who leads the league with 26 receptions and RB Jahvid Best, who leads the team with 4 TDs in 5 games. In order to beat the Giants they will have to block out the memory of losing 23 road games in a row. The Lions have a mountain to climb at the New Meadowlands Stadium if they are going to beat Big Blue at home.

The Giants look to continue their two game winning streak off the back of two consecutive dominating performances in beating the previously undefeated Bears with an NFL record 9 sacks in the first half and limiting the league's leading rushing attack in the Texans to only 24 yards in the Reliant Dome. The Giants' defense ranks number one overall in allowing only 244.6 yards per game and amassing 19 sacks, good for third best. With the Lions number one receiver Calvin Johnson listed as doubtful, the Giants can focus on stopping the Lions rushing attack and rushing the quarterback, a formula that has been successful the past two weeks. In addition to the best defense in the league, the Giants offense has come alive the past few weeks with Manning's increasing confidence in WR Hakeem Nicks (12 receptions for 120 yards, 2 TD vs Houston) and the dynamic running of Ahmad Bradshaw.

"You don't get discouraged by that, we believe in the stuff we're doing," said Hill on facing the Giants for the first time. The Lions lead the NFL in scoring with 25.2 points a game, the league's highest scoring offense against the leading defense, "Let's get it on!"

Other notes: Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes is out with an ankle injury, he has been replaced by Shayne Graham for today's game.

Rangers Even ALCS at 1-1

The Yanks strode confidently into game 2 of the ALCS after their dramatic comeback win the night before in game 1. To put last night's win into even more perspective, it was the first time in team history that the Yankees were trailing by 5 runs in a playoff game in the 7th inning or later in won. In addition, their starter Phil Hughes had only allowed 3 hits in 15 1/3 innings pitching in Arlington in his career up to this point.

The only problem with all this confidence and reason to feel like the Rangers were just a speed bump was Rangers starter Colby Lewis. After spending years bouncing around the league and even to the Hiroshima Carp in Japan, he came to win. 12-13? Not today. He started the game by striking out Derek Jeter and retiring both Curtis Granderson and Mark Texeira. His team soon rewarded him.

ALCS Game 2 Big for Yanks

With rumors of a Zach Greinke for Joba Chamberlain off season trade swirling around Rangers Ballpark, the Yankees look to move another step closer to the World Series today versus Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis. After a heart breaking loss to the Yankees in Game 1 the Rangers look to rebound.

What started with Nolan Ryan firing a pitch off the outside corner of the plate in the game's ceremonial first pitch and a line drive 3 run home run off of a struggling C.C. Sabathia by MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, ended the same way every other Rangers playoff game against the Yanks seems to end, with Mariano Rivera closing out the victory. This time the score was 6-5 Yanks at the end in spite of ace C.C. Sabathia struggling for the majority of the his outing.

The Rangers took a 5-1 lead into the 8th inning. A harmless ground ball off of Brett Gardner's bat and ended with a scorching single from Marcus Thames to put the Yankees ahead for good in the top of the 8th. Gardner, after the game, remarked to NJ Star-Ledger columnist Mark Politi "Every time the ball comes off the bat, I just run hard and make them make a play.” At the end of the run he dove head-first into first base and after the game insisted he would have been out had he not.

Before today's game, regarding his speed, he went on to suggest to a group of reporters that there should be a race at the All-Star game every season to determine the fastest player in the big leagues. "I think they need to have a race at the All-Star Game, just line up 10 or 20 guys and see who wins, that would be fun."

Other players in the lineup for this afternoon's game are the usual suspects plus Lance Berkman as the DH instead of Marcus Thames with the righty pitcher throwing today for the Rangers. Taking the hill for the Bombers is Phil Hughes, who won 18 games during the season, good for second on the team behind Sabathia. He looks to not only put the Yankees up 2-0, but also to avenge the hamstring injury that cut short his bid for a no-hitter in the 7th inning of a start in Arlington back in 2007.

Taking a 2-0 lead into Yankee Stadium would be a huge difference from going back to NY tied at one game a piece, especially with Andy Pettitte pitching game 3. One thing is for sure, Brett Gardner won't stop running every single ground ball out as hard as he can "It’s just the way I’ve always played, and playing that way is probably the only thing that got me where I am today."