Posts Tagged ‘Derek Jeter’

I Loved The Ending To This One

Friday, April 27th, 2012

Yes, the laughing lady is back and she couldn’t have come at a better time. I’d been spending forever on the phone with an Apple “specialist” trying to figure out why my new iPhone wasn’t doing anything it was supposed to do, and by the time the game started I was a raving lunatic. Imagine my delight when Verlander turned out to be very un-Verlanderish.

Even though Nova wasn’t having a good night either, once it seemed the Yanks were hitting the ball I had a hunch they’d come back and win the game. That said, I do have a complaint: Raul Ibanez’s defense. It was scary how bad he looked on that triple. I sure hope Gardner gets healthy in a hurry.

Back to the happy stuff, I was just getting our rally burgers on the dinner table when the Swisher-Cano-Tex combo produced the tying run. I was so excited that I accidentally squirted ketchup all over myself, but who cared. Then Mo was his normal perfect self and Jeter hustled his way around the bases and that was that.

I did miss AJ’s pie ritual. No, A-Rod didn’t hit a walk-off, but he played traffic cop signaling Jeter home. Surely that should have ended in somebody getting a towel full.

Photo: Anthony Gattine

At some point in the season, one of the players will have to take over pie duty. I vote for Swisher unless, of course, he happens to be the recipient.

Nice win, because the Tigers have been faltering. It was important to take advantage.

 

 

 

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Scary No More

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Instead, the laughing lady is back because it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of in Arlington. Not with CC, Jeter and A-Rod on the case. (And Mo, although his outs weren’t very Mo-like; they were actual fly balls instead of his usual broken bat grounders.) Oh, and I need to give a shout-out to Chris Stewart, who’s really growing on me.

CC was more ace-like than he’s been in a while, and I felt relaxed with him out there – even after Hamilton’s homer. Good job by Girardi letting him pitch the eighth.

A-Rod’s homer was a nice display of power. He does seem to like hitting in Texas.

But Jeter was the story for me tonight. Yes, he made that error, but his offense is off-the-charts amazing right now. It’s like we’re watching a time machine or something.

What’s he’s doing to turn back the clock? He told ESPN after the game that he was just reverting to his normal way of hitting after having tinkered with his stance/swing early last year. Girardi thinks it’s the lack of pressure over the 3,000th hit milestone. But I’m convinced it’s because he’s got a secret new girlfriend.

Just kidding. I have no idea why he’s doing a terrific impersonation of himself from the last century, but I sure hope he keeps it up.

Looking ahead to the Japanese one-on-one tomorrow night, it’ll be the veteran…

Versus the kid.

I can’t predict this one at all. Kuroda has really been knocked around, but Darvish might be jittery with all that media in attendance. More importantly, the Yankees are notoriously inept at hitting pitchers they’ve never faced so Yu could dominate. We’ll find out soon enough.

 

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The Yankees Couldn’t Beat This Guy?

Monday, April 16th, 2012

How annoying. There really should be a law.

Still, the Twins were due, and with a healthy Morneau and Mauer in action they’re bound to win ballgames.

What’s disconcerting is the fact that Sweaty Freddy, like Hughes and even Nova, isn’t giving us innings. He was beaten up early, settled down, then lost it again – for good – and was gone before the end of the sixth. Justin Verlander threw a complete game for the Tigers tonight, so it’s not as if it’s impossible at this stage of the season to go the distance. It would be refreshing to see one of our guys do it. (I won’t even go into the failure of the bullpen in this one.)

I thought the offense was off to another 10-run-er when Jeter and Granderson went back to back in the first inning, but so much for that notion. At least we got to see a great catch by Granderson in what was an otherwise lackluster effort by the Yanks.

Boring.

 

 

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A Laugher!

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

Okay, it wasn’t really a laugher. I was just dying to use the laughing lady again. But whenever the Yankees score 10 runs or more, I do get excited.

Anyhow, Nova was great at limiting damage. Yes, he gave up some runs, but he always seemed in command.

Loved the expression on Torii Hunter’s face when Ibanez’s homer sailed over his head. He was standing there going, “Whaaaaat was that?”

Loved the offense from the middle of the order – particularly their ability to move runners over. Yay, RISP.

Loved the continued hot bat of Jeter.

Loved the fact that Cano and Tex each stole a base.

