My appearance on the Aug. 18 'The Michael Kay Show'

Below, you will be able to hear my appearance on the Aug. 18 The Michael Kay Show on 1050 ESPN Radio where I discussed the 2009 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game.

I'd like thank the good folks over at the station for sending me the audio. I'd also like to thank Michael for being a good sport about it.

The Michael Kay Show airs weekdays from 2-7 p.m.



You can also download it here.

My call into The Michael Kay Show

Michael Kay was informed of the drinking game based on him and talked about it during his radio show ESPN 1050. Having heard about this, I called into to the show and had a nice conversation with him on-air.

I am posting from my BlackBerry. I will work on getting the audio when I get home. Thank you for your continued support of Scott Proctor's Arm, and welcome to the new visitors!

To those who are new and want to get in touch with me, Andrew Fletcher, there are plenty of ways in which to do so.

First, you can e-mail me at ScottProctorsArm@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter (@fletch788). I frequently post on a Yankees message board called The Yankee Zone as well. We're always looking for new people to post with!

Scott Proctor's Arm has a page on Facebook where all of the posts are delivered and you can follow the blog using the NetworkedBlogs application.

And finally, if you use an RSS reader such as Google Reader, my RSS feed can be found: here.

The 2009 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game

Love or hate Michael Kay, he is here to stay. After years of listening to him, both on television and the radio, I have noticed some of Kay’s favorite sayings and actions from the booth. I call these “Michael Kay clichés,” or “Kaychés.”

The 2008 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game is still one of Scott Proctor’s Arm’s most popular posts. In response, I have made an updated version for this season. I hope you enjoy it and please drink responsibly should you decide to play along. I take no responsibility for you or your actions as a result of playing this game. And no, I don’t really expect you to take 22 drinks if Kay says, “Deuces wild.”

• Kay shamelessly plugs his ESPN radio show – 1 drink / Take additional drink if he says the time of day it’s on
• Kay screams, “See ya!,” “there it goes,” and/or “looking up” – 1 drink / If he says all three in the same call, finish drink.
• Kay says, “Fallacy of the predetermined outcome” – 1 drink
• Kay laughs like a maniacal moron, and then is joined by the others in the booth – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Put a bow on it” – 1 drink
• Kay says, “We’ll make sense of it all” – 1 drink
• Kay gets on his soapbox – 1 drink
• Kay says, “We thank you for joining us” – 1 drink
• Kay says, “If you’re just joining us” – 1 drink
• Kay says, “The crowd is still buzzing” a few minutes after something big happens in the game – 1 drink
• Kay asks if the batter should get the green light on a 3-0 count – 1 drink
• Viewer notices that the YES cameras cut off the top of Kay's head during a booth shot – 1 drink
• Kay talks about baseball strategy, and is probably incorrect – 1 drink
• Kay uses a word you have to look up in the dictionary – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Hey!” (i.e. “Hey, Yankee fans!” or “Hey, check out…”) – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Who but?” – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Tough league” when a pitcher throws a changeup or breaking ball when down in the count – 1 drink
• Kay says, “If it’s fair, it’s gone/trouble/a base hit/etc.” – 1 drink
• Kay talks about how Nick Swisher always has a full count on him – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Lineups, first pitch, BASEBALL!” – 1 drink
• “Jeterian” or “Jeteresque” is said by anyone in the booth – 1 drink
• Food is mentioned by any of the announcers – 1 drink / If Kay gets made fun of because of his weight, take an additional drink and eat a slice of pizza
• Kay refers to a ball as “driven,” “laced” or “served” – 1 drink / Take 2 drinks if it’s a different verb
• There is awkward silence in the booth – 1 drink
• Kay says, “Big healthy cut” – 1 drink / Take an additional drink if the “big” is emphasized
• Kay says, “Works into, and out of, trouble” – 1 drink
• Kay says that Melky Cabrera was the last Yankee to hit for the cycle – 1 drink / Take an additional 2 drinks if Kay says anything about Tony Fernandez
  
