Saint Matthew's

I write about the Yankees over at my personal blog. In a nutshell, not feeling all that good about the team from the Bronx.

The Sporting News Today e-newspaper printed their 2009 Major League Baseball predictions today, and as a Yankees fan, I am quite happy:

My sports heart would be so giddy if the Yankees did extend the Cubs’ century of futility.

Sports Illustrated is reporting today that Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees Third baseman, allegedly was caught using steroids back in 2003 – a year in which he won a MVP while with the Texas Rangers.

As a baseball fan, it makes me angry that Major League Baseball and the players’ union allowed this type of cheating for so long. McGuire, Sosa, Bonds, Giambi, et. al., disgraced the sport with their rampant use of illegal substances, but it is the ownership and the union who allowed it to continue as long as the money was flowing in.

But today’s news pushes me over the edge. To have  another top player get caught lying (or not telling the truth and coming clean when asked, take your pick of excuses), sours me on the game.

Who would have thought that the steroid king, Jose Canseco, was right all along?

Talk about a Christmas gift.

Well, at least for Yankees fans.

And no crying about how the Yankees are destroying professional sports. So what – they’ve spent over $420 Million on three players this off-season. They also paid over $26 Million in revenue sharing. They’ve filled up stadiums from coast to coast, making a lot of teams a boat load of money. No crying about how they’ve destroyed baseball. They’ve funded baseball for years.

Well, it seems that the New York baseball clubs have won big out in Vegas.

The Mets reeled in reliever Francisco Rodriguez (and they get a hearty “thank you” from this Yankees fan who just couldn’t stand Rodriguez mowing down the Yanks). What surprised me in this deal is that Mets got off cheap.

And then, early this morning, the NY Post reports that C.C. Sabathia has agreed to a massive contract with the Yankees.

Both contracts are pending final wording and physicals.

A nice Wednesday morning for New York baseball fans.

Update: Ken Rosenthal over at Fox Sports reports that the Sabathia deal is for 7 years and $160 Million.

I need to spill my sports guts for a moment…

Tonight, the Minnesota Twins are in Chicago to face the hometown White Sox for the American League’s Central Division title. Personally, I want the pale Sawx to win.

As a New Yorker, this is a sad night since this year, Major League Baseball’s playoffs will not have a New York team in it. The last time this happened, I just finished college.

With baseball season over in New York, both the Yankees and the Mets get ready for the off-season. Both teams need pitching – the Mets need an entire bullpen while the Yankees need just about an entire starting rotation. The Yankees are in the market for a first baseman, maybe an outfielder, and possibly a catcher and second baseman. The Mets, meanwhile, are looking for anyone to play second base, a stronger bench, and maybe a first baseman. Reporters are halucinating over the possibility of high-cost free agents making New York their new home next year, while fans are just getting over the fact that both teams choked.

Last Thursday, I went to see the Mets play the Cubs at Shea. It was a rainy night at the old ballpark in Flushing. Thankfully, our seats were in the Loge section in left field — we were covered. The Mets came from behind to win the game in the bottom of the 9th on a hit by Carlos Beltran. Mets fans were over-thrilled, as was this Yankees fan who cheered for the hometown team.

The first time I went to Shea was to see a football game. Don’t ask me anything about it — I don’t remember going. Yes, it was a Jets game, one of their last ones played in Queens before moving to New Jersey. Family members told me about it. Beyond that, I attended a few Mets games over the years and a blessed concert event this past July — Billy Joel’s "Last Play at Shea," where Paul McCartney showed up to sing farewell to the orange and blue ballpark. Yes, the facility is not the greatest. The new stadium is going to run rings around Shea.

As the new Yankee Stadium will definitely run rings around the current stadium. For all the crying over the old stadium and the "memories" that the ballpark gave, people will easily forget it when they step into the sparkling new place across 161st Street.

Well, the ballgame between the Twins and White Sox is going on. I guess I will make a cup of coffee and sit down and enjoy it.

I’ll enjoy the baseball game, that is.

I know – the season is over for my beloved Yankees. Thirteen consecutive seasons of making the playoffs are now history. Peter Abraham over at The Journal News has compiled a chart that will make every Yankees fan sick. I got me a little quesy.