Loved the way Robertson put out the fire Soriano started. But I have no idea why Girardi brought him back out for the eighth with a nice lead. Shouldn’t he have been saved for the rest of the week?

I even loved (okay, liked) the ESPN guys. They had such complimentary things to say about the Yankees for a change.

The icing on tonight’s cake was the item on Boston.com about Bobby Valentine and Kevin Youkilis. Apparently, Bobby was on the radio, speaking out of school, so to speak. Uh-oh.

Valentine: Youkilis not as much into the game

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff April 15, 2012 10:24 PM

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

This is sure to cause some issues.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was on WHDH’s Sports Xtra show Sunday night and said this about Kevin Youkilis:

“I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason. But [on Saturday] it seemed, you know, he’s seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he’ll move on from there.”

Youkilis is hitting .200/.265/.233 in the eight games he has played. But the remark seems curiously timed given that he is 6 of 18 with three walks in his last five games.

Youkilis was hampered by injuries in 2010 and 2011. But when he was healthy in 2010, he posted a career-best .975 OPS.

Youkilis, who turned 33 in March, is engaged to marry Julie Brady, the sister of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

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That Was More Like It

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Jeter was very Jeterian with his four hits, setting the tone for a tidy win over the O’s.

Big hand for Nova, who may have been the worst pitcher at spring training but has been the ace of the staff so far. If he keeps throwing like he did tonight, he’ll slide into the #2 spot and give Kuroda a shove down the ladder.

Andruw Jones belted one out. He’ll never inspire confidence in the outfield at this stage of his career, but he’s still got the power swing.

What was up with using Mo in the non-save situation? Did he really need the work? Or was he brought in to nail down the win? Either way, he got the job done but didn’t look comfortable doing it. If Gardner hadn’t caught that shot to end the game….Well, I won’t go there. I’m just saying that Mo isn’t Mo-ish yet.

I don’t get the YES postgame show, but there seems to have been a tiff between Martin and Andino over tipping pitches in the ninth inning. I don’t know how you “tip” Mo’s pitches – they’re all cutters – but there was definitely some yammering going on between the two. Will it carry over into tomorrow night’s game?

Photo: AP/Winslow Townson

Oh, wait. Wrong team.

 

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Seriously?

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Via LoHud:

Derek Jeter was pulled from today’s lineup because of a tender left calf. Joe Girardi said hes decided Jeter wont play again until Tuesday, but he labeled this as more precautionary than anything. He hasn’t forgotten what happened to Jeter’s other calf last year.

Also, Russell Martin was scratched because of soreness in his left groin. Its unclear whether it happened on yesterdays play at first base.

Nick Swisher has told Girardi that his tight groin feels better, but Girardi decided not to play him today either.

Add Pena, Nunez and Garcia to the injured list, plus assorted minor leaguers in camp, and you’ve got a hospital full of patients.

Is this just a case of the usual spring training aches and pains? I can’t blame it on “aging players” because the younger guys are having pulls and strains and freakish stuff as often as the older ones.

It’s just a little unsettling, and I find myself bracing for the next casualty.

 

 

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A Posada-Less Jeter At Spring Training

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Photo: AP

It must be weird for Jeet to be in Tampa without his best bud. He and JoPo not only came up in the farm system together. They ate every meal together, went for coffee together, hung out. When I was on the road for the “She-Fan” book in ’07, I used to see them all the time. They were nearly inseparable.

So it was only natural that the writers would ask The Captain at today’s press conference how it felt to be Posada-less. Via Lohud:

“It’s awkward. I think that’s the better way to put it, just because you’re so used to seeing someone. With Andy, he was the dumb one of the group that left and went to Houston for a few years. We sorta got used to him not being here. Jorge, probably it hasn’t hit me yet. In spring training, pitchers and catchers are on a different schedule anyway, so you really don’t see people too often. That’ll be a tough one, because as everyone knows, we were together all the time. But yeah, it is kinda weird when you’re used to playing with someone. I’ve played with these guys since I’ve been 18 years old. When they’re not there, it’s kinda awkward. But you’ve got to move on. You have no choice.”

I loved his quip about Pettitte. The “dumb one.” LOL. What’s he going to say next season when Mo’s gone too?

I know, I know. I’m getting way ahead of myself.

Meanwhile, with the position players in camp today (most of them), it feels like baseball for real. Yay.