  
• Kay talks about a starting pitcher’s pitch count before the third inning – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “Pretty play” or “Oh, what a play!” – 2 drinks
• Kay refers to a player by his full name (i.e. “Andrew Eugene Pettitte,” “Derek Sanderson Jeter,” “Carsten Charles Sabathia,” etc.) – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “People forget,” assuming that Yankees fans don’t have good memories relating to something that could be perceived as common knowledge (i.e. "People forget Cody Ransom was actually the starting third baseman at the beginning of the year") – 2 drinks
• Paul O'Neill makes fun of Kay for having too many shows on YES – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “Aforementioned New York Yankees” – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “If you’re scoring at home” – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “On what would be the infield grass” when a pop up is caught in the short outfield in a domed stadium – 2 drinks
• Kay explains the benefits of the staggered lineup – 2 drinks
• Kay says a player is “like the little girl with the curl” – 2 drinks
• Kay says, “Let’s take this baby _th inning” – 2 drinks
• Kay asks, “Do the Yankees have a rally in their bones?” – 2 drinks
• Kay holds out the “he” in “he struck him out” (i.e. “Heeeeeeeeee struck him out”), the “goes” in “there it goes” (i.e. “There it goessssssss”) or the “see” in “see ya” (i.e. “Sssssseeeee ya”) – 2 drinks
• Kay uses his “Philthies” nickname for Phil Hughes and/or Phil Coke – 2 drinks / If he calls both of them “Philthy” in the same game, take an additional two drinks
• Kay screams, “Bonus cantos!” and/or “Free baseball!” when a game goes to extra innings – 2 drinks
  
  
• Kay refers to a past conversation he had and says, “He said” at least three times (Seriously, pay attention to this. He really does this all the time.) – 3 drinks
• Kay says, “He ties a record held by many” when a fielder records all three outs in an inning – 3 drinks
• Kay mentions Fordham University – 3 drinks / If John Flaherty mentions George Washington University in response, take an additional drink
• O’Neill’s “Seinfeld” cameo is brought up – 3 drinks
• Kay says, “That’s a fan for life” when a kid receives a foul ball – 3 drinks
• Kay says, “How many times do you see a player make a great play and then lead off the next inning?” or some variation of that – 3 drinks
• Kay apologizes in advance for messing up any strike calls when Tim McClelland is the home plate umpire – 3 drinks
  
  
• Kay says, “Looking up” after the ball has already reached the stands – Finish drink
• Kay asks his analysts a ridiculous question and is promptly debunked – Finish drink / Take an additional drink for each time he responds with a “don’t you think...” question
• Kay says, “Hit DEEP to left/right/center” and the ball is then caught well in front of the track – Chug a beer
• Kay says, “Deuces wild” – 22 drinks
• Kay isn't calling the game – Spray champagne
  

Again, please drink responsibly.

Thanks to my Twitter followers for their various suggestions.

Michael Kay answered my question on Twitter!

A few days ago, @YesNetwork on Twitter asked us to pose questions for Michael Kay.  Being the opportunist that I am, I decided to ask one…and he answered!  He poked fun at my username, @ProctorsArm and Joe Torre (without mentioning his name).

From: ProctorsArm (Twitter)
Do you think the Yankees should move Robinson Cano up higher in the lineup?
MK: Eventually I see him as a No. 3 hitter, but on this team I recognize that lower in the lineup is better. I see your name is Proctorsarm. You must be exhausted from overuse. But I'm not blaming any specific person for that.

Hilarious!

Thanks to @EddieBaseball for pointing this out to me!

CC in KC

CC Sabathia starts this evening in Kansas City, hoping to rebound from a strikeout-less and less than subpar outing in Baltimore last Monday.

What made Monday’s start so strange was that it was the first time since July 2005 that Sabathia didn’t strike out a batter in a start.  And he pitched two more innings on Monday than he did in that start almost four years ago.

The mysterious heating pad that he was found to be wearing is of no concern, Sabathia said, so, for now, it was just a bad start.  Unfortunately for Sabathia, it came in his first start after signing the huge contract.

A solid start tonight would go a long way in putting fan’s concerns to rest.  Sabathia is 8-5 with a 4.16 ERA in 18 career starts at Kauffman Stadium.  Speaking of which, if Michael Kay says “The New K” one more time, I might break something.

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Kay finds a home

Back in February, it was reported that Michael Kay didn't know where he would do his radio show from.  Logistics at the new stadium wouldn't allow for a trailer for him to do his show.

However, as Neil Best reported today, those issues seem to be resolved.

Today is his first day of double duty on 1050 and YES. How did it all turn out?

Program director Aaron Spielberg said Kay would do the show from a YES production trailer at Yankee Stadium.

"We just wanted to make sure he’s in a place where he can do his show and we were able to come up with one," he said. "We're happy with the way it worked out."

