Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

At Least There Was This

Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello
Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello

It was great seeing the old gang at the Stadium over the weekend, first for the retiring of Posada’s number, then the same for Pettitte today. They all looked great and I couldn’t help wishing they were still playing – particularly after today’s finale against the Indians. What is it with the Yankees and Indians? Are the dreaded midges still haunting the team? It sure seemed like it over the four-game series and even during the recent series in Cleveland. Aside from the one victory on Saturday, it was nothing but frustration and ineptitude.

And now there’s CC’s knee. Will he come back this season or any season? Does a stint on the DL do the trick and he returns refreshed and ready to pitch? Or will he concede that the knee is a chronic problem and retire? It’s all very sad to me because he’s been a warrior for the Yanks on and off the field.

With Pineda scheduled to pitch in the series against Houston and the addition of Severino, CC’s injury is easier to swallow. I still wish Cashman had gotten us a reliable arm at the trade deadline, but that’s old news. What’s also old news is that all the teams in the AL East have problems, even Toronto, and no one is running away with the division title so far. Which means all the Yankees have to do is play consistent baseball. Getting Teixeira off the DL would help. So would getting Ellsbury to go on a tear. So would waving a magic wand and making Stephen Drew turn into Babe Ruth.

Time will tell……

What A Great Home Opener

From the ceremonial first pitch (loved that Jorge ended up throwing it to his dad) to the bright blue skies in the Bronx (it’s been raining like crazy here), the stage was set for a great day and the Yankees obliged.

I was surprised to read before the game that A-Rod would be batting third and Cano fourth, but A-Rod was on fire (tying Griffey on the home run list), either making the statement that he deserves to go back to the cleanup spot or making Girardi look like a genius.

Swish was clutch again, getting things started, and the runs kept coming off Santana, who looked like he needed a nap. But the big story was this guy.

Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images

What a turnaround from his start at the Trop. And I was worried about him handling the pressure at Yankee Stadium. Pffff. He sure showed me. Great, great job taking care of Pujols and the all the other little Angels.

 

 

A Posada-Less Jeter At Spring Training

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.

 

Hip Hip Farewell

Well, we knew after the last game of the 2011 season that Jorge would be emotional…

http://youtu.be/ix5zBkfPSqc

And while he got through the beginning of his press conference at Yankee Stadium today without choking up, he did shed a tear (as did I) when he spoke about his parents.

A few random thoughts as I watched the proceedings:

  1. I’ll miss Jorge a lot, obviously. He’ll always be a True Yankee. Even Jason Varitek said so. (Check out boston.com. I don’t have the link handy.)
  2. Mrs. Munson was the essence of grace and dignity, and I loved her speech.
  3. I was glad the Steinbrenners showed up.
  4. Jeter looked like he’d been hit by a truck; I thought he’d cry for sure.
  5. Mo was dapper in one of those Italian suits he wears in the magazine ads.
  6. Where was Andy?
  7. I couldn’t believe one of the writers asked if Jorge would be making a comeback. LOL.
  8. They really should have done the presser with subtitles for those of us who don’t speak/understand Spanish.
  9. There’s no way not to cry during the retirement announcement of a great Yankee. No way at all.

 

 

Another Yankee Goes Off Into The Sunset

With the unofficial announcement yesterday that Jorge is hanging it up rather than trying to play for another team this season, I felt a pang in my gut. Not because JoPo’s retirement is a surprise; we all knew he’d go out in a Yankee uniform, especially after the dismal year he had. But because his leaving the scene is yet another goodbye we have to deal with. No more Core Three now. We’re down to Core Two.

And not for long, I believe.

Mo is recovering nicely from his throat surgery, apparently, and says he’ll tell the media at spring training whether this season will be his last. My guess is he’ll join the others in retirement.

I have a feeling he’ll want to avoid the Posada Fiasco (and the Bernie confusion) and choose to leave the game on a high note. What’s more, I think the situation with his polyps (thank God they were benign) and his recovery may have given him pause about the grind of another 162+ games. Does he need to keep pitching? No. His HOF credentials are established. His records are unassailable. He has all the money and steakhouses he needs. It’s time to move on.

