Thursday, July 31, 2008

Alex Rodriguez Yankeeography debuts Wednesday, August 6 - True Yankee-ism ensues

http://mlb.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMLB2-4103183reg.jpg
I don't have a link for this, but Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez will join the likes of Hideki Matsui and the 1998 Yankees when his Yankeeography premieres next Wednesday, August 6.

I just saw this on the scroll at the bottom of the screen on YES. It will premiere after the post-game next Wednesday. It will be repeated multiple times after that, the first time being on August 8 at 11:30 AM.

Chances are a lot of the dark moments will be swept under the rug for this production. I'm also guessing that we won't be hearing any more of Cyn-Rod's stories about A-Rod not being clutch in the delivery room, huh?

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Ask NYYSI: Advice on buying tickets to the final games in the "old" Yankee Stadium



I can't even count the number of emails that I have received lately seeking advice before buying tickets to one of the remaining 23 games in the history of the "old" Yankee Stadium.

My answer is that with so few games left in the current Stadium, people are starting to take notice and are cramming in one final trip to the Stadium. A few days ago, I vented my frustrations about this phenomenon.

That being said, there are three main options that I would recommend:

1) The tickets section of New York's Craigs List - This used to be my go-to option, but lately, the well has dried up. In addition, more and more ticket brokers are disguising themselves as regular people trying to dump their tickets. You really have to be on top of things and consistently check the site in hopes of finding a generous soul who legitimately wants to get rid of his tickets for face value. Sadly, those people are few and far between nowadays. You can also put up a "wanted" ad on Craigs List in hopes that someone will respond favorably. Be warned that you will probably get plenty of responses from ticket brokers. The market on Craigs List really heats up the day before and the day of the game, so if you can hold out as long as possible, you might be able to score a really hot deal. However, with Yankee Stadium in its final days, I wouldn't bet on that.

2) StubHub.com - Prices are through the roof. However, there are always some Stubhub Fan Codes floating around that can save you some money. Here are a couple of $10 off codes that I believe are still valid (please don't write in if these don't work, I don't know of any others):

Stubby601
POSTPE27
POSTL27

Otherwise, you can wait it out with Stubhub until the last day just like with Craigs List. They have a ticket pickup center directly across from Yankee Stadium, so you can buy tickets up to minutes before game time. Sometimes you can snag a better deal that way.

3) Yankees.com (ticketmaster.com) - For just about every game this year, I have seen tickets available on the day of game via Yankees.com. The catch here is that the tickets are usually the Field Championship boxes and retail for $450 each (plus ticket fees). However, if you really want to catch a game and want to have the best seats you will ever get, this is a great option without paying similar prices from resellers seats that are way worse. In addition, the Yankees occasionally release seats in other parts of the stadium as well. Keep a close eye on the ticketmaster page for the game you are looking to go to and do searches in different areas of the stadium. Perhaps you will get lucky.

The absolute last resort would be to purchase tickets from a scalper outside of the Stadium. Those guys are shady and always use intimidation as a tactic to get you to pay more than you are comfortable paying. In addition, you are putting yourself at the greatest risk to get fake tickets. There is nothing governing these guys, and with so few games left in the "historic" Yankee Stadium, I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge increase in counterfeit tickets.

Hopefully this is helpful in some way, even if most of it is bad news. Good luck, and enjoy the games if you are able to snag tickets within your budget.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Millar calls Edwar cute; NYYSI reluctantly agrees




Ever the idiot, Kevin Millar (above, in simpler times with his fellow long-hair idiot brethren Johnny Damon) had this to say about Edwar Ramirez throwing the ball at his 5 feet over his head yesterday afternoon:
"One hundred percent," Millar said when asked if he thought the pitch was intentional. "I was upset they threw him out of the game because he's really good hitting. He's a cute little fella, he didn't throw that hard and he doesn't have very good stuff. So it's probably a good idea they threw him out, because it probably would've been in Monument Park."
"There just needs to be a thing about how to throw at a guy, that's all. Stay in the waist-below, it's part of baseball. You don't want to mess with anybody's career," Millar said. "He doesn't throw that hard, so it wouldn't have hurt, but I wouldn't have minded facing him."
"If they can't throw in," Millar said, "then throw down, that's all it is. It's not a big deal. Ramirez tries his little heart out, but I love facing him. He doesn't have many out pitches. [He is] fortunate he's in the big leagues.
Millar is apparently keen on keeping his idiot image in tact, since he is 1-4 in his career against Edwar with 3 Ks. For some reason, major league hitters get offended when they are struck out on changeups. Must be some sort of machismo thing.

It was a bit strange hearing Millar call another dude cute, but after acquiring this rare photograph, NYYSI has to agree:

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/1825/image1xi4.jpg


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

New pieces to play with

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/pieces.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

That net behind home plate frequently catches more than just baseballs

Sadly, I was not at the game to witness it, but apparently another fan ended up on the net behind home plate last night.