On home game days, Kay usually will go on the air at 3 o'clock rather than 2, and leave at around 6 rather than 7. Don La Greca will host when Kay is not around.

Yay.

Yankees lose 6-5

Thanks to those who were following along with me on Twitter.

The Yankees lost to Team USA 6-5 this afternoon in Tampa. Yes, it certainly was strange seeing Derek Jeter play against the Yankees, but I eventually forgot about it after a while. Too bad Michael Kay kept bringing it up every chance he got.

Jeter went 2-for-4 against his team with a two-RBI single to center field. As for players wearing the Yankees uniform, Brett Gardner went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Jorge Posada and Cody Ransom each went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and pitched into the third inning for the first time this spring. The last pitch he threw was the two-run single to Jeter. Other than that, he looked good. He gave up three hits, struck out two, walked none and hit one batter. Eric Hacker struggled, almost to the point where it was painful to watch. He didn't retire any of the six batters he faced, allowing two hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks.

The Yankees resume their Grapefruit League schedule tomorrow when they face the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista at 1:05. Ian Kennedy will start for the Yankees.

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Kay doesn't know where he'll do radio show

Thanks to Jeremy Schilling for bringing this to my attention.

According to Neil Best, Michael Kay has "no idea" where he will broadcast his radio show on game days.

In recent years, Michael Kay's 1050 ESPN show has originated from a trailer outside the stadium because CBS Radio will not permit him to set up inside. It owns both the Yankees' radio rights and WFAN, 1050's competitor, and has the power to bar other stations' shows from the building.

Kay said logistics at the new stadium won't allow for a trailer, so he is not sure where he will be until 6, when he leaves for the YES booth.

"They've always said we're not a threat to them and they don't worry about us," Kay said. "There is nothing I gain from doing the show in the stadium other than for me personally, it's easier ... They've been petty and vindictive about it from the beginning."

ESPN bars its personalities from being guests on WFAN. Three industry sources said WFAN offered to lift the stadium ban if ESPN lifted its guest restriction. ESPN declined.

Never a dull moment around Yankees Universe.

Yankees announce Teixeira, old No. 25 finds a new home

Mark Teixeira just finished speaking at the podium and is officially a Yankee. For those who couldn't watch, he will wear No. 25. I doubt there will be the same backlash there was when LaTroy Hawkins wore No. 21 for a time last year.

Teixeira appeared very excited and happy to be there. Michael Kay made a point of saying some acquisitions seem lost at these press conferences, but Teixeira took everything in stride and had a big smile on his face while doing so.

I really, really can't wait for this season to begin.

Meanwhile, the old No. 25, Jason Giambi, has agreed to a one-year deal with his old team. His contract with the Oakland A's is for $4.5 million and has a $5 million option for 2010 ($1 million buyout).

Happy New Year!

It's been kind of slow around these parts the last few days, and I don't expect this day to be any different.

Thus, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy New Year! 2008 was not a great year for the Yankees, but it was another great year for this blog. Of course, I'd be nowhere without you, the reader. And for that, I am extremely grateful.

In case you missed some things, let's take a moment to look back at some of the memorable things that happened over the course of the blog year.

The blog title was mentioned in a newspaper article. I got many Yankees fans drunk during baseball games (you have Michael Kay to thank for that). I became a Rays fan. I made an unofficial soundtrack of infamous Yankee Stadium music (it's like the place never closed!). The Yankees signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett (prompting me to make this picture) and Mark Teixeira (on Festivus, no less). I'm sure other things happened along the way, but these are what I can think of off the top of my head.

Subscribe to my RSS feed, join my blog network, become a Facebook fan, follow me on Twitter and e-mail me if you have any questions, comments, tips, guest blog ideas, etc.

Let's make 2009 a great year, both for the blog and for our beloved New York Yankees. Once again, thanks for taking time out of your busy day to come here and talk Yankees baseball. Happy New Year to all!

One yellow light and one blue light

Found this hilarious video at The Launching Pad this morning. The Yankees should add him to the booth next year. He can't be any worse than Michael Kay, can he?

Three more years!

Neil Best bring us the news that Michael Kay has signed a new three-year contract to remain with YES through 2011.

Why must we continue to be tortured?

I know the team stinks, but the broadcasts shouldn't as well.

All-Star selection

The 2008 All-Star selection show will be airing live on TBS at 2:00 p.m.

