Results tagged “americanleague”

In news that isn't coming as a surprise to anyone, Alex Rodriguez, the former and probably future Yankees 3rd baseman, was named the American League Most Valuable Player today. It was the third time Rodriguez was named the MVP, winning previously in 2003 with the Rangers and in 2005 with the Yankees. This past season, A-Rod set career high marks in runs scored (143) and RBI (156). He also led baseball with 54 home runs...

If Barry Melrose ever goes to Newark, he probably won't be getting a warm reception. Melrose, a hockey analyst for ESPN and a former player and manager, said some disparaging words about the city of Newark when talking about the new Devils arena on his webcast last week. Melrose said, "It looks great on the inside but don't go outside, especially if you got a wallet or anything else because the area around the building...

Rudy Giuliani better check his sports allegiances. While campaigning in Boston, a reporter asked the former mayor which team he would be cheering for in the World Series - the Colorado Rockies or the Boston Red Sox. To our surprise (and Bostonist's), he went with the Red Sox, "I'm rooting for the Red Sox. I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets. Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York." Last time we checked, the Yankees and Red Sox were bitter rivals. We're betting that you won't catch a Mets fan rooting for the Braves or Phillies in the World Series or a Giants fan rooting for the Cowboys or Eagles.

The Yankees' season ended last week, but the team is still a hotbed of activity. A group of executives for the Bombers will be meeting in Tampa, FL early next week to come to a decision regarding the fate of Joe Torre, the team's manager. George Steinbrenner, who made a name for himself as an eager firer of managers before taking an involuntary break from baseball, declared that he'd like to fire Torre after last...

For a team used to making miracles, conjuring up a disaster had an especially bitter taste. With a sloppily played 8-1 loss to Florida and the Phillies' 6-1 win against the Nationals, the Mets' season ended about a month too early. The loss capped an agonizing stretch of two and a half weeks in which the Mets played some of the worst teams in the National League and still played their worst baseball of the season.

• Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4 (14 innings): If they knew their four-run rally in the ninth inning would only result in a 14-inning loss, maybe they wouldn't have been so excited when they produced that unexpected effort. Roy Halladay hardly had to exert himself over the first eight innings, but some shoddy defense and timely hitting in the ninth undid all that.They always say it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, but that doesn't help the Yankees' bullpen in advance of Saturday's game. Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain and Luis Vizcaino all threw scoreless innings in relief before Brian Bruney allowed the go-ahead run. Boston took care of Tampa Bay on Friday, increasing its lead to 2 1/2 games in the American League East. The Yankees' margin of error in that department just went from small to smaller.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Extra Innings Not Worth It"

• Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1: Roger Clemens gave up a run in the first and didn't dazzle anyone with his brilliance during six innings, but that first-inning strike was all the Blue Jays would get. They would go on to rue their missed opportunities after Shaun Marcum controlled the Yankees for six innings before Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double to start a four-run eighth.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Gaining Ground"

Jose Reyes did all he could for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game in San Francisco, but his team was still undone by the American League's best. Reyes played eight innings, had three hits and a run scored, but that wasn't enough. Perhaps his best performance came when he pulled back his fist from Carlos Beltran and David Wright during the pregame introductions.

I will continue to do what I think is right and be candid about my past history regarding steroids. I have never blamed anyone nor intended to deflect blame for my conduct. I alone am responsible for my actions and I apologize to the commissioner, the owners and the players for any suggestion that they were responsible for my behavior.

Continue reading "The Juice is Loose: Giambi to Talk About 'Roids"

• Yankees 6, Red Sox 2: Chien-Ming Wang didn't have his best stuff, but he still held himself together long enough for the Yankees to take the opener of this critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez homered for the third straight game, and the Yankees are back within single digits of the Red Sox in the American League East after winning their second straight game. Jason Giambi also hit a long blast. The offense is starting to come around. It wasn't going to stay at the levels of the recent road trip forever.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Yanks Start a Streak"

Anecdotal evidence, collected from bartenders, merchandise dealers and bleacher creatures, suggests that the Mets — with their core of young, flashy players and recent winning ways — are taking substantial bites out of the Yankee fan base, at least in Westchester.

We certainly know how some Yankee fans feel about the baseball season so far, but what about The Boss? George Steinbrenner, the Yankees principal owner released a statement yesterday, supporting manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman. Steinbrenner's statement said:

"The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans. However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly. I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of.

• Who could forget the bloody sock of Curt Schilling during game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series? Certainly not Red Sox fans and maybe not Yankee fans. To refresh - Schilling had ankle surgery after game 1 of the ALCS to stabilize a tendon in his right ankle. He returned in game 6, winning that game. Boston won the series and went on to win its first World Series in 86 years. On Wednesday, during a Red Sox-Orioles game, Gary Thorne, a former broadcaster for the Mets who currently works for the Baltimore Orioles, said Doug Mirabelli told him the bloody sock was actually a ruse. Thorne said, "It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR." Mirabelli denies ever talking to Thorne and Schilling also denies that the blood was fake. From Schilling's blog: "It was blood. You can choose to believe whatever you need to, but facts are facts. The 25 guys that were in that locker room, the coaches, they all know it. In the end nothing else really matters. The people that need to believe otherwise are people with their own insecurities and issues." Schilling is even willing to bet $1 million with anyone (proceeds going to charity) that the blood on the sock hanging in the Hall of Fame is real (the original sock was laundered or is missing). So...how many "blood"-covered socks will there be at Yankee Stadium tonight when the Red Sox are in town?
• First, the NFL Draft moves from The Garden after 10 years and now the Draft may move out of New York City for good. The move from The Garden in 2005 was because of a dispute with Cablevision, owners of The Garden, who sued to stop a new stadium for the Jets on the West Side. After a year in Jacob Javits, the Draft is now in its 2nd year at Radio City Music Hall, ironically a Cablevision owned property. After next year, however, the NFL may change cities entirely. Cities that have approached the league to host the draft include: San Diego, Chicago, Cleveland and Canton. How exciting! Last time we checked, New York City has one thing those other cities can't offer - an insanely high concentration of media outlets. Sure, ESPN would travel anywhere to cover the 2-day event, but last we checked, the national morning shows based in New York have a greater reach than WEWS Cleveland.

So, A-Rod worked up a very creative denial to that rumor by telling the Daily News, "Besides loving the Yankees, I love the American League. It's where I've played my whole career. So whoever writes that couldn't be more wrong."

The Yankees needed another pitcher and they got one they knew well. Andy Pettitte is coming back to the Bronx, a move that should make Yankees’ fans very happy.

- Newsday is passing along information that the new Mets ballpark will be named CitiField. The source of their information? A blog - though their link to the site is incorrect. Someone wrote into Hot Foot with this bit of information:

I was talking to my father who is working on the new mets stadium and he told me that they just put up a sign saying : "CitiField: Coming in 2009"..also if you didnt know, theres going to be a ground breaking ceremony Monday for the new stadium.