But the Mets are still in the hunt, even though their bullpen is trying its hardest to prevent them from making the playoffs. They won last night because of the arm of Johann Santana. From Mike Puma in the NY Post:

Johan Santana gave a demonstration of the Heimlich Maneuver last night that should be posted in every kennel as the proper method to saving a choking dog.

There is no guarantee the Mets still won’t gag this thing away, but for one night the breathing was free and simple. Santana pitched a gem, the offense clicked and the bullpen got three outs. What more can you ask?

As a Yankees fan, do I want the Mets to make the playoffs? Of course.

I don’t hate the Mets.

I hate the Red Sox, who clinched a playoff berth last night.

Last night was the final game played on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. The setting last night was as perfect as anything ever crafted by a Hollywood screenwriter. With retired Yankees and the new cast filling the field, it reminded me how much this franchise has meant to New York and all baseball fans, even though many of them won’t admit it.

The Stadium is closed and will be partially torn down, but the new one across 161st will surely make up for it. The ghosts that inhabit the current stadium will most assuredly cross the street. While the new building will be as perfect a baseball facility in the world — what would you expect from the Yankees? — there is a bit of sadness in the hearts of Yankees fans now that the old site is becoming a park.

For me, I remember my first time in that home of baseball giants. Reggie Jackson hit a home run. Don’t ask me who the Yankees played or what the final score was, but I remember Reggie pounding one over the fence. Over the years, I have attended many games at the old ballpark in the Bronx, including one World Series game in 1996. That just so happened to be Game 6. Our seats were way up in right field – the next to last row. When then-catcher Joe Girardi hit the ball into right center, none of us could see it. We just kept cheering as he ran around the bases with a triple. When Charlie Hayes squeezed the final out into his glove, the place erupted.

Some of the memories I have about the Stadium will forever be set in my mind. The time when “Donnie Baseball,” Don Mattingly, shook my hand and I forgot to ask for an autograph. The day when I ran into Phil Rizzuto and we talked a bit about Cora, his wife. Or even the time when as a kid, my father forgot where he parked the car in the lot across the street from the Stadium.

The new Stadium will be a home of many more memories. Though I don’t know if I can attend as much since the tickets are going to be quite up there price-wise. The new place will be the home of my beloved New York Yankees.

Now they just have to get some starting pitching…

After last night’s stomach churning example of sports hideousness, if any New York Yankees fan out there is holding on to some miracle comeback, then they clearly need a test to see if their brain is working properly.

The Yankees’ season is over. In fact, it has been over for a while.

The only reason to go to the Stadium in September is to say, “Goodbye” to the ol’ ballpark rebuilt in the mid-1970s and is now facing its younger sibling ready to house the team for the coming decades.

This is a bad team. Its pitching is so bad, it makes me sick. And for me to say that it makes me sick, it has to be really, really bad. I mean, we’re in the middle of a pennant race and they have Darryl Rasner and Sidney Ponson as anchors of their pitching staff? Please.

But their offense. All year it has just stunk, minus that short period when they actually hit the ball in early July. They do not get timely hits. How many times have they left runners on base, in scoring position, with their supposed power hitters NOT scoring the runners? Two nights ago, A-Rod couldn’t get hit by a pitch in a clutch situation much less hit the baseball. He grounded into a double play against a rookie Red Sox pitcher. He struck out in the 9th inning to end the game. However, last night, with literally no pressure on the team because even they realize that their season is done, A-Rod gets a timely hit.

The man doesn’t need Madonna or kabballa. A-Rod needs a shrink.

I just hope that Brian Cashman can do something with the pitching staff in the off-season. And please, let Jason Giambi go. I am tired of the mustasche, no-mustasche, thong-wearing semi-power hitter who plays first base like he’s never seen it before.

There. I feel better.

Yes, the Yankees are stinking up the joint. They looked terrible, terrible, terrible last night, thanks to bad pitching, lack of timely hitting (hello, Mr. $27 Million Man), and just a case of the blahs that has plaqued this team from spring training.

Even with all of John Sterling’s screaming, the Yankees are just a not-so-good team. They deserve to sit home in October and watch real teams play in the playoffs.

