Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Mt. Crushmore!

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Ok, Greg Bird is out of the picture for now, but how about the murderer’s row on display in today’s finale against the Rays? Stanton, Judge and Sanchez all hit bombs and Didi put on a HR show yesterday. Good job, guys.

Severino was impressive even if the Rays are notorious underachievers at the plate.

The important points were that Stanton rebounded from the booing he earned yesterday, Sanchez woke up from his slumbering start to the season and Judge continued to flex his muscles. If I were an opposing pitcher, I would have nightmares thinking about facing this lineup even if they do go into slumps now and then.

Speaking of offense, the O’s come to the Bronx for our first matchup with them this year. They can hit, but can they pitch? We shall see.

Oh – I forgot to mention – I’ve been spending the winter in St. Petersburg, FL (actually I did mention it in a previous post about going to the first spring training game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa), and now I’ll be living here full time starting in June. So whenever the Yanks come into town to play the Rays, I hope to be at the Trop. I also hope to catch a glimpse of the players while they’re coming and going at their hotel. Recently, I snapped this pic at the Vinoy while the Red Sox were in town.

Do you honestly think I’m NOT going to take a photo of our heroes? Not a chance.

Snowed Out!

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What a bummer! Don’t the baseball gods understand that it’s spring? I feel so sorry for my friends who were planning to be at Opening Day today, but it’s not to be. Sob.

Meanwhile, I wasn’t happy with the way the Toronto series ended. The boys never seem to give Sonny Gray any run support, and yesterday’s game was no exception (well, they got 4 runs but not many hits). And then there was Boone leaving Robertson in to face Smoak. Seriously? Who didn’t know there would be a grand slam in that scenario?

Prior to that, we had another meltdown by Betances. He’s got so much talent. I really hope he can work out his mechanics or get his head straight or whatever it is.

The injuries, too, are a problem. They always are, I know. But I just want Hicks and company back as soon as possible.

Hoping for better weather in the Bronx tomorrow, but rain is in the forecast????

Stuck in a Ditch

Are the Yankees ever going to push the Red Sox out of the division lead? We win, we lose, we win, we lose. We won the series against the Rays with today’s “W,” but no matter what we do, we’re still 3 1/2 games back in the standings. It’s frustrating!

The good news is we’ve pulled ahead of the Twins for the Wild Card, so that’s something. But I’d still love to take the AL East. I’d also like to see Judge, Sanchez, Holliday (so glad he’s back), Castro, Didi and the rest of the gang get hits, hits and more hits. No more of these one or two-runs a game. Poor Sonny Gray gets no run support. I want runs, I tell you. Janer after Janer.

And I want pitching – from the starters as well as the relievers. Robertson had a great game the other night and Chapman seems nearly back to his old self. Girardi has had a quick hook with CC and Garcia, and I don’t blame him; these are all must-win games from here on.

Now it’s time again for the Orioles. They’re free-swingers but they can bash. And they’ve been on a slide. (How about the Indians, btw? Who wins all those games in a row? What a season they’re having.)

Not much else to say except it’s crunch time. I can’t believe we’re in mid-September already, but the leaves on the trees here in CT don’t lie. So let’s go, Yankees. For real.

Welcome Jaime Garcia, I Guess.

He’s a lefty. He’s a veteran. The Yankees needed a starter. You can never have enough pitchers. He’ll do in a pinch. My hope is that he’ll fill in capably until the Yanks pull off a trade for Sonny Gray with Oakland. I’d hate to lose one of our favorite Baby Bombers, but if Gray does land in the Bronx, maybe we’ll only lose a prospect we haven’t grown to love yet.

Meanwhile, how about that series against Tampa?! Audrey said she wished the Yanks would win 3 of 4, and she got her wish. Yesterday’s game could have/should have been a win too, resulting in a 4-game sweep. With a last ditch chance in the bottom of the ninth, the boys couldn’t pull it off, but it was still a great series putting us right back into first place over the Red Sox. Yay.

What was great about the series was how resilient this team continues to be. Although we got some good starting pitching, others faltered, putting the hitters in a hole. And yet they always bounced back – a hallmark of the 2017 version of the Yankees. Which makes them so much fun to watch: you never count them out.

I do worry about Judge. No, not because he chipped a tooth after Gardner’s walk-off (Gardner was tremendous during the series – kudos to him). But – and I know I’m in the minority – he’s been in a slump since the Home Run Derby. Whether there’s a link or his sinking batting average is the result of the normal ebb and flow of a season, he got off to a torrid start and lately he’s been struggling (or “scuffling,” as Girardi calls it). He’s big and strong, but he’s still young and has never played at the major league level with such intensity. Perhaps he’s just genuinely tired.