Unlike when it happened in '06, this time was ruled an accident.

The nets looks so soft and cushy in this picture, but so hard and solid in this one.

I wouldn't recommend testing it out unless you want to be banned from Yankee Stadium for life.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Return???

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/pavana.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, July 28, 2008

Looking to visit Yankee Stadium one final time? Be aware, its NOT a buyer's market!

As most of the regular readers of this site know, I am a New York Yankees season ticket holder. Regrettably, I had to sell my season strip this year (FOR FACE VALUE) in order to save up for 2009 season tickets in the new Stadium.

So, here it is, July 28, and the current Yankee Stadium is down to 20-something games left in its fabled history. Unfortunately for prospective ticket buyers, that means demand is skyrocketing and prices are going with it.

I have been keeping track of the Yankee ticket market on sites like Craigs List and Stubhub for the past few years. Typically, during the dog days of summer, tickets to games against the last place team on weeknights were easy to come by. Not only that, the tickets were usually below face value if you waited long enough to purchase them and played your cards right.

I'm here to sadly report that those days are long gone. Now, the Yankees "for sale" ads on Craigs List are outnumbered by "wanted" ads - and the wanted ads are being placed by people willing to pay above face value.

Myself and fake Ian Kennedy wanted to go to a game this week, but neither of us are in a position to pay an arm and a leg for more excruciating encounters with "the typical Yankee fan", of which I have chronicled on this site ad nauseam.

For the working class Yankee fan, this is a sad time. Gone are the days of making a spur of the moment decision during an especially tedious work day to catch a cheap game in the Bronx. Gone are the days of hitting up Craigs List last minute for a pair of Tier Reserved tickets for under $20, buying a sandwich from Subway and sneaking a pre-mixed bottle of rum and coke into the stadium.

There is no telling if those simpler times will return once the hype of the new Stadium wears off. However, with the price tag approaching 1.3 billion for the new digs, my magic 8-ball does not paint a pretty picture.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Friday, July 25, 2008

Its not Joba's fault

Terry Francona had this to say after the game about Joba's latest "headhunting" of Youkilis:

"[Chamberlain] has great command until Youk gets in there," Francona said afterward.
NYYSI scientists were immediately dispatched to study this phenomenon and have had a breakthrough in their research -

Youkilis' head is so big it has its own gravitational field!

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/youkilisorbit.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Jonathan Papelbon hates his pregnant wife... Visual proof!

Following up a previous item on the blog...

Maybe if you weren't doing this, your preggers wife wouldn't have felt "unsafe". Think before you act, Paps

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

If I was at a game, and I saw a Yankee fan doing something like this, I would hurt them

Following in the footsteps of the ever-classy Blue Jays fans, Red Sox fans plan on wearing "Madonna Masks" to the game tonight, in order to distract A-Rod. Or at least this blog is trying to mobilize this fatuous idea. I'm hoping they were just being witty with hopes of getting onto the main page of Deadspin.com (they did). However, these are New England sports fans we are talking about here, so I refuse to give them the benefit of any doubt. You know, the same folks who chant "Yankees suck" at New England Patriots Super Bowl victory parades.

This is going to be a long weekend....


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Reason to stay optimistic that September 21 won't be the last game in Yankee Stadium history

We all know that the offense has underperformed for the majority of 2008, for various reasons (I'm looking at you, Robbie Cano, even with your recent hot streak, you are the owner of a 1.5 VORP and 85 OPS+). Even if the offense continues its torrid post All-Star break pace, the Yankees are going to become serious contenders because of their pitching. Take a peek at this comparison of the 2007 Yankees pitching staff as a whole (starting pitchers and bullpen) vs. the 2008 version:


2008:
- 2.34 K/BB
- 7th fewest walks handed out in all of baseball
- 1 0th most strikeouts in all of baseball.
- 11th in ERA

Very respectable



2007:
- 1.74 K/BB
- 25th fewest walks in baseball (bad)
- 24th most strikeouts in baseball (bad)
- 17th in ERA

Conclusion:

Yankee pitching is way better in 2008 than it was in 2007. Pitching wins championships. By the way, even Baseball Prospectus gives the Yankees a 23% chance of making the playoffs (higher when adjusting to PECOTA) now. Before the All-Star break, that number was in single digits. Hopefully this analysis will cause final regular season game ticket prices to go down.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Season ticket holder update - Relocation guides are "printing"


A warning shot was fired by our buddy Lonn Trost today:

Dear Yankees Ticket Licensee,

We have reached another important milestone in our move from Yankee Stadium to the new Yankee Stadium across the street. Your Relocation Program Guide for the New Yankee Stadium (the "Guide") is in the process of being printed and you can expect to receive your Guide in the near future. The Guide will outline the seat relocation program, explain the criteria to be used to assign seat locations, detail ticket prices and ticket license options, and serve as your introduction to the new Yankee Stadium.


