Meet Jane Heller at Stan’s tomorrow

Friend of Scott Proctor’s Arm Jane Heller wanted me to pass along that she will be signing copies of “Confessions of a She-Fan” at Stan’s near Yankee Stadium tomorrow from 3:30-5:30 before the Yankees/Nationals game.

Dear Brian Bruney

Dear Brian Bruney,

Shut up.  Just shut up.

To refresh everyone’s memory, this is what Bruney said about Francisco Rodriguez after pitching in Trenton:

“Couldn’t have happened to a better guy on the mound, either. He’s got a tired act,” Bruney said. “He gets what he deserves, man. I just don’t like watching the guy pitch. I think it’s embarrassing.”

How about you actually help your team before you start putting your foot in your mouth?  The man they call K-Rod, obviously, is none too pleased.  I don’t really care how he feels, but the Yankees are in no position to be talking at all.

Oh, and manager Joe Girardi, the one who is supposed to be setting an example, called out Brad Penny for hitting Alex Rodriguez.

Now we know where the players get it from.  Word of advice: open your mouths after you beat Boston for once and legitimately beat the Mets.

I’m all for a team having a certain swagger and an attitude, but there is a time and a place.  Right now, this team is playing horrible baseball.  They have no right to say anything.

Saturday YanksBlog.com game recap

Someone named Fernando Nieve shut down the Yankees offense today.  Is anyone surprised?  Here is the game recap on YanksBlog.com.

Wow

There are no words to describe the ending of tonight’s game. As the Jerk said, they should have lost. But someone, Luis Castillo, dropped the ball.

I have never seen anything like this before, and I doubt we’ll see something like this again for quite sometime.

Wow.

Losers

That is all.

I apologize about the lack of posts.  Hopefully things will return to normal relatively soon.

Yankees draft someone named Slade Heathcott

I’m not even going to pretend to know anything about Slade Heathcott.  The Yankees drafted him with the 29th overall pick.

Here is the MLB.com scouting report on the outfielder:

Hitting ability:
Heathcott has plus hitting ability from the left side of the plate.

Power:
He has plus power to all fields.

Running speed:
Even with a knee brace, he showed above-average speed.

Base running:
Has great instincts on the bases and will be a base-stealer in the future.

Arm strength:
Also clocking in at 95 mph in the past off the mound, his arm from the outfield is a big plus.

Fielding:
He's a plus defender who can play all three outfield positions well.

Range:
His speed and his instincts allow him to cover a lot of ground.

Physical Description:
Heathcott is muscular with broad shoulders and a v-cut torso.

Medical Update:
He had ACL reconstruction surgery in November and has been playing with a knee brace, but shows no ill effects. He recently sprained a shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield, but sustained no structural damage.

Strengths:
Plus tools across the board. Intense competitor with instincts beyond his years.

Weaknesses:
There are some off-the-field issues that concern some. His makeup on the field is fine, but his character is the question.

Summary:
Heathcott is a very interesting high school outfielder with plus tools across the board. Even after November ACL surgery, he runs extremely well, has a plus arm from the outfield and can really hit for average and power from the left side of the plate. He's an intense competitor, but there is some concern over character issues off the field. The team that gets those questions answered could be the one to take him on Draft Day.

Game 58: Yankees at Red Sox

New York Yankees (34-23)	Boston Red Sox (33-24)
Derek Jeter SS	Dustin Pedroia 2B
Johnny Damon DH	J.D. Drew RF
Mark Teixeira 1B	Kevin Youkilis 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B	Jason Bay LF
Robinson Cano 2B	Mike Lowell 3B
Jorge Posada C	David Ortiz DH
Nick Swisher LF	Jason Varitek C
Melky Cabrera RF	Mark Kotsay CF
Brett Gardner CF	Nick Green SS

A.J. Burnett RHP (4-2, 4.69 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett RHP (6-2, 4.09 ERA)

Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: MY9
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 175

Yankees vs. Beckett

• Jeter: 14-41, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Damon: 12-38, 5 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI
• Teixeira: 2-12
• Rodriguez: 11-34, 3 2B, HR, 7 RBI
• Cano: 12-36, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI
• Posada: 9-26, 2B, 3 RBI
• Swisher: 5-14, HR, 2 RBI
• Cabrera: 12-33, 3 2B, 4 RBI
• Gardner: 0-8

Red Sox vs. Burnett

• Pedroia: 6-20, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Drew: 5-18, 2B, RBI
• Youkilis: 5-22, 2 RBI
• Bay: 6-16, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• Lowell: 4-20, 2B
• Ortiz: 6-25, 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Varitek: 5-17, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI
• Kotsay: 3-10, 2 2B, RBI
• Green: 2-8, 3B

The Phils provide sturdy bridge as Yankees power way to victory

How about watching Phil Hughes dominate in relief like Joba Chamberlain did?  Hmmm…

Phil Coke also pitched capably in the eighth inning, providing a sturdy bridge for Mariano Rivera who recorded his 14th save of the season in the Yankees’ 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.  They are now 34-23 and have the best record in the AL, pending the outcome of the Rangers/Blue Jays game.