Of course, just typing those words about my favorite Yankee makes my heart sink. But I know it’s coming. I should start buying Kleenex by the case.

On a happier note, pitchers and catchers are just around the corner.

 

 

The Stink At Penn State

Photo: Getty Images

I was planning to write something about how Posada should retire rather than sit by the phone hoping for the Yankees to call. But then he told reporters that he wasn’t expecting the call and, in fact, had interest from a few other teams. Whatever.

The Yankees became a non-story for me when the TV coverage of the Penn State mess became tonight’s big news. I don’t follow football, college or otherwise, and the name Joe Paterno was simply that to me: a name. But after the announcement that the legendary coach had been canned, along with the university’s president, and that the students were pouring out onto the streets professing their love for Paterno and/or chanting for him to come back…

Well. Talk about ugliness.

I’m still processing how the horrors could go on at that place for all those years without anybody doing anything – and how the students, as much as they revere Paterno, could actually be whining for him to be reinstated.

There are times when I hate the culture of sports, and this is one of them.

Stiff Upper Lip, Everybody

I was hoping that the lead pic for this post would be one of me spraying myself with champagne. Or, since the Yanks needed to come back and win in the ninth tonight, I contemplated a shot of Michael smushing pie in my face. Oh, well.

What a bizarre, stomach-churning, ultimately soul-crushing game, wasn’t it?

From Nova’s quick and rather mysterious exit… to the cavalcade of relievers that included CC… to the oddly silent bats… it was a game that kept me hoping but left me empty. Girardi made so many moves on the pitching side but none on the hitting side. Clearly, Tex, Swisher, Martin and A-Rod were struggling and yet there was no Montero? No Chavez? No Jones? We had a great bench this season, but he didn’t use any of them tonight. Strange.

So. The Tigers won and I congratulate them.

And I say goodbye to Gene Monahan for all the years he gave the Yankees and, very likely, to Jorge. What a series he had after his travails this season.

There will be plenty of time for more elaborate postmortems, but for now let’s remember the high notes of 2011, which for me included:

  1. Jeter’s 3000th.
  2. Mo’s 600th.
  3. The breakthrough of Nova.
  4. The MVP seasons of Granderson and Cano.
  5. The emergence of Robertson.
  6. The major league debut of Montero.
  7. The surprising performances of Colon and Garcia.
  8. Winning the Division.

It was a very good year for the New York Yankees – better than most expected – but they fell short. So be it.

The good part of losing? More hours in the day for other things. For example, tonight I went right from the final out to HBO’s Part II of the George Harrison documentary, having watched Part I last night. It took my mind off baseball and reminded me that I have other interests that I’ll now have time to pursue.

More to come after I’ve digested losing, which is never fun but is part of the deal of being a fan.

ALDS Game 3: Too Good And Not Good Enough

I’m depressed and, therefore, not in the mood to post pics. I hope words will do.

So. We lost.

There will be complaints about the tight strike zone. There will be talk about Girardi bringing in Soriano too late and even more talk about bringing him back for another inning instead of using Robertson. There will be a debate about not sending Montero up to pinch hit for Martin against Valverde. Blah blah blah.

This was about CC not having it and Verlander firing 100 mph fastballs through eight innings. Our guy wasn’t as good as their guy. End of story.

Still, the Yankees had their shining moments – from all those double plays that bailed out CC and A-Rod’s sure hand at third to Jorge’s tenacious at bats and Gardner’s huge game-tying double. If Soriano hadn’t coughed up that homer, we might have had extra innings and hung on a little longer.

But we had chances in the ninth and didn’t seize them, and the result was having to watch Valverde’s victory dance (although it was subdued, for him).

Did we ever imagine in our wildest dreams that our season would come down to AJ Burnett?

Of course not. But here we are, on the verge of elimination.

