A-Rod, Pettitte and Joba Spend A Day In The Park For A Good Cause

"Hope Week" activities continued today, with Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Alex Rodriguez showing their philanthropic side. Today's story is a touching one, and it takes place right in our old stomping grounds - Greenwich Village:

A child with cerebral palsy who is confined to a wheelchair and unable to communicate through conventional speech became an inspiration to his Little League teammates by dressing in uniform, sitting in the dugout with them and giving high-fives as necessary. This season, the team won the league championship. Additionally, his father is the inventor of revolutionary equipment that allows non-verbal individuals to communicate in new ways. Yankees players will meet the child and his best friends for lunch at a local eatery. Afterwards, everyone will go to the local Little League field to meet the child's teammates and other children with cerebral palsy. Yankees players will then give a talk about baseball and sportsmanship before holding a brief baseball skills clinic. The child and his teammates will attend the Yankees game that evening.

A stadium insider correspondent was on hand to capture photos of the special moments (after the jump).










There are some questions to be asked about the shameless self-promotion surrounding "Hope Week." Celebratory logos have been painted on the field at Yankee Stadium and all stadium employees are forced to wear "Hope Week" buttons - even though half of them probably don't know or care what "Hope Week" is. Last night between innings, the couple being honored was interviewed on the video board and had clearly been given talking points by the team, heaping well-deserved praise on the Yankees in a very rehearsed manner. The experience at the stadium stunk of the Yankees turning very generous and genuinely thoughtful activities into a PR stunt. What is the sense of promoting "Hope Week" other than a means of patting themselves on the back? Fans can't donate to "Hope Week" and they aren't invited to join in on the activities.

All of that aside, our Stadium Insider correspondents had a firsthand look at how some of the Yankees star players are dealing with their mandatory participation. From the photos above, you can see that they passed with flying colors. According to those on the scene, A-Rod held the child's hand the entire time, while Pettitte and Joba were all smiles. It is undoubtedly a day that the kids in Greenwich Village Little League will never forget, especially the boy with cerebral palsy.

"Hope Week" seems to be one of the best things the Yankee organization has done for a long time, but they'd be smart to tone down the rhetoric and act like they've been there before. Isn't that the Yankee way?

IMPORTANT ADDITION - Bryan Hoch points out how you can make a difference in his "Hope Week" story.

The Yankees have encouraged those inspired by the HOPE Week stories to look to New York City's NYC Service (www.nyc.gov/service) and President Barack Obama's United We Serve (www.serve.gov), which promote and find outlets for volunteerism.

Read the full post, after the jump

FireGeorgeKingIII.com? My obsession continues - more A-Rod bashing

Wohooooo! Three A-Rod posts in a row! Guess I'm falling into the trap. Anyway, I would like to preface this with the disclaimer that I DO NOT read the NY Post (or any of the NY tabloids). However, people bring this stuff to my attention, and I just have to ridicule it.

Our good buddy George King III (thanks again for that photo exclusive G-Dog), sneaked a bit of A-Rod bashing into last night's NY Post game story, even though A-Rod was probably cooing at his baby in the hospital as the game was being played.

The win, which didn't include Alex Rodriguez who was nursing a sore right quad muscle in Miami, where his second daughter was born Monday night, was the Yankees' second straight and hiked their record to 11-10.

After watching Billy Traber and Brian Bruney load the bases with one out in the seventh and the Yankees leading 6-3, Joe Girardi called for Chamberlain.

He struck out Carlos Quentin, walked Joe Crede after being ahead of him, 1-2, to force in a run and left the bases drunk by getting Juan Uribe on a pop-up.

Chamberlain hurled a scoreless eighth when he worked with a five-run bulge thanks' to Damon's second homer in as many games.

"You kick yourself when you walk people," Chamberlain said. "I gave [the run] up for Billy."

Wang, who gave up three runs and 10 hits in six innings, won his 50th big-league game in his 85th start. That's the quickest to 50 since Dwight Gooden won his 50th game in his 82nd start. Ron Guidry won his 50th game in his 82nd start in 1979.

Since he is hitting .150 (3-for-20) with runners in scoring position, Rodriguez wasn't missed by the Yankees in the clutch. Nobody knows when he will return to the lineup. But for one night Abreu, Giambi and Damon supplied the muscle that Rodriguez is famous for.

The first mention is completely acceptable. Yankees playing without Rodriguez = big story. However, after typical game story stuff, George King III shows his typical A-Rod hatred. Someone, anyone, PLEASE tell me how that paragraph in bold above was AT ALL pertinent to the game story?

One day we will find out the truth behind a couple of the great mysteries of New York Sports. The photos that Isiah Thomas has of James Dolan in a precarious position will be revealed and we will find out some wacked-out connection between George King III and A-Rod that will lead to an epiphany about his obvious hatred.