The Yankees hit four home runs (Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter), Andy Pettitte struck out seven in six innings for his sixth victory of the season and the Yankees have won their fourth series in a row.

The Yankees travel to Boston for a three-game series that begins tomorrow.  As you may recall, the Yankees are 0-5 against the Red Sox this season.  A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett start the opener.

Game 57: Rays at Yankees

New York Yankees (33-23)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Andy Sonnanstine RHP (4-5, 7.07 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte LHP (5-2, 4.33 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES, ESPN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Sonnanstine

• Jeter: 6-18, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI
• Damon: 5-18, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Teixeira: 1-6
• Rodriguez: 4-11, HR, 2 RBI
• Cano: 2-14, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Posada: 1-10
• Matsui: 5-13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI
• Swisher: 3-17
• Cabrera: 1-8

Yankees rally in 8th to defeat Rays

How about that for a late-inning rally?  The Yankees scored three runs and the ball never left the infield.  Nevertheless, it was good enough to overcome a 3-1 deficit and put the Yankees back in first place.

The Yankees only recorded six hits and didn’t have a hit with runners in scoring position.  Joba Chamberlain was pitching well until the sixth inning (100 pitches, three earned runs).  Alfredo Aceves picked up his fourth win of the season pitching two innings, striking out four.

Mariano Rivera recovered from his awful day yesterday with a perfect ninth inning to earn his 13th save of the season.

Andy Sonnantine and Andy Pettitte start tomorrow night as we try to find out which Andy is better.

Game 56: Rays at Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays (29-28)	New York Yankees (32-23)
B.J. Upton CF	Derek Jeter SS
Carl Crawford LF	Johnny Damon LF
Willy Aybar 3B	Mark Teixeira 1B
Carlos Pena 1B	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Ben Zobrist 2B	Robinson Cano 2B
Matt Joyce RF	Jorge Posada C
Gabe Gross DH	Hideki Matsui DH
Dioner Navarro C	Nick Swisher RF
Reid Brignac SS	Melky Cabrera CF

Matt Garza RHP (4-4, 3.67 ERA) vs. Joba Chamberlain RHP (3-1, 3.71 ERA)

Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Rays vs. Chamberlain

• Upton: 0-3
• Crawford: 0-2
• Aybar: 0-3
• Pena: 0-2
• Zobrist: 0-1
• Joyce: 0-1
• Gross: 0-1
• Navarro: 0-1

Yankees vs. Garza

• Jeter: 5-14, RBI
• Damon: 1-10, 3B, RBI
• Teixeira: 0-5, RBI
• Rodriguez: 2-6, HR, 2 RBI
• Cano: 5-14, 2B, 2 RBI
• Posada: 2-5, 2 RBI
• Matsui: 0-4
• Swisher: 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI
• Cabrera: 1-6

Yankees, Cablevision to offer live streaming of games

John Ourand and Eric Frisher from the SportsBusiness Journal are reporting that the Yankees and Cablevision will offer live streaming of games later this season.

The streamed games will begin later this season and will be available via subscription to Cablevision’s TV and broadband customers who subscribe to a tier that carries the YES Network, according to several baseball and cable industry sources.

The move is part of an overall renewal of Cablevision’s YES Network affiliation deal that was signed earlier this spring but never officially announced.

The pact also marks the first major effort within baseball for in-market streaming — an issue that has troubled the industry for years. Several clubs that hold equity interest in regional sports networks, such as the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, have pressed for in-market streaming to complement MLB.TV’s out-of-market online video package.

For those who subscribe to MLB.tv, you know that you are blacked out from Yankees games if you are in its home market, so this is very intriguing if you are a Cablevision subscriber.  Hopefully this is expanded to serve more cable companies.

Saturday YanksBlog.com recap

Mariano Rivera struggled in another tie game in the ninth.  Here is my YanksBlog.com recap, as the Yankees lost 9-7.

Game 55: Rays at Yankees

New York Yankees (32-22)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera RF
Francisco Cervelli C

David Price LHP (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia LHP (5-3, 3.46 ERA)

Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 175

Yankees vs. Price

• Jeter: 1-2, HR, RBI
• Damon: 1-2
• Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B
• Cano: 0-1

Tonight’s game has been postponed

So there you have it.  CC Sabathia and David Price tomorrow.  The makeup game will not be played in this series, reports Peter Abraham.

As you can see, I have not been posting as much as I’d like to.  On Monday, I began my summer internship in the city and am gone all morning and afternoon with no time to post at all.  I hope you understand.