If you remember back to last year, ESPN released the rosters before TBS' broadcast, and Major League Baseball responded by taking away ESPN's credentials at the 2007 All-Star Game.

Hopefully something similar happens this year (though I'm sure ESPN has learned its lesson), because the Home Run Derby will be annoying enough with Michael Kay being the stadium announcer. We don't need Chris Berman and his endless "backs" as well.

I'll post the roster as it's released.

All joking and anger aside...

All joking and anger aside, maybe the Yankees needed a game like this.

This is a major wake up call to the organization, as it shows Brian Cashman and friends that the Yankees can't compete with the pitching staff the way it is.

Whether they make trades and/or promote pitchers from within, changes need to be made. And they will be made.

And, please, Michael Kay. Stop screaming on every fly ball the Yankees hit. You would've thought that Alex Rodriguez's home run actually meant something (it was 11-4 at the time).

Yeesh

Did anyone else cringe when Michael Kay started screaming about Bobby Abreu's ninth-inning two-run, two-out home run? "SEE YA!, and that cuts the lead to 12-5."

What a terrible, awful game.

Hopefully Joba Chamberlain can restore order to the pitching staff tomorrow night. The Pirates recorded 19 hits on their way to scoring 12 runs against Darrell Rasner and friends.

For those scoring at home, the Yankees have lost three of their last four to the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

One of the positives tonight was Justin Christian's performance. Despite having a fielding error, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double at the plate.

Moose wins 10, Yankees get to three over

Mike Mussina got off to an inauspicious start, to borrow a line from Michael Kay. After the first inning, he was trailing 3-0. This could have been worse if the Astros didn't record another out on the basepaths in the inning.

However, he was able to limit the damage to only that and eventually turned in the definition of a quality start (three runs in six innings). He also struck out four batters.

He is now 10-4 on the season, one year removed from winning 11 games and not recording his 10th win until Sept. 18.

Simply remarkable.

The Yankees have now won three straight and eight of their last 11 to reach their high point of the season thus far (three games above .500 at 36-33).

Other positives: Melky Cabrera, who had one hit in his last 21 at-bats, went 2-2 with three walks and two RBI tonight. Robinson Cano had a pinch-hit RBI single to give the Yankees an insurance run. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless inning. By the way, he has a 3.11 ERA on the road, compared to a 5.14 ERA at home. Just some food for thought.

Chien-Ming Wang and Roy Oswalt will square off in a Father's Day matinee as the Yankees look for a sweep.

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Veras again in the eighth

Injured biceps are not, it's extremely encouraging to see Jose Veras in a tight game in the eighth inning.

I'm not the biggest fan of Veras, but he's certainly better than Kyle Farnsworth.

Last night, Joe Girardi took out Chien-Ming Wang with one out in the eighth leading 2-1, despite throwing 83 pitches and having no men on base.

After recording the second out of the inning, Veras walked two batters before recording the third out. As Michael Kay would say, he worked into and out of trouble.

Mariano Rivera worked the ninth for his fourth straight game and the rest is history.

However, I wake up to this message from Peter Abraham this morning:

Girardi claimed that he was saving Kyle Farnsworth in case he needed him for the ninth inning, which is why he went to Jose Veras in the eighth inning. Then he talked to Mariano Rivera and found out he was OK for the ninth. Why wouldn’t you talk to your closer earlier in the game? He just decided not to use Farnsworth, which is fine.

So you're telling me that Farnsworth would have closed the game if Rivera wasn't ready? That's even worse than him working the eighth inning. I honestly don't understand what Girardi sees in Farnsworth.

I hope tonight is a blow out, because there is no way Rivera works this game and Farnsworth will most likely be on call for the ninth inning.

Busy day

I'm not going to be around all day, so I'd just like to remind you all that there is a 1:05 p.m. start for today's game.

Mike Mussina will be on the mound in hopes of winning his 10th game of the year.

If you're in an office that has radio reception, enjoy listening to Ma and Pa. If you're lucky enough to be watching at home, enjoy the sweet sounds of Michael Kay.