But yet, I am still a Yankees fan.

That won’t change.

Across town, the Mets, while in first place, aren’t any better than the Yankees. Last night’s Mets failure would make any Mets’ fan vomit. Somehow, the Mets are clinging to first place.

New York baseball — ugh.

I have to be honest — I am wiped.

But I struggle forward to get everything done … though ‘everything’ is not accomplishable at this moment.

I will be headed over to New York to visit my brother at Saint John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers. He is supposed to go for another CAT scan that will gauge whether the inflammation in his body’s organs is going down. I spoke with him ever-so briefly this morning. He is getting a rather heavy pain killer — he didn’t know the name of it — and it is making him “dopey.” I let him go back to sleep.

He did say nothing has changed regarding his condition. He has incredible pain from the middle of his torso down through his hips.

God-willing, the infection is going down.

And to respond to a couple of you who were wondering how I am feeling regarding my baseball team, the New York Yankees: Yes, I believe their season is kaput. It’s over. Stick a fork in them, they’re done. Too many injuries, a lack of any kind of clutch hitting, inconsistent pitching, and terrible defense has destroyed this team. Maybe next spring, the Yankees will have a few players in camp who are willing to play defense, hit the ball, and pitch without getting hurt.

I guess I have to pull for the Mets ….

He’s hurt.

No.

To continue on the sports vein……

My professed sports love of the New York Yankees is well known. I have never been afraid of tackling those who rip into the baseball team that has stolen my fan heart. And I’ve been tough on those Yankee fans who forget to show humility to others, especially to our crosstown rivals, the Mets.

Well, the Yankees made a huge trade last night with the Pittsburgh Pirates where they picked up outfielder Xavier Nady and lefthanded pitcher Damaso Marte for a group of minor leaguers. As a diehard, I was kind of stunned that the Yankees were able to pull off such a trade, essentially trading a group of minor leaguers, most if which have an upside, for two pieces that will solidify two of weakness of the big team, left handed relief and outfield. Yes, I was happy. Actually, I was thrilled.

Today the trade was modified by the Pirates with the Yankees switching two of the parts of the deal. Nothing major, in my book. Diehards will be happy that no blue chip prospects went in this trade. In the end, our minor league system is still chock full of talent.

But there are some Yankees fan who are getting hot under the collar over the trade — specifically the bandwagon jumpers. Ugh! These people are annoying. They jump on as fans during October 1996 and have stayed on board through the next decade because the Yankees are winning. All of a sudden the Yankees trade a group of minor leaguers and the jumpers start jumping up and down, complaining that the Yankees gave up too much.

Please!!

I’ve been through the dark days in Yankeedom when the team couldn’t do anything right. I suffered as current band wagon jumpers were on the Mets band wagon and they owned the town. Now that they have become “Yankees fans” and are backing the Bombers, they act as though the team is going down because they traded a couple of minor leaguers for two proven major league talents who will help this team now and into the future.

Aaaarrrrgggghhh!!!

I feel better.

Now back to religion.

No, the heat didn’t render me insane.

Last night I sat down and watched the Mets take on the Phillies. I am probably the only Yankees fan in creation who actually likes Pedro Martinez (and the only Yankee fan ever born who wishes that he was pitching for the Yankees).

For most of the game, I sat there last night trying to figure out why the Mets were such an up and down, scrapping by at .500 team. They just exploded for nine runs and were cleaning the Phillies clock. Pedro even looked pretty good, giving up only 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings. However, watching the Mets bullpen implode reminded me why the Mets were hovering at .500 for more than a year.

At least the Mets won, 10-9, and are stunningly only 2.5 games out of first place.

The Yankees, meanwhile, had the night off. A-Rod and his divorce, Madonna and her mystic religion casting spells on A-Rod (why can’t she brainwash him to get clutch hits?), and the circus that is following this rich sap kept the Mets off the front page of the tabloids today.

The first place Tampa Bay Rays are in town tonight to face the Yanks. The Mets come home to face the Barry Bonds-less San Francisco Giants. And did you catch this article in today’s NY Post about the Mets and Barry Bonds?