Someone at ESPN had fun with Wang

This headline greeted me when I opened up Google Reader a few minutes ago.  The link didn’t lead to anywhere for some reason, but it’s not immortalized here.

Yes, my mind is in the gutter.

Teixeira’s slide inspires Yankees to victory

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch twice tonight in the Yankees’ 12-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.  On the second one, he snapped, eventually breaking up a double play with a hard slide in the fourth inning.

After that slide, the Yankees scored five runs, giving enough breathing room for A.J. Burnett.  He gutted through seven innings, striking out eight on 110 pitches.  He allowed three earned runs, all on a long home run by Nelson Cruz.

Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter each had three hits.  Posada drove in four runs, including three on a long home run to right.  Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui had two hits apiece.  Like Posada, Matsui hit a three-run home run as well.

All in all, it was a nice win for New York, even though the errorless streak ended when Posada air-mailed a throw to second base attempting to catch a runner stealing.  They are now 10 games over .500 and maintained their one-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East.  The 12 runs scored were a season-high.

Andy Pettitte will face Scott Feldman tomorrow night at the Stadium.

Game 52: Rangers at Yankees

New York Yankees (30-21)

Derek Jeter SS

Johnny Damon LF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Alex Rodriguez 3B

Robinson Cano 2B

Jorge Posada C

Hideki Matsui DH

Melky Cabrera RF

Brett Gardner CF

Vicente Padilla RHP (3-2, 4.71 ERA) vs. A.J. Burnett RHP (3-2, 4.78 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.

TV: YES

Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Padilla:

• Jeter: 2-8, RBI
• Damon: 3-11, RBI
• Teixeira: 2-7, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Rodriguez: 2-9, HR, 7 RBI
• Cano: 3-8, HR, RBI
• Poasda: 0-1, RBI
• Matsui: 1-1, 2B
• Cabrera: 1-2

Joba pitches 8, Yankees set errorless record in victory

Well, well, well, look who pitched eight innings and only needed 106 pitches to do so.  Yup, that’s what Joba Chamberlain did tonight, striking out five, walking only two and allowing two earned runs in the Yankees’ 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians.  The Yankees took three of four from Cleveland.

In the process, the Yankees played their 18th straight errorless game, setting a major league record.

Nick Swisher, on the first day of the new month, went 2-for-4 with two doubles, including the game-winning two-run double in the top of the seventh.

Interesting observation from looking at today’s boxscore: the Yankees recorded six hits tonight, and all them came from the top four sports in the order: Derek Jeter, Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.  However, the 10 walks issued by the Indians’ pitchers were significant.

Mariano Rivera earned his 11th save of the season after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Yankees are now 30-21 and will begin a three-game series against Texas in the Bronx tomorrow night.

AP Photo

Game 51: Yankees at Indians – Molina and Nady health updates

New York Yankees (29-21)	Cleveland Indians (22-30)
Derek Jeter SS	Asdrubal Cabrera 2B
Nick Swisher RF	Ben Francisco CF
Mark Teixeira 1B	Victor Martinez CF
Alex Rodriguez DH	Shin-Soo Choo RF
Jorge Posada C	Jhonny Peralta 3B
Robinson Cano 2B	Mark DeRosa LF
Melky Cabrera LF	Ryan Garko 1B
Angel Berroa 3B	Jamey Carroll 2B
Brett Gardner CF	Kelly Shoppach C

Joba Chamberlain RHP (2-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. Jeremy Sowers LHP (1-2, 7.71 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: YES/ESPN
Radio: WCBS-AM 880, XM 176

Yankees vs. Sowers

• Jeter: 5-8, 2 2B
• Swisher: 2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Teixeira: 2-3, RBI
• Rodriguez: 3-7
• Posada: 1-2
• Cano: 1-2, RBI
• Cabrera: 0-8
• Berroa: 0-3

Indians vs. Chamberlain

• Cabrera: 0-1
• Francisco: 1-2, RBI
• Martinez: 1-2, RBI
• Choo: 2 BB
• Peralta: 0-1
• DeRosa: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI
• Garko: 1-5, 2B, RBI
• Carroll: 0-1

That’s an interesting lineup.  Meanwhile, Jose Molina and Xavier Nady have had setbacks:

Jose Molina re-inured his strained left quad today in an extended spring training game in Florida and is likely to return to New York to be examined. The Yankees had hoped he might return this week. Not now and probably not any time soon.

Meanwhile, Xavier Nady started a throwing program today, felt discomfort in his right elbow and stopped throwing. He’ll try again tomorrow. Nady was diagnosed with a torn ligament in April but both parties agreed to try a course of rehab and experimental platelet injections in hopes of avoiding surgery. Today’s setback does not necessarily mean surgery will ultimately be required. But it’s certainly not good news for Nady.

Wonderful.