Michael Kay/YES Network drinking game

Many of us have a negative opinion of extremely predictable Yankees' play-by-play announcer Michael Kay. I've decided to create a drinking game based on the YES Network's coverage on Yankees' baseball. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

• Kay says, "Fallacy of the predetermined outcome" – 1 drink
• Kay laughs like a maniacal moron, and then is joined by the others in the booth – 1 drink
• Kay says, "Put a bow on it" – 1 drink
• Kay gets on his soapbox – 1 drink
• Kay mentions that Kyle Farnsworth was caught by Joe Girardi – 1 drink
• Kay says, "We thank you for joining us" – 1 drink
• Kay says, "If you’re just joining us" – 1 drink
• Viewer notices that the YES cameras cut off the top of Kay's head – 1 drink
• Kay talks about baseball strategy, and is probably incorrect – 1 drink
• Kay mentions how Mike Mussina locked himself in his hotel room in Japan with peanut butter and crackers – 1 drink
• Kay says a player is "like the little girl with the curl" – 1 drink
• Kay uses a word you have to look up in the dictionary – 1 drink
• Kay says, "Hey!" (i.e. "Hey, Yankee fans!" or "Hey, check out…" – 1 drink
• Kay says, "Tough league" when a pitcher throws a changeup or breaking ball when down in the count – 1 drink
  
  
• Kay says, "Pretty play" – 2 drinks
• Kay says, "Oh, what a play!" – 2 drinks
• Paul O'Neill makes fun of Kay for having too many shows on YES – 2 drinks
• Kay says, "Aforementioned New York Yankees" – 2 drinks
• Kay mentions that O'Neill's trophies are behind his couch – 2 drinks
• Kay says, "The awards you love so much" – 2 drinks
• Kay mentions Don Mattingly and the bat-shaped weather vane – 2 drinks
• Kay says, "If you’re scoring at home" – 2 drinks
• Kay says, "Joe Girardi is the man with the mission on his back" – 2 drinks
• Kay explains the benefits of the staggered lineup – 2 drinks
  
  
• Kay screams, "See ya!," "there it goes," and/or "looking up" – 3 drinks / If he says all three in the same call, finish drink.
• Kay refers to Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy as "Generation Trey" – 3 drinks
• Kay calls "The Joe Girardi Show" a variety show – 3 drinks
• Kay says, "Martini Glass defense" – 3 drinks / Chug one beer if it is illustrated on the telestrator
• Kay mentions how Chien-Ming Wang runs the Taiwanese economy – 3 drinks
• Kay refers to a past conversation he had and says "he said" at least three times – 3 drinks
• Kay says, "Most people don’t know Jason Giambi came up as a third baseman" – 3 drinks
• Kay says that Giambi learned how to scoop well because of Oakland's immense foul territory – 3 drinks
• Kay says he ties a Major League record with three assists in one inning – 3 drinks
  
  
• Kay says, "Looking up" after the ball has already reached the stands – Finish drink
• Kay asks his analysts a ridiculous question and is promptly debunked – Finish drink / Take an additional drink for each time he responds with a "don’t you think..." question
• Kay talks about Kevin Mench's enormous head – Chug beer
• Kay says, "Hit DEEP to left/right/center" and the ball is then caught well in front of the track – Chug two beers
• Kay says, "Deuces wild" – 22 drinks
• Kay isn't calling the game – Spray champagne

Please drink responsibly.

Offense delivers again

25 runs in two games, huh? Last week, I would've signed up for about seven runs in two games.

The Yankees have now won a season-high four games in a row and now sit at a record of 24-25. They will look to sweet the Mariners for the second time this season tomorrow afternoon.

Hot Yankees:

Hideki Matsui: Matsui has seven hits in his last 12 at-bats, scoring eight runs.

Jason Giambi: Giambi is 8-14 with one home run, two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored. In today's game, he had two hits to left field.

Robinson Cano: Cano is 9-17 with five doubles (three in today's game) and six RBI. In today'g game, he had three hits to left field.

Bobby Abreu had a four-RBI game, including a two-run home run in the sixth inning.

On the other hand, Derek Jeter is hitless in his last 15 at-bats.

Mike Mussina wasn't great this afternoon, as he blew a four-run lead in the third inning. However, the offense continued to support him, and he won his seventh game of the season. Mussina gave up four earned runs and surrendered seven hits and two home runs in five innings. He also struck out four and walked one.

Today was also "Phase Two" of Joba Chamberlain's transition to the rotation, as Michael Kay reminded us time and time again. He threw 40 pitches - only five more than he did on Wednesday - in two innings, striking out two and walking one. He first inning was smooth, but he threw more pitches in his second inning and was unable to come out for a third.

Despite pitching well in the tie game on Thursday, Kyle Farnsworth gave up four hits and two earned runs in his one inning of work. The two runs came on a Richie Sexson home run.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)