The infield shift is one of the most effective yet frustrating strategies used in sports. Originally used by Cleveland Indians Manager Lou Boudreau to halt Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams, the infield shift has given baseball fans fits.It has done so because the infield shift is a self-licking ice cream cone, surviving only because of men's pride. But perhaps New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira can unleash a trend to crush the Boudreau shift. During a fun, lighthearted interview with MLB.com writer Bryan Hoch last spring, Teixeira said he might try bunting a try to ...
Never mind what George would do.George Steinbrenner is gone from this earth, and you can tell he's gone just by looking at his old team. The New York Yankees have changed, becoming more conservative and more business-minded than they ever were under The Boss.This is not a bad thing. It's just a different thing.Fans who lament the disappearance of the "Steinbrenner Yankees" aren't really lamenting the disappearance of a dominant baseball power. The Yankees ceased being a dominant baseball power many years before The Boss' death in 2010, as they've ...
From the very beginning of the 2012 season right through to the bitter end of it, the New York Yankees suffered numerous key injuries.In spite of those setbacks, the team still managed to win the most games in the American League and fell just four wins short of a trip to the October Classic.Going into the 2013 campaign, the majority of the team expects to be back to full strength by the time they take the field against the Boston Red Sox on April 1st.This article takes a look at ...
On Thursday, Andrew Marchand of ESPN reported the New York Yankees acquired veteran slugger Travis Hafner.From Marchand: "Sources said Hafner, who also can play first base, will receive a one-year, incentive-laden deal."This pending move may be a head-scratching affair for Yankees fans wanting this team to sign younger, less injury-prone players. But fans who have witnessed the type of damage Hafner can do when healthy may see benefits from this player’s presence in the Yankees lineup. While fans are correct in pointing out Hafner’s ailments and his lack of production since 2007, this 10-year ...
The New York Yankees are the winningest franchise in all of sports. They have won 27 World Series titles that date back as far as the early 1920s.In order for them to have such success over that long of a time, many great players must pass through along the way.Back in 2011, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com, and a panel of fellow New York media members, created a list of the 50 greatest Yankees of all-time.What defines a player as the greatest is tricky. Baseball is a game of statistics and often ...
*******UPDATE (4:44p.m.)***********Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has reported that Travis Hafner's salary with the Yankees is worth $2 million guaranteed.
Travis Hafner's salary with the #Yankees is in the neighborhood of $2 million guaranteed.— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) January 31, 2013
It's more than the $1.1 million that was originally reported, but it's still a very affordable contract for the Yankees.***********************************************UPDATE (3:55 p.m.)***********Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirmed that Travis Hafner's deal with the Yankees is all but done. It will be a one-year deal with a low-base salary, but will ...
Assuming that the New York Yankees will automatically get the best players because they'll spend the most money or trade prospects with no regard for the future is so 2009.Before that season, the Yanks flexed their considerable financial muscles and acted as most everyone who follows baseball expected them to. After not making the playoffs in 2008, the Yankees rolled out the cash and signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira as free agents. Since then, however, the money is being handled much more carefully in the Bronx. That's been ...
Every spring training, MLB teams give their youngest players a look in the hopes that they find a guy who can help their team for the upcoming season. While the hope for several players is high, sometimes that hope can be unwarranted, with the prospect having proved nothing at the major-league level. For the Yankees, they will have a few players set to be overhyped as spring training begins. Granted, it doesn't mean these players won't succeed, but there are some unreal expectations placed on their shoulders. Let's take a closer ...
Baseball's steroid problem is back. The Miami New Times reported that several baseball players, including Alex Rodriguez, were linked to performance-enhancing drugs between 2009 and 2012. Rodriguez had previously admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03 with the Texas Rangers. While he stated that he sorry about the usage, he also proclaimed that he never used drugs as a member of the New York Yankees. If this new evidence—which looks to be concrete—turns out to be true, Rodriguez's reputation and credibility will hit rock bottom. Alex Rodriguez is not ...
Back in 2009, I was among the minority of New York Yankees fans who still liked Alex Rodriguez after he admitted to having used PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) between 2001-2003. See I believed A-Rod when he said he made a “stupid mistake." He is after all a human being. Well that was then and this is now, as after reading the Miami New Times article yesterday I started hearing the Great White cover of the Ian Hunter classic “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” playing in my head. The MNT article expanded on ...