Does a photo exist of George King III exist on the interwebs? I can't seem to find one. I want to create a logo for these posts. Let me know in the comments.

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

The hits keep coming: A-Rod leaves 4/20 game with apparent leg injury

It seems that the Yankees will be bothered by yet another muscle tweak as Alex Rodriguez has left the game with the Orioles in the top of the 6th inning with an apparent muscle injury in his leg. No word yet on the nature of the injury.

UPDATE (4/20, 3:40 PM): A-Rod left the game with a strained right quad. Remember, Derek Jeter missed 6 games with a strained left quad. Not good. Losing A-Rod even for 6 games will cost the Yankees.

Video of the injury below:



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

A-Rod has only one love

Recently Jose Conseco has gone after Alex Rodriguez claiming that not only did he introduce him to a steroid distributer but that A-Rod was interested in his wife.

He should know there is only room in Stray-Rod's heart for one.


Window reflections lie

In all seriousness though, check out this blog post by Deadspin.com's Will Leitch about how nobody cares about steroids anymore Read the full post, after the jump

History in the NEW Yankees Stadium... Predictions pt 1.

In just over a year, our heroes that don the pinstripes will move across the street to their new stadium. The dimensions of the stadium will remain the same, as will the uniforms, the hats, the logos, and almost everything else “Yankees”. The fans will love the new, spacious, accommodating stadium. But what about the memories? Ya know… the “mystique” of Yankees Stadium, the “ghosts”. In other words… The history.
Well I’m here to tell you… within the next 10 years, you will see history. There are gonna be milestones, championships, and many other memorable moments. Here are my predictions for great moments at the new stadium:

Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit
Coming soon to a stadium near you. This gets a bit interesting, and I’ll tell you why. Jeter is 644 hits away from 3,000. His career average of hits per season is 208, which means if he follows that same trend, he’ll fall 20 hits short of 3,000 in the 2010 season. Now I know your saying, dude… Why is that interesting at all? Well, I’ll tell you why. Derek Jeter is a free agent following the 2010 season. Now I know, I know, the Yankees won’t let him finish his career elsewhere… But just some food for thought: Jeter could get his 3,000th hit and finish his career in another uniform. It won’t happen… This is when it will

PREDICTION: Since it would take Jeter averaging some of the best seasons of his career over the next three from a hits standpoint, there is no way he does it before 2010 is finished. But get your tickets ready for May 14, 2011 when Jeter grabs his 3000th his. Everyone celebrates!

Alex Rodriguez’s 3000th hit
This one isn’t gonna come as soon as Jeter’s, but it’s on its way. Look, A-Rod is not gonna average a ton of hits per season. At some point during this contract, his hitting for average will decrease. Probably not before he snags his 3,000th hit, though. Over his 4 years with the Yankees he’s averaged a bit over 178 hits per season. He currently lies just 750 hits from 3,000. I believe he’ll keep the same or a similar pace as he has until at least the point that he nears 3,000. Let’s look into the magic 8 ball.

PREDICTION: June 11, 2012. No further comments necessary. Again, print your tickets. It’s happening.

Chien-Ming Wang’s 100th Win
I can’t say for sure whether or not Wang will be a Yankee a few years down the road. He has 46 wins currently and needs 54 wins to reach 100. He’ll get there, barring injury. But in order to get there during the 2010 campaign, he’ll need to average over 18 wins a season. I know he’s posted 19 in the past 2 seasons, but he isn’t a dominating pitcher, and will have a rough time repeating those numbers.

PREDICTION: He’ll be sitting at 99 when the season closes in 2010. So he’ll grab 100 in his first start of 2011… That’s April for those not paying close attention.

Alex Rodriguez becomes the all-time home run king?
Oh this is what you’ve all been waiting for. You wanna know when, so you can prepare to sit your nerdy ass in left field praying that A Rod hits that damn ball right into your hands so you can meet him, and give him a hug, and give him the baseball. Maybe join him and the stripper? Dammit. That’s what I wanna do. Pretend I never said that.

PREDICTION: Alright. He’s about 240 homers short of the record…. He’s averaged 44 HR per season to this point. Over the last 7 years he’s averaged around 47 homers a year. Way I see it… at worst, over the next 5 seasons he averages over 40 HR’s a season… Which will have him hitting his record breaking HR on July 27, 2013. Happy birthday Alex. He’ll be turning 38 that day. Wanna hear something crazy? That’ll be his tenth season with the Yankees.

See plenty of history! Those 4 milestones will all occur within the first 5 seasons at the new stadium! Histttttory!