The two Fraziers have been real contributors, and Headley has had a resurgence both at the plate and as a first baseman. And Chapman is Chapman again – a huge relief.

Next up is Detroit and then it’ll be off to Cleveland mid-week for a big series against a top contender. Can it really be August tomorrow?

 

Well, That Was Easy

How nice to have a quick two-game sweep of the Reds back home at the Stadium. It wasn’t a 10-game winning streak, but I’ll take it.

Random observations….Montgomery pitched a gem on Tuesday night and Severino was superb yesterday. Kudos to them. I know nothing about the Cincinnati Reds and their offense, but our two starters looked really tough…….Clint Frazier is proving to be a nice addition to the team, both offensively and defensively. Which creates a dilemma for the Yankees when Aaron Hicks comes off the DL. Too many outfielders? Does one of them get traded for a starter? Can we keep both, along with Gardner and Ellsbury? (Judge is untouchable, obviously.)….As for the other Frazier, Todd (or as John Sterling called him “The Toddfather”) hit into a triple play in his first at-bat on home turf Tuesday night, but the Toms River, NJ native smacked his first homer yesterday. How cool would it be if he provided real offensive pop at third base after coming over from the Cubs… I’m still worried about Betances. He’s been so shaky that I find myself wincing every time he’s on the mound. At least Chapman seems to have straightened out his mechanics. But Cessa needs to go. He’s not helping, not even for mop-up duties….With the trade deadline getting closer, I’m eager to see if Cashman pulls off a trade for a starter. There’s no longer a question whether this Yankees team is a contender. They are, and another strong arm in the rotation would only solidify our position. But the immediate goal is to trample the Rays during this next series. They’re our pesky rivals, so it’s essential that we don’t lose ground to them.

Tanaka Panic

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

The Yankees were able to salvage yesterday’s finale against the Rays at The Trop, thanks to starting pitching from CC, another save from Betances, great defense by Judge and nice offense from Didi and Gardner. But the other two games in the series were not the stuff of happy dances.

The headline from the weekend really has to be Tanaka. What is wrong with him? Where’s the pitcher we saw early in the season? Who’s the guy who’s getting pounded these days with seemingly no command, no game plan, no sense of how to fix whatever has gone drastically awry? He claims he’s not hurt, that it’s all mechanics, so it sounds as if his entire pitching motion needs an overall in addition to which his confidence has to be shot. He’s our ace, so I really hope Rothschild can figure this out asap.

The other headline from the two losses is Longoria. I say this over and over after we play the Rays. Why in the world do we ever pitch to the guy? He kills us, absolutely destroys us every time he comes to the plate. Didn’t I read that he has more RBIs against the Yankees than any player has against any other team? It’s sick.  He must salivate every time he sees us on the schedule. Clearly, there needs to be a different pitching strategy against him – or several.

Now it’s back home to face the Royals again. It’s supposed to rain during the week so we’ll see how much baseball gets played, but after the recent victories in KC, I’m the one who’s salivating.

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

The Yankees’ offensive might was on full display in Games 1 and 2 of the series against the Royals, with a combination of small ball, big ball and really big ball. I love the combination of power and speed, but what I really love is this team’s ability to take the extra base. Remember how frustrating it was when we had all those older, slower veterans who lumbered to get around the bases and often didn’t even try? Not anymore. The 2017 Yankees are athletic and frisky, and it’s paying dividends.

Last night’s finale was a bit of a bummer, as the KC pitcher stymied the hitters and the sweep was lost, but overall I was happy with the way they played.

And let me spend a second on Aaron Hicks. I thought I’d be talking about Gary Sanchez and then Aaron Judge relentlessly this season, but Hicks has really been an eye opener. He gets his hits, is fast, makes good plays in the outfield, does it all. Impressive. One of the broadcasters – maybe O’Neill? – compared him to Bernie Williams, and I agree to a point. Let’s see what he does over the course of his career and then we can pin the “Bernie” label on him. Still, I’m excited to see what he can do.

Next up: the pesky Rays. We should beat them every time we play them but somehow The Trop proves bedeviling. It’s tough to even watch games there. I always feel as if they’re playing inside a gym. But maybe the Yanks will overcome and mute the cowbells.

First Sweep of the Season!

And the “Babe Ruth” in last night’s game wasn’t Aaron Judge but Aaron Hicks with two homers against the Rays. Joining him in heroics was Luis Severino, who hadn’t won a game in forever, but had 11 Ks to dominate. And Chapman got another chance to be lights out. Well, not quite lights out – he did give up a hit and some of the at bats took awhile – but the man does bring the heat.

Brett Gardner got shook up in a collision at first base the other day so he’s shaky, but Greg Bird is back. Now if he could start hitting maybe we’d be in business.