C'mon Lonnie, just pull the band-aid off already and tell me the damage!

And now we play the waiting game...

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

2008 Old-Timers Day - 1990's nostalgia-fest!


There is one day each season that I can forgive Yankee fans for being ultra-nostalgic. That day is "Old-Timer's Day" at the Stadium, and it is a little over a week away.

To keep with the underlying theme of this blog, let me list the 1990's Yankee "heroes" that the Yankee fans in attendance will surely be screaming their heads off for:

Wade Boggs - That horse ride was a Yankee moment for the ages. Now he has a full head of hair thanks to Medical Hair Restoration. True Yankee 4 Lyfe

Homer Bush - Simply the best pinch runner ever. Yankee championships with Homer Bush on the roster = 1. Yankee championships with A-Rod on the roster = 0. True Yankee.

David Cone - I will say nothing negative about him. He was the glue that held the dynasty together. If I was there, I would give him a 15 minute standing ovation. Then I would ask him what he was thinking in the booth when he said that Ian Kennedy got jerked off and that Giambi was humpin'.

Tony Fernandez - He was a gateway Yankee. A link between the crappy and the great. I feel like he won't get a great reaction from the nostalgia-crowd. He had the nerve to play St. Jeter's position before him. There is something anti-Yankee about that. Now that I think about it, he may get booed.

Joe Girardi - Another example of Clutchy McClutch. Gritty, clutch triple in 1996 is in still at the forefront of every Yankee nostalgia freak's mind.

Jimmy Key - See Tony Fernandez. Left too early to be truly beloved by the types of fans that this day caters to.

Graeme Lloyd - Lloyd!!!! Never gave up a run for the Yankees in the playoffs. Pitching wins championships, people. I'll give him some props for getting it done when it mattered most.

Tino Martinez - Another key dynasty member. What most people forget about this Clutchy McClutch is that he had a sub - .700 OPS in his postseason career. Crowd will go wild, start Tino chant, scorboard operator will play nostalgic Tino at bat music (I can't put my finger on the name of the song right now, but you all know the song I am talking about). Fun for all

Ramiro Mendoza - Another guy who's legend is greater than his career as a whole. However, I won't fault anyone for giving him a good hand. He was a quality bullpen arm during the dynasty years, and we all know that pitching wins championships. His postseason numbers were very good, and in the mind of Yankee fans, only the postseason matter.

Jeff Nelson - Last year, the Yankees signed him to a one-day contract, so he could retire a Yankee. If that isn't a true Yankee, I don't know what is. I won't lie, he had some big moments for the Yankees, and I have fond memories. Pitching pitching pitching. He's no Buddy Groom, that's for sure!

Luis Sojo - Gritty, gutty, sucky, game-winning hit in the 2000 World Series. Hilarious that the people who sponsor his page on baseball-reference mention his "clutch" hitting, while directly below, his postseason OPS is right there for the viewing. That .601 OPS in his postseason career is the Yankee nostalgia freak's definition of clutch.

Darryl Strawberry - When he went after Armando Benitez in 1998, his true Yankee status was sealed. This guy is living large when he is off the crack. He does Spring Training with the Mets and Old-Timer's Day with the Yankees. He's a true Yank-met.

Hold on a second. Did I just finish that list without mentioning the grittiest, clutch-est Yankee ever? The legendary Scott ".245/.278/.418 in the postseason, but every bit of those numbers were clutch" Brosius. He was at the game last year, but I guess he couldn't make it this year.

Also conspicuously missing is Paul O'Neill. Apparently this is a good time of year for golf in Ohio. Another one of my favorite Yankees of all-time (its all about his grit and water-cooler bashing, not his career OPS+ of 120 or his .828 OPS in his postseason career).

Don't worry, Yankee fans - you will get to see these Yankee legends:

Jim Abbott
Pat Kelly
Al Leiter
Kevin Maas
Buck Showalter

Also, Ricky Henderson will be making his first Yankee Old-Timer's day appearance. Where's Neon Deion when you need him?!

I'm not making this up. Full list here. Good news - upon further review, that is only a partial list, so you folks may well get your Scotty Bro!

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Note to Melky - Field the ball first, THEN acknowledge the Bleacher Creatures

Embarrassing moment for Melky Cabrera to start off the game tonight. Check out the video below:

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/8893/waving_to_fans_during_a_play_is_a_bad_idea


For those of you who don't know, the "Bleacher Creatures" chant the name of every Yankee at the beginning of each game at Yankee Stadium. Typically, if there is a play going on, the player will take care of business, and then tip his cap to the fans. Not the case with Melky Cabrera, obviously.

If A-Rod had done that, the Bleacher Creatures would refuse to chant his name ever again.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

....and now Jarrod Washburn???