What needs to happen is this:

  1. The Good Great AJ has to show up.
  2. A-Rod has to be the 2009 model.
  3. Tex has to stop being Mr. April.
  4. Mo has to get into the game.

In other words, it’ll be all hands on deck so this baby doesn’t sink.

Photo: Mario Belluomo

(Okay, I had to post one pic.)

Let’s go Yankeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

ALDS Game 1: The Ivan Nova Show

Photo: Corey Sipkin/Daily News

Wow. What a performance. When Nova came out of the game, the crowd at the Stadium gave him a huge ovation. So did I. I got up off the couch and stood there applauding in my living room.

The Tigers helped, swinging at pitches in the dirt, but that was part of Nova’s magic: his ball moved all over the place. The Yankees’ defense also contributed. I’m still marveling at Jeter’s relay to Martin at the plate, for example; it was sheer perfection.

Of course, tonight’s win could also be called The Robbie Cano Show.

Photo: Bill Kostroun/AP

Six RBIs. Seriously. Do you think he likes batting third? Actually, he probably doesn’t care where he is in the lineup, but I love him in that spot. I would expect the Tigers to start pitching around him, given that A-Rod isn’t 100%, but we’ll see.

Overall, the Yankees just played great baseball tonight. No complaints. Well, except one. Okay, two. There was Posada’s base running mishap. Sigh. And there was this guy.

Photo: Getty Images

I realize Ayala pitched well over the course of the season but lately? Not so much. When he came in for the ninth and couldn’t get the job done, I had flashbacks to the other night at the Trop. What a shame to have to bring Mo into the game in that situation, but our savior took care of business with cool efficiency.

So. We won the first one. Whew. It feels fantastic, doesn’t it? I’m doing a happy dance right now.

I Am Not A Fan Of Scott Proctor

(courtesy: bronxbaseballdaily.com)

I know, I know. The Yankees offense could have made Proctor’s appearance unnecessary, but they must have sent their bats ahead to Tampa because the boys sure weren’t hitting in the second game of the doubleheader. More on that in a sec.

What a day/night of baseball. I’m exhausted and I feel like the biggest slug for sitting in front of the TV for hours, but I couldn’t tear myself away from either game.

In the opener, I was mesmerized by AJ. I kept waiting for him to screw up, but he pitched brilliantly and, as a result, notched his first “W” as a Yankee against the Sox. And Posada. Seriously. Raise your hand if you expected him to be the hitting star? Just a weird but wonderful win. I actually felt sorry for Carl Crawford after his botched play in left. He always seemed like a decent guy when he was with the Rays and yet he just hasn’t had a very good time as a Red Sock. And Wakefield looked like he was about to cry after he was pulled.

Lackey, on the other hand, looked like his usual grumpy self in Game 2. After Francona took him out, it was easy to read his lips. He needs a prescription for an antidepressant or something. Nova was coasting along for awhile, but got into trouble and should have been pulled earlier than he was – one of my many quibbles with Girardi. Other complaints include:

  1. WHY DIDN’T HE USE JETER OR A-ROD TO PINCH HIT INSTEAD OF STICKING WITH ROMINE, GOLSON, PENA, ETC. IN KEY SITUATIONS?
  2. DID HE NOT WANT TO WIN THE GAME?
  3. USING ONE OF HIS ALL-STARS TO PINCH HIT IN EXTRAS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ALL THAT TAXING FOR THEM.
  4. DID HE NOT GET THAT BEATING THE RED SOX WOULD HAVE FURTHER DIMMED THEIR CHANCES TO MAKE THE POSTSEASON?
  5. DID HE NOT WANT TO END THE GAME AND GET HIS PLAYERS ON THE FLIGHT TO TAMPA?
  6. AND WHY BRING IN THE AWFUL PROCTOR WHEN WE HAD AYALA AND THE KIDS IN THE PEN? (YES, JOE HAD BEEN EJECTED BY THEN, BUT STILL.)

I was mad at losing the second game (hence the all-caps above) even as I enjoyed the first three in the series this weekend. I thought we could and should have swept.