It’s too early to tell what to make of this version of the Yankees, but when they win, they’re as much fun to watch as any Yankee team. What continues to trouble me is the number of empty seats behind home plate – the expensive seats. They’re practically bare in the early innings and gradually fill in during the game, after the Legends Suite holders finish dinner, I guess. But there’s a wide shot from the centerfield camera that shows just how embarrassing the situation is – at least to me. Yes, it’s April and the cold nights aren’t for everybody. Here’s hoping it warms up and either the Yankees drop their prices or fans decide to pony up.

Opening Day Was Nearly Perfecto!

Wow. Was I pleasantly surprised to read that Pineda had such a fabulous outing today. And what fun it must have been to watch him pitch a perfecto so deep into the game. Maybe the key was having Romine catch him? Or maybe he just liked the home atmosphere. Whatever the trick was, good for him.

Of course, it had to be our nemesis on the Rays, Longoria, who broke up the party. Why he’s such a Yankee killer beats me, but he must love playing us. On our side, I’m encouraged to see Aaron Judge once again go deep and hope it bodes well for his future in pinstripes.

More after this series concludes. In the meantime, in case anyone’s interested, Tyler Kepner wrote a long piece about Cashman that ran in the NYT today. Take a look.

Yanks Save Face Vs. Orioles

Somebody had to stop the Orioles from winning every game this season. Why not the Yankees? In today’s finale, we did just that: beat them to prevent getting swept in Baltimore.

Aaron Judge had a good day. So did Holliday, Castro, Torreyes and Ellsbury, among others. But the bad news involved Gary Sanchez. Just when he was getting on track at the plate, he was pulled with a bicep strain and put on the DL. And his baby bomber cohort, Greg Bird, is also ailing.

Injuries. Here we go again. I know, I know. They happen. They’re part of baseball. They’re just so disappointing.

On a positive note, tomorrow is Opening Day at the Stadium. Maybe – again, I’m trying to stay positive – Pineda will have a decent outing and mow down the Rays. If not, I fear he’ll be booed. I’ve been noticing on social media that fans have lost patience with him. I hope he proves us all wrong.

“Little Ronald Torreyes” Has a Big Game

Apparently, the clubhouse gag involving Yankees utility infielder Torreyes (does Girardi call him “Torrey?”) is to stand him next to Aaron Judge, the giant, to point up their disparity in size. But Torreyes, who had to endure some suspense to win the job as a replacement for the injured Didi, delivered big in the Yanks’ first win of the season. He popped a homer, had a nice glove and showed his versatility. CC was more than enough to hold off the Rays, and the result was a nice rebound from Sunday’s depressing season kick-off.

I’m not going to post about every game, but I thought the first win deserved some love. Here’s hoping for many more.

Meanwhile, the front office is clearly nervous about putting fannies in the seats this year. From yesterday’s NYT:

“On Tuesday the Yankees unveiled the stadium’s new features, which include a picnic area, refreshment terraces, charging stations for personal devices, a lounge equipped with televisions tuned to other sports events, and a children’s playground complete with breast-feeding facilities. The idea is to offer more options and to cater more to families, officials said, in response to surveys sent out during the past few seasons.”

How about a swimming pool like ballparks out west? Or yoga? I mean, come on. Fans don’t have ADD. They just want good baseball and don’t need all this “stuff.” What they also need is fairer pricing, and management is trying to address that too.

“The Yankees have also introduced so-called dynamic pricing, which alters the cost of tickets based on supply and demand. In this way, purchasing a seat at Yankee Stadium is not unlike buying a ticket on United Airlines. Prices for the same seat may vary, day to day, according to how many of them are available. The actual opponent matters less than the projected vacancies.”

Sounds confusing to me. Why not just lower the prices, period? Or would that be too easy?

Opening Day – Yay. Yankees Lose – Boo.

Yes, I’m back, and so are the Yankees…..but not in a good way.

Tanaka, who was so great in spring training, was awful today at the Trop against the Rays.

“He’s only human.” “He was over-pumped.” “He had nothing.” Those were among the explanations for his poor performance that left the Yankees in an early hole. But he wasn’t alone in his mediocrity. The Baby Bombers didn’t do much bombing against Chris Archer.

One thing I’ve never understood is why we keep pitching to Longoria, a notorious Yankee killer. How about walking him once in awhile? Just a thought.

Another thing. I miss Jeter. And Mo. Even A-Rod just a tiny bit for the drama (I’m enjoying reading tidbits about his romance with J-Lo and wonder how long that’ll last.) But I’m excited about Sanchez-Bird-Judge-Hicks and want them to succeed. Today was only one game, but they really will need to get off to a good start if they want to hang around. They’ll also need a good start if they want me to hang around. I’m happy we’re in a rebuilding phase and are done with many of the onerous contracts. But I like winning. I do. I’m a Yankee fan through and through.