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/party.jpg

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/4324323 Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, July 21, 2008

Derek Jeter is already getting the Bernie Williams treatment from the fans...




Another magic moment in the Bronx tonight:

The Yankees went into the bottom of the sixth inning with a comfortable 8-3 lead. Derek Jeter led off the inning and slapped a "Jeterian" homerun into the bleachers in right field.

After he finished his trip around the bases, the crowd broke into a "De-rek Je-ter" chant. For a solid minute. True story. He just hit a homerun that made the game 9-3 and the crowd was chanting his name, pleading for a curtain call, as if he had just had another Clutchy McClutch moment.

Lets pretend it was Alex Rodriguez who hit that homerun. I'm sure there would be accusatory grumbles throughout the Stadium about stat-padding.

Remember at the end of his career when the fans knew Bernie Williams was done? They (I) started chanting his name every time he did anything good, trying to honor him any way possible.

Sadly, Jeter is getting the Bernie Williams treatment already. Yankee fans have now taken to being nostalgic before a player's career is even close to being over. Weird breed of fan these Yankees draw nowadays.

I could spend 20 minutes of my life ripping the video of this incident, but I think everyone knows I'm not making this stuff up.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Sunday, July 20, 2008

So, the new Stadium is nearly upon us - which current Stadium traditions need to go the way of the old Stadium?

I passed "the Yankee Stadiums" on the way down the Major Deegan yesterday, and it made me realize that the new Stadium is pretty much complete. There is still plenty of time before the official date of completion in February '09, but from the outside, it looks like a legit Stadium.

Believe it or not, there are only 30 games remaining in the life of the current, renovated Yankee Stadium - love it or hate it.

So, that got me thinking - what are some of the traditions in the current stadium that I want to see die when it is leveled? Get out your paper and pencil kids, this calls for a list:

- The Great City Subway race. When I was a kid, I loved this thing. Then, sponsors were plastered all over it, John Sterling became the "announcer" for it, and they created some goofy 3-D animations that somehow made it look less like a Subway Race than when it was simple cartoon animations. Plus, the C train stopped running to the Stadium years ago, so now it is two trains from the 6th Avenue line (B + D)racing against the Lexington Avenue line (4). It is boring and it has run its course. 4 train 4-life

- Y.M.C.A dance-along with the Grounds Crew in the 5th inning. Yes, it is hilarious when 56,000 people dance along to a song about homosexuality . However, the crowd hasn't really been into it since the late 90's dynasty. Nowadays, you look around and a few first-timers are into it, looking like complete idiots, but most of the crowd is sprinting toward the bathroom or the concessions. It is met with complete apathy, and I don't think the crew can possibly do as good of a job raking the field as other grounds crews around the league. The Yankees demand excellence, and this tradition is no longer excellent in any way. Might as well bring this tradition to the current day and use another thinly veiled song full of sexual innuendo. Soulja Boy's "Superman" immediately comes to mind. I can see it now, the grounds crew puts on Superman capes and drag the infield, all while dancing to a song about crude sexual acts to women. Priceless.

- God Bless America. Nothing like Patriotism inspired by terrorism. Fine, I'll admit it was memorable and meaningful back in 2001, when the Yankees made those amazing comebacks in game 4 and 5 at the Stadium in early November. The entire crowd was singing along, and there was a sense of National pride that I had never felt before. Without bringing politics into this, lets just say the spirit isn't there when people are singing "God Bless America" anymore. That, coupled with the bizarre choice to use Kate Smith's rendition (what significance does her version have?!) has rendered this tradition tedious. I'll make a compromise - only do it on Sundays, and get a recorded version of Ronan Tynan singing it. I'll even provide a link to purchase the CD with Ronan's version on it. Interesting fact of the day - Ronan Tynan was born with two deformed legs, and they were both eventually amputated. I always thought the guy was awesome, but not that I know he is a double-amputee, he is even more inspirational. Yankee Stadium needs more Ronan.

- The recorded video of Rudy Giulianni yelling "Lets Go Yankees" that they play late in close games to inspire the crowd (and the team?). All this clip does is rile up the late 90's Yankee nostalgia crowd (God help us all). Bernie and Paul are no longer roaming the outfield, Cone and El Duque are no longer holding down the postseason rotation, Scotty Bro is no longer playing the role of Clutchy McClutch, and Rudy Giulianni is no longer relevant in New York City. After his run for presidency was an epic fail, all he brings is the stench of losing and nostalgia to the Stadium. Do away with that clip. Rudy can still have his box seats near the Yankees on-deck circle. At least he is a rich guy who I know will cheer for the Yankees.

I read an interview with the infamous Buzz Bissinger recently, and he mentioned part of the reason he hates bloggers so much is because they are too wordy and their posts are too long. For that reason, I will cut my list off here and let it stew for a while. There very well may be a part two somewhere down the line.

