The Yankees Can't Schedule a Pre-Sale For 2009 Ticket, But They're All Over Inspirational Speakers

Yesterday morning, an email from the New York Yankees about a special pre-sale opportunity arrived in the inbox. This was obvious cause for excitement, as our only chance at opening day tickets is via an account-holder pre-sale since we were bumped from the 41 game plan. My excitement soon turned to horror - this special pre-sale opportunity was for some inspirational speakers named Joel and Victoria Osteen. This is one for the Stadium Insider archives:

"A Night of Hope" with Joel and Victoria Osteen on Saturday, April 25, 2009, commencing at 7:00 PM.

Dear Ticket Licensee,

"A Night of Hope" with Joel and Victoria Osteen Pre-Onsale:
As an existing Ticket Licensee, you will have an opportunity to purchase tickets for the event prior to the public onsale that is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Pre-Onsale purchases can ONLY be made online and MUST be made between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Please be advised that all pre-onsale purchases are subject to availability at the time of purchase.

Prior to purchasing tickets during any scheduled pre-onsale, you will be required to enter a pre-determined password. The pre-determined password for the pre-onsale for "A Night of Hope" with Joel and Victoria Osteen is: [only redacting this in case the Yankees are dumb enough to make this my pre-sale password for all events].

Buy Tickets For "A Historic Night of Hope" with Joel and Victoria Osteen Now »

So let me get this straight, this event is 9 days AFTER the first regular season baseball game (and 22 days after the first exhibition baseball game to be played there), yet the pre-sale is occurring before some Yankee season ticket holders are even relocated? How could this be? Perhaps the Yankees are throwing their jilted season ticket holders a bone and giving them an opportunity to see something at the new stadium. Even if it is to see these weirdos, at least it is a sneak peak at the new digs before the Stadium Tours begin in May! Alright, now we're getting desperate.

We can only hope that A-Rod is invited to this inspirational speaking session - he can use it! HAR HAR HAR (just getting that joke out of the way before the NY media beats it to death once they catch wind of this strange event).

This blog post has been brought to you by the Yankee Stadium Operations team - pissing Yankee fans off daily since 1923.

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A-Rod Officially Out 6-9 Weeks To Repair Torn Labrum

The Yankees announced on a conference call this morning that A-Rod will go under the knife to repair the torn labrum in his hip, but not the bone impingement in his hip. According to his doctor, this is a very viable option to get through the season without losing too much productivity. The surgery can be revisited in the offseason so they can repair the bone damage.

The Yankees are typically conservative, so we'll assume A-Rod will be out 9 weeks and make his season debut sometime in the 2nd week of May. Barring any setbacks, A-Rod will debut at the New Yankee Stadium on May 15 against the Twins when the Yankees begin a 10 game homestand.

While we're talking about A-Rod, in a long-winded blog entry/op-ed column (boy is it scary when you give columnists free reign to operate without word limitations), Lisa Olson writes that A-Rod created unnecessary drama with this hip injury by letting his brother run to the media with the original prognosis.

Lisa is a veteran of the NY Media, so she is just doing what they do best - picking apart every move that Alex Rodriguez makes. When you have been the picture of health like A-Rod has been in his career, it is pretty understandable to confide in your brother when surprising and terrible news about a torn labrum is revealed. Give it a rest, NY Media.

Along these same lines, but with a much more sensible argument, is this post on the Yankee blog Pinstripe Alley. They point out that A-Rod is being put in a bad spot by the Yankees and they have the power to make the decision for A-Rod. With today's news of the "hybrid" surgery, both sides are likely appeased, so it seems they have fought to a duel, if there was indeed an internal battle over the proper course of action.

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Breaking News: A-Rod holds daughters?

Even as one of Alex Rodriguez's most supportive fans, I must admit, he has done an awful lot to put himself in the spotlight, often for the wrong reasons. My attitude through most of it has been, "All that matters to me is what he does on the field." I don't think there is anything wrong with that attitude, especially considering he has never been a bad guy, just a flawed dude who wants so badly to be great, even if he mostly desires personal success.

Among those self-glorifying things he's done to get unneeded attention include publicly insulting Derek Jeter, saying people are jealous of his good looks, and most embarrassingly, having a strange public relationship with the ultra-gross Madonna.