Entering the Home Stretch but Not at Home

home-stretch

Even if the Yankees had swept the Rays last night instead of dropping the finale – shut out, no less – they still faced a slim-to-none chance to make the playoffs. It was a dispiriting loss nonetheless. Gary Sanchez didn’t even save us with another home run. Is this guy amazing or what? At least we have a full season of him to look forward to next year.

I didn’t love reading that Tanaka has a sore forearm and will miss a start. I wonder if that’ll be it for him this season, which would really mean throwing in the towel.

But now we head into the last few games: a series at Toronto and the last one in Boston. And then it’s over. Sob. I’m always sad when baseball is over, and the playoffs really only mean something for me if the Yankees are in them.

Maybe just to put a happy face on the season, we can go to Boston to finish up and beat them silly the way they just beat us. At least there would be some measure of justice. Just a little.

Hot Streak on Ice

ice-cubes

Well, it was a lot of fun while it lasted – the Yankees’ amazing winning streak, that is. Every game except the loss today in the finale against the Rays was entertaining and gave me hope that the boys really could close the gap, not just for the Wild Card but for the division. Seriously. Everything seemed doable while they were winning. Gary Sanchez was hitting again. The veterans (Teixeira, Ellsbury, McCann, Headley) were making a difference. And the starting pitching, for the most part, was good enough to get the job done, along with all hands on deck in the bullpen. CC and Pineda make me nervous, and I’d be happy if Tanaka could pitch every game, but Severino seems to have bounced back from his sophomore slump and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in the rotation next year. I have to say I do miss Andrew Miller. How I wish we’d been able to hang onto him somehow.

Now the Dodgers come to the Bronx, and while I’d rather face division rivals to gain ground head to head, they’re my second favorite team so I’ll be glad to see them. I think. The prospect of facing Kershaw on Wednesday, even though he’s coming back from an injury, doesn’t thrill me.

You Be the Judge

Aaron Judge

The big guy, Aaron Judge, made his Yankees debut with a bang over the weekend. Two bangs. The day after A-Rod’s farewell on Friday night against the Rays, which I’ll get back to in a minute, rookie outfielder Judge hit a homer, right after his rookie teammate Tyler Austin hit his, and history was made. Judge’s homer in today’s losing finale only cemented his reputation as The One to Watch. Throw in Gary Sanchez, and the Baby Bombers are an exciting crew. Didi and Starlin are dynamic players too. If only Severino knew how to pitch the way he did in his rookie season last year.

Celebrating Mo’s installation in Monument Park with all the greats in attendance was sweet, the way dipping into the Yankees’ glory days of the past is always sweet, but my eyes are looking toward the future now and I like what I see.

That future was made possible in large part because of A-Rod’s release. After all the drama of the past week during which Girardi was castigated for not playing him in Boston in every game, Friday night’s goodbye at the Stadium went smoothly, not counting Mother Nature raining down on the pre-game ceremony. Say what you will about A-Rod, but he looked genuinely thrilled to have his daughters etc. there to honor the occasion. And when he not only hit an RBI double and played third base before being lifted, he was over the moon. I was moved when he tipped his cap to the crowd. I really was. The guy seems to have made peace with his past and it’ll be interesting to see if he lands somewhere else or sticks around to mentor the young players next season. I do expect to find him in the broadcast booth during FOX’s coverage of the playoffs.

Success in Tampa

applause

Taking this weekend’s series with the Rays really was a must, and the Yankees accomplished it – barely. On Friday night Tanaka delivered a good start, and both Beltran and A-Rod homered. Last night it was Evo on the hill, pitching well, and while the Yanks were being no-hit for most of the game, Castro’s homer was just enough to give us the win in a surprise comeback. Saturday was the blemish – another stinker by Pineda.

Yes, he’s still young. Yes, he’s got talent. But is he one of those guys who wasn’t meant for New York for whatever reason? The majors are full of pitchers who did well elsewhere but failed for the Yankees. Is it too early to know? And what to do with him in the meantime? Apparently, the brain trust feels he should keep making his regular starts. I’m thinking a stint in the minors to work out the kinks might not be so bad.

Beltran continued his great hitting over the weekend, but now he’s injured. How badly? Didn’t sound serious, but it takes 40-year-old athletes longer to recover. And A-Rod, aside from that one homer, has looked dreadful. Teixeira pinch hit yesterday but is otherwise still suffering from neck spasms. Between the three of them, there goes our power. John Sterling was hammering home how well the Red Sox are hitting this season – they’re far and away the offensive leaders – and I was thinking how anemic our hitting has been by contrast. How things turn around, given where both teams were last year.

On to Toronto.

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