 

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While I Was Absent From This Blog…

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

…There wasn’t much going on in Yankeeville. Not for the entire holiday season. I’m still waiting for my front-of-the-rotation starter to show up, but in the meantime here’s a recap the “big” end-of-the-year stories:

1) Sweaty Freddy was re-signed.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

2) Smiling Andruw was re-signed.

3) My-Left-Arm Okajima was brought on board.

Courtesy: yankeesdaily.com

4) A-Rod went to a doctor in Germany on the advice of his guitar hero friend.

5) A-Rod and his freshly injected blood platelets jetted to Cabo with his new girlfriend.

5a) A former wrestler, Cameron Diaz’s replacement is rather….muscular.

6) Jeter and Minka said, “Oui oui,” and went to Paris for New Year’s.

Photo: splashnews/nypost

6a) Pssst, Derek. You took her to one of the most romantic places on earth. I hope you gave her one of these.

Photo: Tiffany

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Who Saw Jeter With Barbara? (With a P.S.)

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

dailynews.com

I waited forever for Barbara Walters’ “10 Most Fascinating People” Special tonight. I suffered through Simon Cowell, who has to be the most insufferable man on earth. I stuck it out through the Kardashians, who have to be the most bizarre human beings in the solar system. I even stuck it out through the promos for Donald Trump, who….Well, never mind.

Finally, there was the segment with Jeter and I nearly passed out with excitement. I’d been so starved for Yankees anything that I screamed when they showed the clips of every Jeter play we’ve all seen a zillion times.

I wish he’d let his hair grow a little. I wish he’d say something other than, “I just want to win games.” I wish he wasn’t always so coy. But what I really wish is that ABC had shown us out here on the West Coast the entire interview. All we got was an abbreviated version for some reason, and it really pissed me off.

The whole thing made me miss baseball all the more, but getting a glimpse of The Captain was better than nothing.

P.S. Here’s the picture ladyjane sent me of her and The Captain. Enjoy!

 

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Oh, Who Knows If This Is True

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

There’s nothing else going on in Yankeeville, so I guess the NY Post has to report something….

Jeter’s booty hauls
Autograph swag for one-night stands
By EMILY SMITH and TARA PALMERI

Not so classy, captain!
Yankee star Derek Jeter, one of New York’s most eligible hunks since his split with longtime gal pal Minka Kelly, is bedding a bevy of beauties in his Trump World Tower bachelor pad — and then coldly sending them home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia.

The Yank captain’s wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kiss-offs came to light when he mistakenly pulled the stunt twice on the same woman — forgetting she had been an earlier conquest, a pal told The Post.

“Derek has girls stay with him at his apartment in New York, and then he gets them a car to take them home the next day. Waiting in his car is a gift basket containing signed Jeter memorabilia, usually a signed baseball,” the friend dished.

“This summer, he ended up hooking up with a girl who he had hooked up with once before, but Jeter seemed to have forgotten about the first time and gave her the same identical parting gift, a gift basket with a signed Derek Jeter baseball,” the pal said. “He basically gave her the same gift twice because he’d forgotten hooking up with her the first time!”

Jeter, who fiercely guards his privacy to protect his All-American image and multimillion-dollar marketability, split with the gorgeous actress Kelly this summer and has been playing the field ever since.

The veteran shortstop usually shies away from the limelight, preferring stay-at-home parties with a tight circle of trusted friends.

“He normally doesn’t go out with girls. He will have them come to his house. He’ll have cocktail parties. His friends invite girls they think he’ll be interested in. He’s very shy,” another friend explained.

“He’ll occasionally take girls to a restaurant. He has a couple of restaurants that he goes to that aren’t trendy,” the friend said.

“He goes to Nino’s in New York. He used to go to Mustang Grill on the Upper East Side. I know he’s been dating multiple girls. He likes a hole in the wall, or he likes a place that his friends own. He’s very cautious. He’ll only go out on off-nights,” the friend said.

Afterward, Jeter sneaks the beauties home for some heavy hitting.

“The girls go through the back-door entrance in the Trump World Tower to avoid the paparazzi,” the pal said. “He broke up with Minka in the summer and is definitely over her. He is playing the field.”

And while the parting gift may seem cold, signed Jeter memorabilia sell like hotcakes on the Internet, with an autographed baseball fetching hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Neither the Yankees nor Jeter’s reps immediately returned messages for comment.

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