Now, a few traditions that we would keep and are publicly approved by NYYSI:

Cotton Eye Joe
. This is a controversial pick as a keeper. Until recently, I wanted no part of this corny song being played during the "8th inning stretch". Then, one day I realized that I had never looked up the lyrics to the song. I always made funny noises and then sang "Cotton Eye Joe, I'd been married a long time ago". Think about the song in your head for a minute. I bet you don't know the words directly before that line. Spoiler alert! The words are "if it hadn't been for Cotton Eye Joe, I'd been married a long time ago". Those lyrics alone don't make me want to keep the song, but it is somehow endearing fact that I have been hearing the song for 12 years and never could decipher those words. The rest of the lyrics do little to clear up the meaning of the song. So, is Cotton Eye Joe some sort of sleaze ball that tried to sleep with all of the women in this made up Red Neck town? Then they all ran away and there were only dudes left? A bizarre song like that, with some weird guy in a cowboy hat in the scoreboard operator's room dancing like a spaz deserves some play in the new Stadium. Why do I feel like this is the only thing that will actually be eliminated when the new Stadium comes around? Oh yea, check out this picture of sometimes blog comment contributor "Fake Ian Kennedy" dressed up like Cotton Eye Joe. Legendary.

The match game, cap game, and guess that Yankee baby picture game. All of these are good between inning mind-teasers that have no glaring qualities to make fun of. Keepers.

Finally, I'd like to throw a bone to the Yankee nostalgia crowd and recommend that the Yankees bring back "this magic moment". Back in the late 90's, the Yankees used to play a classic Yankee Stadium moment on the scoreboard between innings late in the game. It was basically what you see on the YES Network between innings sometimes. I don't know why they got rid of it, but with nostalgia being a fairly common attribute among Yankee fans, it makes sense to bring it back. Even a grumpy realist like myself will enjoy it.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Papelbon crying about his wife being mistreated at the All-Star parade - EXCLUSIVE - he was egging the fans on

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/papeldouche2.jpg

Just came across this story on ESPN.com:

Report: Papelbon says wife threatened at parade

I call shenanigans.

I spent some time at the parade during my lunch break yesterday, so I can vouch for the fact that there was plenty of banter between the players and the parade goers. The barricades were set up so the players could be very close to the fans, and there was little security in between. Unfortunately, I had to leave the parade before I got to yell obscenities boo Papsmear Papelbon. Sorry about that, my inner "typical Yankee fan" is trying to escape.

Anyway, a former colleague was at the parade when Pappy went by and he shared this story:
But by far the funniest thing I saw was when Papplebon [sic] passed by. He was being booed pretty heavily but the Sox fan next to me yelled out "SHOW US THE RING". In typical Papplebon asshole-ish fashion, he calmly and smoothly brushed the ring against his suit several times to wipe it clean and then pointed it right at us. The fans were not too happy. But that shit was funny as hell.
So, what I am trying to get at here is that Papelbon PROBABLY wasn't innocent in any fan abuse he or his preggers wife received. He made the comments about Mo the day before, he was flashing his ring in a cocky way, he asked for any verbal abuse he received. This may be a controversial stance, but I think everyone needs to think about the things Papelbon has been saying and doing lately before indicting the New York Yankees fan base.


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

NYYSI's Completely Subjective, Non-Statistical Mid-Season Report Card for the Yankees


We figure all of the newspapers do this crap, why can't we?

Exciting stuff follows:

Ross' Grades:

Alex Rodriguez B+
Jason Giambi B+
Johnny Damon B+
Hideki Matsui B+
Jorge Posada C
Bobby Abreu C+
Derek Jeter C-
Robinson Cano D
Melky Cabrera F

Joba Chamberlain A-
Mike Mussina A
Andy Pettitte B
Chien Ming Wang B-
Darell Rasner C-
Phil Hughes F
Ian Kennedy F

Mariano Rivera A
Edwar Ramirez B-
Jose Veras A-
Kyle Farnsworth B
Dan Giese B
Ross Ohlendorf D
Latroy Hawkins D-

Kaybli's Grades:

Alex Rodriguez A-
Jason Giambi A-
Johnny Damon A-
Hideki Matsui B+
Jorge Posada C+
Bobby Abreu C+
Derek Jeter C-
Robinson Cano D
Melky Cabrera D-

Joba Chamberlain A-
Mike Mussina A-
Andy Pettitte B
Chien Ming Wang B
Darell Rasner C-
Phil Hughes F
Ian Kennedy F

Mariano Rivera A
Edwar Ramirez A-
Jose Veras A-
Kyle Farnsworth B+
Dan Giese B
Ross Ohlendorf D
Latroy Hawkins D-

Sadly, I actually do have statistical justification for a lot of the grades I gave. However, in the spirit of this post, I will leave the grades as mysterious and objective.

