Enough is Enough

If I hear someone say, "Oh, well the Yankees have had a lot of injuries this year...", this girl is going to flip out (as I write more frequently, you'll come to the understanding that I have quite the temper regarding sports...especially when it comes to the Yankees).

EVERY team goes through injuries. It's a part of the game. I consider a team incredibly lucky if they don't lose at least one valuable player to their team at one point in the season or another. The Yanks are beyond the point where they can use the injury excuse. Actually, if you want my personal opinion, they (they meaning anyone who has used it...people in the front office, announcers, etc.) should have stopped using that as an excuse a long, long time ago.

There's no way anyone can convince me that this team is playing this poorly simply due to all of the injuries. This team is underachiving something fierce. They have shown a glimmer of hope only a few times this season, only to have said hope diminished the very next day.

It's gotten to the point where they're not even fun to watch. If it's not someone taking a called third strike, it's someone grounding into a double play ruining any hope of a rally. It's always something.

They deserve to be in 4th place, and if the Orioles weren't so God-awful themselves, the Yanks would probably be in dead last.

I've finally come to terms with the fact this will be a Yankee-less October. Want to know the last time they missed the playoffs? Yeah, I was eight years old. Very strange.

The only thing I'm going to ask from this team is that win the last homestand--or at the VERY least, the last game of that homestand (does that make it two things?).

Whatever.

PS--I found it fitting that Matsui struck out looking to end the game. Sums up the night very nicely.

Jinxed

The reason for not writing in a considerable about of time started off due to forgetfulness. Then I remembered that I should probably write something, but I didn't because I was afraid I would jinx the Yanks (lame I know, but I don't care...they were on a hot streak and I was convinced that if I wrote in here, I would jinx them...train of thought comes from playing softball since I was 4 years old, don't judge me). Then, it turned into forgetfulness again followed by me going on vacation, picking up overtime at work, and then eventually spraining my ankle.

Yada yada yada...here I am.

Some thoughts since I last wrote:

• I went to my last Yankee game at the Stadium on July 19th. Good guys won over the A's 4-3 in extra innings. It was AWESOME. First time I got to see Joba pitch in person as well, so that was exciting. Got to see Jorge (it was his last game before his trip to the DL...), didn't see him back in May because he was on the DL, Arod too. All in all, it was very fun. A good note to end on. Not to mention, I haven't seen the Yankees lose in person in over 3 years. I'm still trying to convince them that they need to pay me to be at every game. If you have connections pass that message along. I have witnesses to back me up. True story.


• I really like the Nady and Marte deal. With Matsui and Posada out, we definitely needed another bat. Nady was a good pick up--he hits for average and can drive in some runs. We needed a lefty in the bullpen and Marte was an awesome choice.
  
• I would like to say that I am an optimist. Not only that, but I understand that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. With that being said, it's hard for me to remain optimistic while I see them losing to the Sox 11-3 today. I'm not going to be pessimistic by any means, because while the season is coming to a rapid end, I still feel like calling the Yanks done is somewhat premature. However, to say that they're going to make the playoffs seems almost ignorant. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, but they are causing my anger level to sky rocket.
  

Reading through my previous posts, I realized I still need to write about Bobby Murcer and share my Least Liked List (which is actually called my "Shit List", but I'm trying to be somewhat classy...there goes that though.).

Consistency is Not My Friend

Like the Yankees' offense, my blog is seriously lacking in the consistency department.

I had a couple fun things planned for the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game but unfortunately, work will not permit me to do so. I was supposed to have off both days, but no, of course not. That would be far too easy. Instead I got called in for both days. Oh well.

As you'll come to learn, I like to ramble. A LOT. With that in mind, I will give you a few thoughts about the Yankees that I've had recently:

• If memory serves (let me be honest, it doesn't always...), at the All-Star break last year, I believer the Yanks were one game under .500 (42-43, no?), and not to mention 10 games back behind the Sox. This year, they're 50-45 and 6 games back behind the Sox. With that said, they still have some work to do, but it could always be worse.
• I know it's half way through the season, but I still haven't decided if the Rays are legit. A part of me thinks they're not. I have a hunch that they're about one year away from being a true contender. It'll be interesting to see how they handle a pennant race, and of course well all know how I hope that turns out for them. Speaking of the Rays, I got to meet Evan Longoria and his parents at a Cape Cod Baseball League game a couple years back. His parents were sitting in front of me and I struck up a conversation with them. He came over after the game and I got to meet him. His parents were super sweet and he was a great guy. Random tidbit for you.
• I blame Carl Pavano for all of the Yankees injuries this year. I don't have evidence to back up my statement, but I really don't care. It's his fault and nothing you say will convince me otherwise (unless you tell me that Mr. Wall-Puncher himself, Kevin Brown, also had a hand in it. No pun intended).
• Just to make this clear, I reserve the right to add and subtract players (from all teams) on my Least Liked list as I see fit. Typically it's more adding than subtracting and since I brought it up, Coco Crisp is a recent addition (expect a more indepth look at this list in the near future).

I have more thoughts but my brain is in sleep mode and that's about as much as you're going to get out of me for one night.

Like I said, I will have an indepth look at my Least Liked list (I'm an equal opportunity disliker--I will include players from the Yankees, although it takes a LOT for me to add a Yankee to that list). I'm also planning on talking quite a bit about Bobby Murcer--a Yankee for life.

Stepping Up to the Plate

The Yankees have been a part of my life as far back as I can remember.

My first game was when I was two years old. I remember bits and pieces. Real important stuff too--there was a rain delay , so to keep all the little ones entertained they showed Looney Toons on the screen in centerfield. My cousin and I were bouncing up and down in our seats chanting "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!". Yeah, we were super cool.

I frequented other games after that, but the first game I actually remember happened a few years later when I was 7 and the Oakland A's came to town. I went with my parents and my grandma (who is the main reason I became a Yankee fan). Don Mattingly had been my favorite player, I was absolutely fascinated by his style of play. His defense caught my attention right away, in fact, he was the reason I played first base in softball.

To make a long story short, I am a diehard Yankee fan. I needed a place to discuss games, players, trade rumors, etc. because I'm pretty sure my friends are sick to death of listening to me. Not to mention, I have to start this for a class, so I guess I'm killing two birds with one stone.