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

Alex Rodriguez - True Yankee For Life

Nothing funny, or witty, or informative to say here, just want to link you to this awesome article on what it took for A-Rod to be back in Pinstripes:

A sextet of big-market teams were quietly lining up to bid for Alex Rodriguez in early November. Meetings were scheduled with both Los Angeles teams, the Dodgers and Angels, and according to people close to Rodriguez, the Mets, Red Sox, Giants and Tigers all were showing interest, as well. But A-Rod desperately wanted to remain a Yankee.

"Mentally, I never did see myself going anywhere else,'' Rodriguez said in a recent interview with SI.com.

"New York brings out the best in you. And the worst,'' Rodriguez said the other day. "You have to be able to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself I didn't want to go to a place and hide and have my weaknesses be swept away. New York has made me a better man. And it's made me a better baseball player.

"I love New York. My family loves New York. I love the Yankee family,'' he added. "I finally had gotten to a situation where I was feeling comfortable with everything there is to New York -- from the players to the coaches to the fans. My relationship with the fans has come full circle.''

After A-Rod opted out of his original record $252-million contract, he still wasn't thinking much about the six teams that were chasing him. He mostly worried that his chance to remain a Yankee was gone, and that he was again being portrayed as a money-hungry mercenary. "I'm getting buried in the press. Everybody's saying I'm greedy. The MVP will mean nothing,'' A-Rod would tell friends at that time. To the surprise of some, he didn't have the unyielding gut it would take to carry out the entire opt-out strategy.

"Proving my loyalty to the Yankees was very important to me,'' Rodriguez said to SI.com.

"I really think God put me here for a reason,'' he said to SI.com. "And I've been through a lot. My family loves New York. My daughter loves it. She loves her apartment, loves Central Park. That's the family side, which is very important to me. The other side is professionally. I just don't think there's anything more special than putting the uniform on and playing for the Yankees."

We would like to declare:



No more late 90's Yankee nostalgia people. The A-Rod era has officially begun, with many championships to follow!

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

It Only Took One Day

Alex Rodriguez and the media are back at it again.

After declaring in no uncertain terms that he has never used any type of performance-enhancing drug, A-Rod said he had been tested "nine or 10 times" last season. The comment, meant to point out how stringent Major League Baseball's testing program had become, wound up causing speculation that Rodriguez may have flunked an amphetamine test.

As it turned out, Rodriguez says he was simply exaggerating the number of tests, as the Yankees later released a statement by him to clear up the issue.

"My quote from earlier today was taken literally," Rodriguez said. "I was not tested nine or 10 times last year. I was just using exaggeration to make a point.

LINK


And one time I caught a fish THIIIIIIIIIIIIS big. Really! Read the full post, after the jump

A-Rod makes special appearance on Carson Daly's New Years Eve, Gets something thrown at him

I don't have video of this, but A-Rod made a special appearance on Carson Daly's new Years special at around 11:58 PM. Carson said it was a surprise. As he was being interviewed, someone threw something at A-Rod. It smacked A-Rod in the face (looked to be a ziplock bag), but A-Rod's master reflexes and ninja skills allowed him to catch it and toss it to the side. True story.



There is no truth to the rumor that the ziploc bag thrower was A-Rod hater Taz from the Pinstripes Plus message boards.

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Hopefully ringing in the New Year with A-Rod will somehow lead us to #27! Read the full post, after the jump

Kaybli's Best of 2007 - Photoshop/amusing pics edition

I have ADD. Seriously. Not like you do, who is just too lazy to their homework. I actually have diagnosed Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This makes it nearly impossible to sit through a baseball game pitch by slow pitch without doing something on the side such as posting on a forum, playing online poker, reading, etc. One of the things I've done in the past is make amusing little photo edits while watching Mike Mussina get shelled in the 4th or innning or watching Joba strike out the side. I noticed the folder of these edits had grown quite large so I decided to post a few. The bigger ones have been shrunk and can be clicked on for the full version.








































And now with sound:

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http://kingofny2.ytmnd.com/ Read the full post, after the jump

NYYStadiumInsider.com EXCLUSIVE - STAY-Rod???

I just received VERY good info that Alex Rodriguez is close to purchasing a BRAND NEW 5500 square foot apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (exact location withheld to protect his privacy). The construction of the building is NEARLY complete, so this isn't a long-term investment, this is for right now.

Obviously, this doesn't mean he is staying for sure, but why would someone buy BRAND new digs and then decide to leave the city? He clearly loves New York, his family loves New York and the fans are growing to love him in New York. If he decides not to opt out, people will realize just how much playing for the Yankees means to him and they will never boo him again. I think he realizes this.

In other news, he was seen having a couple of drinks at Back Page sports bar on 3rd Ave and 83rd Street yesterday after the Red Sox game. We all needed to drink after the last 10 games.

If I get any more info on this, I will make sure to post it. Read the full post, after the jump