I think we can all agree that our dunce boys at the top of the page were a complete FAIL.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, July 14, 2008

The State of NYY Stadium Insider

In todays' NY Post, Phil Mushnick mentions this little blog:

There's a Web site entitled The Yankee Stadium Insider. Over a piece about next year's ticket prices appears this headline: "Soon, I Won't Be Such A Stadium Insider."
I have to admit, I have never been a huge fan of Mushnick's work, but perhaps this can stem the tide. He obviously knows a quality blog when he sees one. Ha!

Getting my fingers all inky, reading "The Yankee Stadium Insider" in the hard copy of an actual mainstream media publication got me feeling a bit guilty. I have a blog called "NYY Stadium Insider", but I sold my season tickets for this season. To make up for it, I have been watching the games very closely on TV and have been posting videos when strange things happen on the broadcast (see yesterday's post, for example). Basically, I have replaced what used to be my "Stadium Insider" posts with "Yankee Media Critic" posts. I've turned into the blogger Yankee fan version of Phil Mushnick. To be honest, the blog has gained a lot more traction since I started posting more analysis and funny videos. However, I started the blog as an outpost for my adventures attending Yankee games, and I have to admit that I miss that.

As for my days as a season ticket holder, I am definitely still feeling priced out. As I mentioned back in December, tickets in my section went up 47% from $17 per ticket to $25. For that reason, I was forced to sell my entire strip of 46 games (plus the all-star game). I sold it for face value, and I had plenty of interest off of a Craigs List ad back in the winter. I made the choice to purchase the plan from the Yankees and then sell it in all together to give myself some more time to decide about next year.

Since then, information from the Yankees about 2009 tickets has been sparse. There was an article in March on ESPN.com that mentioned ticket prices for my section would remain the same (check out the quote at the very end by Lonnie Trost). However, that article also mentioned that relocation packets would be out in April and it is mid-July without receiving one. Therefore, I am forced to take the information from that article with a huge grain of salt.

I have come to the conclusion that if tickets are the same price as they were this year ($25 per seat, per game for the 46 games), then I will DEFINITELY purchase the tickets for next season when the invoice comes. Even knowing that my tickets will most likely not be directly behind home plate like they are now because of the decreased number of rows in the upper deck. I will still buy the tickets if Lonnie is true to his word and tickets remain the same price. Any increase and I will have to reconsider.

I have no illusions that prices will remain the same for too long, even if they are the same next year. However, I have been dreaming of a new stadium for so long that I must have season tickets if the opportunity presents itself, even if my girlfriend doesn't approve. In my mind, selling this year's tickets in order to save up for next year was the best way to accomplish that.

The disappointing part of all of this has been going to so few Yankee games this year. I live on the Upper East side only 12 minutes away from the stadium by subway. I could easily purchase tickets to many of the games from Craigs List for way below face value on most nights, but not sitting in my seats in Tier Section 1 just isn't the same.

Ok, back to being the Phil Mushnick of Yankee blogs.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

MLB Workout Day/ HR Derby Tickets still available at Face Value from Ticketmaster.com




Just a quick post to let everyone know that tickets to the All-Star Game workout day/ 2008 HR derby are STILL AVAILABLE on ticketmaster.com. There is obviously a limited selection, but you are able to get a pair in the Tier Reserved behind home plate. Unfortunately, for a commoner like myself, the prices are WAY too expensive to even consider. I long-ago sold my entire All-Star Game strip for face value, and I am happy that I was able to get that. The prices are absurd (these are for Upper Deck, behind home plate, not even in HR territory):

Tickets (2008 MLB All-Star Workout Day)
Standard Admission US $150.00 x 2
Total Convenience Charge(s)

US $8.00 x 2

Order Processing Charge(s) US $3.05
TicketFast Delivery What's this?

US $2.50

TOTAL CHARGES US $321.55

I need to know why anyone would pay that much to see glorified batting practice.

Did I mention? If anyone has an extra ticket and is offering a sweet deal, I'm all about it - let me know via email!


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Sunday, July 13, 2008

David Cone is at it again - " Giambi is humpin' "

Any good Yankee fan will remember earlier this year when Ian Kennedy "got jerked off" in the bullpen (according to David Cone).

On today's YES broadcast, David Cone was reviewing a replay and said enthousiastically that Jason Giambi was "humpin" as he was trying to beat out (that sounds like something Cone would say) an infield single.

A bit sophomoric of us to point out? Absolutely. However, everyone should be reminded once again about David Cone's famous bullpen session back when he was a young player. This slip-up by Cone is more understandable than the Ian Kennedy one. It is clearly a Freudian slip, knowing about Giambi's penchant for wearing thongs, rocking the porn 'stache and "banging like a porn star".

Keep up the great work Coney, you continue to endear yourself to the 18-24 demographic worldwide.

