Approximately 25 percent ($53.125 million) of the New Yankees 2012 payroll ($196 million) is dedicated to the services of two players: Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. For those of you scoring at home, that’s more than the entire Oakland Athletics team. Both sluggers are under contract with the Bombers until 2016 (A-Rod until 2017). Many people see this as a blessing in monetary fortitude that the Yankees possess. However, most recently, others see the long-term acquisitions as a severe form of silly drunken spending. There’s no secret that if ...
The 2012 New York Yankees are an enigma. Some games this team looks like it could outslug the Texas Rangers. Yet other times it looks like a group of men swinging flyswatters at inbound meteors. Understand New York has won five of seven games and is in the top 10 in nearly every offensive category in baseball. Also understand the Yankees pitching staff has been marred by injury and inconsistency, which has put pressure on the team’s offense. However, when have Yankees fans ever accepted excuses for mediocrity? In the ...
The government does not have a strong enough case to prevent a reasonable individual from realizing that, in its case against Roger Clemens, there is reasonable doubt. The latest government witness, Anthony Corso, testified today, May 29 at the circus referred to as Clemens' trial. Corso contradicted himself at worst and created confusion at best. According to CBSSports.com wire reports, in 2002, Corso said Clemens' trainer, Brian McNamee, told him that Clemens was one of the athletes getting positive results from HGH. Corso testified that around 2005, he had asked ...
With the 2012 MLB first-year player draft just around the corner, it's time to start taking a look at some names we should start to familiarize ourselves with.One such player is Austin Maddox, who Matt Garrioch of MinorLeagueBall.com predicts will get drafted by the Yankees with the No. 30 pick in the first round.Maddox, a junior at the University of Florida, is a right-handed pitcher and catcher that stands at 6'3" and weight 235 pounds.As a catcher out of Eagle's View Academy High School in Jacksonville, Florida, he was selected ...
Phil Hughes got off to a bumpy start this season, but he went into his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night on something of a hot streak. He had gone 3-1 in his last four starts with a highly respectable 2.81 ERA.Unfortunately for the New York Yankees, Hughes got back to his old habits on Monday evening. He got knocked around early, and he got knocked around often through five and one-third inning.The depressing part is that the stars were aligned for Hughes to enjoy a nice, ...
Before Mariano Rivera and Rich Gossage, the New York Yankees had Sparky Lyle. No one did more than Lyle to help the Yankees win the 1977 world championship, which was their first one since 1962. On March 22, 1972, the Boston Red Sox traded Lyle to the Yankees in exchange for first baseman-outfielder Danny Cater. It was a trade, not a free agent signing, that Brian Cashman would give his eyeteeth to have made. The Yankees were an average team Lyle’s first few seasons as their top relief pitcher. He ...
There's no doubt about it—New York Yankees Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are great players pursuing baseball history. Both will end up in the Baseball Hall of Fame.But they are both also running from Father Time, hoping to be playing long enough to do what no other players have done before. Will their bodies and playing days last until they are both No. 1s?Following games on Memorial Day, Jeter needs 1,101 hits to pass Pete Rose as the all-time hits leader in MLB history, while Rodriguez needs 127 home runs to pass Barry ...
Youth is always an issue with the New York Yankees. With the 2012 MLB draft rapidly approaching, NY will have an opportunity to bolster their farm system and potentially inject some much-needed youth into their major league roster. Here are five prospects that the Yankees should be excited to walk away with on draft day. 5. Victor Roache (OF) You can never have too many outfielders. Roache is a power hitter and the Yankees haven’t shied away from accumulating a couple of those over the years at the position. Two ...
There were other choices.Many New York Yankee fans clamored for heroes of the past. Johnny Damon was waiting for the call, and Hideki Matsui, the World Series RBI machine, remained a free agent. Vladimir Guerrero openly lobbied for the available designated hitter role.Quietly, in the background, Raul Ibanez remained ready and ultimately became Yankee GM Brian Cashman's choice.It seemed like the perfect marriage. The left-handed slugger would be the DH complement to right-handed hitter Andruw Jones. Both were adequate in the outfield should the situation call them to action, and both ...
The 2012 season has not exactly been stellar for the New York Yankees, as we all are quite aware. With a few exceptions, the team has not played up to expectations.The Yankees certainly are not having a terrible season, but they have not lived up to the hype that was generated during the offseason and in spring training.Pitching has not been as strong as it should be, and again, with a few exceptions, hitting has not lived up to expectations.Many players were signed to play for the Yankees with highly ...