Missing from that list is the "news" about Rodriguez creating a stir a the Dominican practice in Jupiter, Florida by... Holding his daughters? According to Newsday, his new teammates seemed "bewildered" by the scene. I'd venture to guess that the word choice is a bit exaggerated.

To make it all even sillier, the article makes it a point to note that no other players had any family there. Consider that Rodriguez owns a house in Miami where his children live with his ex-wife. Jupiter is just an hour and a half drive from Miami, in contrast to the four and a half hour drive from Miami to Tampa. Might A-Rod be "posing" for those pics for positive PR? I don't know... But what I do know is that he got a visit from his family before baseball practice. Thats all. No need to spin it into an A Rod rip.

And back to the real issue here: His teammates were bewildered?! It's not like he got a visit from his infamous steroid smuggling cousin, Yuri Scurat.

Photos Courtesy of The NY Daily News

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Driving force behind the "Lonely Yankee" revealed - backstabbing Joe Torre

I'm sure you'll read about Joe Torre's backstabbing book, set to hit shelves in early February (I'll be doing my best to somehow pirate it so Torre doesn't see a penny of my money).

It looks as though this is going to be a yearly incident. Spring Training is set to arrive and Joe Torre tries to stir up controversy in the Yankee clubhouse - even though he is long gone, fulfilling his "dream" of managing the Los Angeles Dodgers. All of that aside, this incident has caused me to have somewhat of a revelation. Remember that "lonely Yankee" article in Sports Illustrated a couple of years ago by Tom Verducci? Yes, that same Tom Verducci who co-wrote this soon to be Joe Torre exposé. It was pretty obvious at the time that Verducci had some unprecedented access to the clubhouse to be allowed to write an article ripping apart every aspect of the team's best player. Now, it is clear that Joe Torre was the driving force behind the polarizing article that came out just days before the 2006 playoffs - the fateful series against the Tigers featuring Torre's famous panic move of batting A-Rod 8th in the key game.

Since Torre left for greener pastures in Los Angeles, I have been pretty forgiving. Last March, I questioned the outward bashing of Torre in some articles out of Spring Training. Joe Torre was a leader of men during the late 90's and early 2000's and led the Yankees to an unprecedented run at the top of Major League Baseball. He did his time in New York and we can all commiserate with someone getting tired of the daily grind of doing the same job for over a decade. That being said, his bitter and petty obsession with the franchise since his departure has me thinking that there may never be a "Joe Torre day" at the new Yankee Stadium.

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At this very moment...

Journalistic magic is occurring as George King III writes the predictable article about the Yankees being a better team without A-Rod since they have won 2 straight since his quad injury/ birth of his child. I just can't wait until it hits the world wide web so I can ridicule it!


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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.

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A-Rod leaves Abreu hanging - really, George King - REALLY?!

From the paper that brought you Stray-Rod comes A-Rod leaves Abreu hanging:

Damn - now I have to go all FJM on your asses.

Because every move he makes is under a huge spotlight,

Drafted version of this intro that was left on the cutting room floor:
We here at the NY Post hate Alex Rodriguez and want to point out to our dumb readers - who only educate themselves by reading the tabloids - every bit of A-Rod news that could potentially be construed by someone as even a little bit controversial. Reason for being cut? Run-on sentence.

Alex Rodriguez was asked last night why he doesn't shake hands, exchange fist knuckles or acknowledge Bobby Abreu when Abreu homers in front of him.

George King didn't happen to be the one asking that question, did he? Nahh, he wouldn't have. George King would never stir up A-Rod controversy.

As Abreu approaches the plate Rodriguez is off to the left side going through his preparation to hit, a program that includes a violent practice swing.

You hear that, kids? A-Rod is violent. We all know to steer clear of violence. Violence is bad.

"I have always done that because I don't like celebrating on the field,"

Jerk. All of the cool guys celebrate on the field. Didn't you see Manny raise his hands like he had just won a World Series when he hit that HR off of Moose last night? The fans in Boston love Manny. Celebration = fan love.

Rodriguez said before last night's 7-5 loss to the Red Sox in which he went 1-for-4 and 0-for-1 in the clutch to lower his batting average to .067 (1-for-15) with runners in scoring position.