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Saturday, July 12, 2008

The players and managers react to Bobby Murcer's passing (from YES)



Be sure to stay tuned until the end when Joe Girardi gets really choked up. Kim Jones has an ill-timed question for the skipper in there too. Hmmmm Kim, maybe that wasn't the right time for a follow-up question.

Sad stuff all around.

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The title of his book says it all. All Yankee fans will miss Bobby Murcer

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/26640000/26645554.jpg

What a great book title.

7/12/08 will forever be a sad day in Yankee history.


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

MYTH - The Yankees have used too many lineups this season

In his incessant, no-so-subtle Joe Girardi-bashing way, enemy of the state Peter Abraham has kindly pointed out that the Yankees are using their 71st lineup in their 94th game today.

Lets take a look around baseball, shall we?

Team Lineups
Angels
82
Cardinals
81
Diamondbacks 81
Nationals 79
Rangers 79
Giants 77
Tigers 77
Rockies 76
Royals 76
Blue Jays 75
Dodgers 75
Red Sox 73
Athletics 72
Indians 71
Orioles 71
Yankees 71
Rays 68
Reds 68
Mariners 67
Pirates 65
Marlins 64
Mets 64
Padres 64
Cubs 63
Twins 63
Astros 60
White Sox 58
Braves 56
Brewers 51
Phillies 48

There we have it, the Yankees have used the most lineups in baseball by far the Yankees are right around the 50th percentile in lineups used, 16th out of 30 teams, the definition of average.

Keep up your terrible analyzing, Peter, you're making us all proud.

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An analysis of Adam Dunn - How bad are high strikeout totals and would he help the New York Yankees?

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/images/headshot_769.jpg

I can't say there have been any substantiated Adam Dunn to the Yankees rumors as of late, but we all know that he is perennially on the trading block, and that the Yankee offense has been struggling this season.

The real inspiration to write this are the many people calling Adam Dunn one dimensional and saying that he can't help a team because he strikes out too much.

Adam Dunn is a "one-dimensional player" with a 2008 OPS+ of 133, a career OPS+ of 130 and a current 2008 VORP of 21.9

Before I go any further, let me remind you that I am not at ALL suggesting that the Yankees should trade for Adam Dunn. I am merely pointing out that any lineup would surely benefit from the addition of Adam Dunn.

As a matter of fact, Adam Dunn would be the fifth most valuable Yankee according to VORP if they traded for him right now.

The likelihood of the Yankees even inquiring with the Reds about the availability of Adam Dunn is slim, unless Hideki Matsui's injury is season-threatening (as of now it is not) and they completely give up on Melky Cabrera (they should).

Lets take a look at why evaluating a baseball player based on their strikeout totals is stupid:

Golden boy, Mr. intangibles, Captain Clutch Derek Jeter has accounted for 271 outs in 382 plate appearances (including his grounded into double plays [13 which account for 26 outs] and "regular outs" [382 PA - 98 hits - 27 BBs - 7 HBP - 5 sacrifice hits)

That equals out to .70 outs per plate appearance if my math is correct (I have based this on ESPN's expanded statistics page).*

Base clogging, one-dimensional strikes out too much Adam Dunn has accounted for 228 outs in 360 plate appearances (including his grounded into double plays [4 which account for 8 outs] and "regular outs" [360 PA - 64 hits - 69 BB - 4 HBP - 3 sacrifice hits)

That equals out to .63 outs per plate appearance.

Adam Dunn has 96 Ks and Derek Jeter has only 41, yet Derek Jeter has contributed more outs per plate appearance than Adam Dunn.

To go a bit further, lets look at pitches per plate appearance:

Dunn - 4.39
Jeter - 3.75

In most situations, it makes little sense to compare two COMPLETELY different players in Jeter and Dunn. Right now, however, it is pertinent because people are claiming that because Adam Dunn strikes out so much, he is not an asset to a lineup. Most of these same people would claim Derek Jeter was 100% an asset to a lineup, thus the justification of this comparison.

A few other fun facts about Adam Dunn:

- He has the fifth-highest career AB/HR ratio at 13.9.
- He's been in the top 10 in the league in walks the last 4 years running and will probably make it 5 years this season.
- He's 20th among active players in career OBP.
- He's durable. having played in over 150 games in four of the last five seasons.
- He's the model of consistency, having hit EXACTLY 40 HRs the past 3 years.

Without even looking at any defensive metrics (I have to cut this off somewhere) I am sure that Adam Dunn costs his team runs defensively. However, he MORE than makes up for it with the bat and if he did ever end up a NY Yankee, he would surely be a DH.

Annnnnnnd his strikeouts just don't matter.

*I encourage anyone to write in any correct the math on my outs per plate appearance stat or to comment on the efficiency of using it.

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Friday, July 11, 2008

This post is for the over 30 crowd - "Make your Pinstripe Wishes Come True"

I believe the Yankees do something like this "fantasy camp" every year, but I am only posting about it this year since it is the last chance to take part in the "baseball cathedral" that is the current Yankee Stadium. Plus, they are touting it as "the first one and the last one to be held (in the current stadium)." So, I must be wrong.

Anyway - for the bargain basement price of $10,000 you get:

- Your own uniform with choice of number, locker, coaching, batting practice, and seven or more innings of play on the field where few trod (other than Major Leaguers)
- Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, Bucky Dent, Ron Guidry, John Flaherty, Pat Kelly, Tim Raines, Jeff Nelson, Graeme Lloyd, Jesse Barfield, Mickey Rivers, Ron Blomberg, Johnny Blanchard, Homer Bush among others will comprise the Legends that (60) lucky campers will have the chance to play against at Yankee Stadium on either August 4th or 5th.
If you are interested in this, they have started a blog called "Pinstripe Wishes Come True".

One disclaimer is that you must be over 30 years of age to participate. Therefore, my $10,000 is not good to them. Bummer.

HURRY! The deadline is July 14

The best part? If you juice up before the game and manage to go yard, Michael Kay will be right there to call the shot with his patented "see ya". How ISN'T that worth $10,000?

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Golden thongs, porn mustaches and banging like a porn star - why you should vote for Jason Giambi in the final vote


Is anyone else surprised by the sudden fan support for a man who just months ago was the whipping boy for an underachieving offense?

I'm certainly not criticizing -this blog has long been a supporter of the 'stache. All season long, he has been one of the Yankees' most productive hitters.

According to MLB.com, this "Final Vote" thing is really gaining some momentum. Sadly, the Big G is in third place with one day to go.

Here are the main competitors in the order of votes received :

Evan Longoria: Evan Longoria? Do you mean Eva Longoria? HAHA their names sound alike. He must suck. Actually, no, he is the leading rookie of the year candidate, and has been a key component in the upstart Rays' success. I'll pass.

Jermaine Dye: All this guy is famous for is breaking his leg in the playoffs by fouling a pitch off of it. Actually, he has been a pretty good major league player for a while now, and is having an unexpectedly great season and is a major reason why the Ozzie Guillens are shocking some people in the AL Central. Nah, not for me, too boring.

Jason Giambi: So what if he did steroids once in a while. Lets focus on the positives here - he has managed to grow a porn 'stache that is unrivaled in recent sports history. Blogs have been born of it. He speaks of himself in a strange third person voice referring to the "Big G". He wears a golden thong when he is in a slump. He made the phrase "Hit like an all-star, party like a rock star and bang like a porn star" famous in the world of sports. Who cares how he plays baseball? This guy is great at life. He gets my vote 100 times over (seriously, I was bored at work today and must have voted 100 times. You can do the same at the top of this post).

Ok, I guess I have to make a statistical argument. Here goes:

Giambi
OPS + = 148
VORP = 25.6

Longoria
OPS+ = 136
VORP = 23.8

Dye
OPS+ = 136
VORP = 25.5

Does he have an overwhelming advantage over those guys? Not at all. However, after outlining the above, I think we all know that voting for Jason Giambi is the way to go.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Bobby wins it to cap a 4 game winning streak against AL East rivals

The image “http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2580/abreuol7.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors. Read the full post, after the jump

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Alien vs. Predator

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/avp.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/wesuck.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Get ready for another Boston Massacre

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/BostonMassacre.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Blogger throwdown at Finnerty's tomorrow night hosted by MatsuiFan.com



Sadly, NYYStadiumInsider will not be represented (holiday plans), but Michael (Mike?) over at MatsuiFan.com wanted me to let the 12 people who read this site know that there will be some sort of blog-fest at Finnerty's on Thursday evening. I'm sure there will be relatively cheap beers and relatively few ladies.

Michael, the blogger inspired by this guy has told me that the original Matsui Fan is being interviewed by a member of the Japanese press (the equivalent of Good Morning America in Japan?!) and he will be there for the festivities. That alone is worth the price of admission (which I believe is free, since I doubt an Irish Pub will be charging a cover on a Thursday night).

Anyway, Michael has informed me that he will be there around 5:30 and Doug (the original Matsui Fan ) will be interviewed between 6 and 7. I always thought that guy was pretty funny (and a bit creepy), but I figured Japanese people would be offended by his cartoon-like characterization of a Japanese Yankee fan. Apparently not? Perhaps we will finally get some answers in what is bound to be hard-hitting interview.

In any case check out MatsuiFan for more info and for some Yankee commentary with a good bit of humor peppered throughout.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Stray-Rod strikes back???

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/arodmadonna2.jpg

http://deadspin.com/5021129/a+roc-lalleged-madonna Read the full post, after the jump
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