WOAH - where did that come from? A-Rod is violent, doesn't celebrate with his teammates and now he sucks in the "clutch". How about the fact that he is tied for the lead on the Yankees in OPS+, leads the team in HRs and SLG % has a .980 fielding percentage at third base and he has played in every game this year. I'm sure he has done all of that in meaningless situations. Don't forget the fact that A-Rod is 10-29 with men on base so far this year, with a .345 .406 .586 line. Of course, these sample sizes are silly and the stats can be twisted any way we want this early in the season. Sorry to rain on your A-Rod bashing parade, Mr. King.

"When the hitter in front of me strikes out, I don't go over and pat him on the shoulder."

Of course you don't, A-Rod. You are violent, you don't celebrate with your teammates, and you are and always have been terrible in the clutch. Why would anyone expect you to show compassion for your mentally distraught teammate after he makes a heartbreaking out. I bet you're in the dugout putting on your purple lipstick while Abreu is kicking over the water cooler.

If that blurb in the NY Post today wasn't the most obvious, straight to the point A-Rod bashing veiled as news in the history of the NY tabloids, I don't know what is.

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Jeter is hurt - who fills in at short?

This isn't usually the type of topic that I blog about, I save that for Feinsand and the other beat bloggers out there. However, this article by John Harper in the NY Daily News today, really grinds my gears. Especially this part:

As protective as Jeter is of his status as the Yankee shortstop, you know that would change in a hurry if A-Rod were asked to move back to his old position. Truly it wouldn't make sense unless Jeter were out for the season, so Girardi should do both of them a favor today and make it clear it's not something the Yankees are talking about internally.

Nicely canned article, Mr. Harper. When did you write the bulk of this? 2004? Harper gave a bunch of reasons except for the REAL reason not to play A-Rod at short:

Because he hasn't played or practiced there in 4 years.

It has nothing to do with protecting Jeter's stature. If you want to protect your position, you get up and play every day, just like Jeter always has done. It is so lame and makes Jeter look so bad that the newspapers even suggest that is the reason the Yankees aren't going to play A-Rod at short. Plus, when has Derek Jeter ever openly been protective of his status as the Yankee shortstop? Where did Harper pull that from?

Harper goes on to say that Scranton Wilkes-Barre SS Alberto Gonzalez is the best option if Jeter is out for more than a couple of days.

If Jeter winds up needing a couple of weeks, they should just call up Gonzalez and let him play short. From the glimpses of seeing him in spring training, the kid looks like a wizard with the glove, and that's what the Yankees would need.

Yes, Mr Harper, I agree - if Jeter goes on the DL, Alberto Gonzalez ABSOLUTELY makes the most sense. The tough decision that Joe Girardi has to make is if Jeter is out for 7-10 days, but does not go on the DL. This leaves the Yankees with their current 25 man roster (minus Jeter for those 10 days), unless they send someone else to the minors or DFA someone else to make room for Gonzalez (unlikely).

Now here is why A-Rod SHOULD fill in at short if the scenario described above plays out:

- Of the guys on the roster, he is probably the most adept at playing short.
- As discussed above, the guy who would be the best choice is in the minors and a roster move would have to be made - If Jeter isn't going on the DL, what roster move would they make? They aren't going to send Betemit to the minors or DFA Ensberg.
- If they don't make a roster move and Jeter merely misses a few games, both Betemit and Ensberg (both third baseman until this year) can fill in for A-Rod while he is playing short.
- Shelley or Giambi (health permitting) can play 1B while Betemit/Ensberg are filling in at 3B

So, I have made my case for A-Rod at short, as long as Jeter does NOT go on the DL. Jeter to the DL means the obvious move of Alberto Gonzalez batting 9th and playing SS - you didn't really reinvent the wheel there, John Harper.

What do I believe will happen? I think Jeter won't be DL'ed, but the Yankees will play Betemit at short until he gets back. We have seen how LaTroy Hawkins is being treated for wearing #21. Imagine the fan reaction To A-Rod at short, especially if he makes an error? It won't be pretty. Fan reaction should NEVER be the reason for making a baseball decision, but NY is a whole different beast.

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