But so be it. Let’s just hope everyone stays healthy during the series in Tampa and whatever happens with the Wild Card is what it is.

Time to start thinking about next Friday’s Game 1 of the ALDS and whether I’ll be having “lucky food” again. When we won in 2009, I was counting on nightly pizza to do the trick and it worked. But I’d like to try something less artery clogging. Any suggestions?

Of Course It Was A One-Run Loss

Seriously. Was there any doubt after the umps decided that Butler’s double homer was legit that the Yanks would lose by that run? I was out for dinner, but got home just in time to see the hubbub. Is Kaufman Stadium the new Trop? There seem to be crazy rules about paddings and railings and walls and what constitutes a home run. All we needed was a catwalk. How about Mo? Was he angry or what? I’m no lip reader but I think he said a naughty word.

But disputed call or not, this game was lost because Colon hasn’t been the same since the first half – since he injured his hammy, really – and because the offense didn’t capitalize early against Chen.

Great job by Noesi, giving the Yanks a chance to mount a comeback against Soria in the ninth, but it was a frustrating inning. Posada (Happy 40th Birthday) had a shot to be a hero. Instead, he didn’t get the bat off his shoulder.

The Red Sox lost. We had a chance to gain more ground. We blew it.

An Emotional Win For The Yanks (With a P.S.)

It all began with the ceremony to honor Jeter for #3000. Friend of the Blog Melissa was there, so I’m sure she’ll tell us more, but I admit I choked up watching Mo say, “Jeet, I love you,” in front of packed Yankee Stadium. Here’s the link to the video.

As if we needed more good will, how about Hip Hip Jorge’s return from the bench?

Photo: Jim Young/Reuters/bronxbaseballdaily.com

What better way to prove he’s not done than to knock in six RBIs, including a grand slam? Anger and pride are great motivators, I guess. Does it mean he’ll get his job back? No. Not with A-Rod coming back next week and needing the DH slot, along with a cast of other characters. But if Posada can hit the ball the way he did tonight, he’ll make our bench that much deeper.

On to Hughes. He was good. I was glad for him. But, as with the Jorge situation, was it enough to change people’s minds in the organization? I don’t think so. Ultimately, I still see him moving to the pen, but in the meantime it appears no decision will need to be made just yet. According to LoHud, Freddy Garcia cut his finger in a “kitchen accident.”

Oh, Freddy. Don’t you ever watch the Food Network?

P.S. As New Yawk Lover noted in his comment, one of my tweets made YES’s Extra Innings show after the game. Here’s a screen shot of it, courtesy of @NYYEric, whose tweet also made it on the air.

No Wonder Joe West Complained

Photo: Greg Flume/Getty Images

Tonight’s game lasted forever – or so it seemed. Beckett does like to take his time between pitches, and given how patient both teams are at the plate we were looking at a marathon. I just didn’t expect an extra-innings marathon.

Not that the game wasn’t a really entertaining one with good pitching by both sides. Freddy was much better than I thought he’d be. Cory Wade pulled a Dave Robertson in the 6th and got us out of a jam. Soriano was effective once again in the 7th. Dave Robertson gave us heart attacks in the 8th but kept the score right where it was.

But then came Mo in the 9th. Ouch. He must be allergic to Marco Scutero. I know I am. He gives me hives.

Was bringing Hughes in for the 10th a wise move? In hindsight, no. Seriously, no. He lost the damn game. Very disappointing.

On the positive side, how about Nunez and Gardner, our new Ruth and Gehrig? On the negative side, we left way too many RISP and there were defensive lapses (yes, you, Nuney).

I was saddened by the news earlier tonight that Jorge was being benched – permanently, in all likelihood. Not that he was getting the job done as our DH. As he told the media, he brought this on himself. But I think the demotion could have been handled differently. Joe could have put Chavez in the lineup tonight and made the announcement about Posada tomorrow, an off-day, instead of right before a nationally televised game.

Speaking of which, is ESPN for real? I know it’s unattractive to whine about the broadcasters and their anti-Yankees bias, but tonight was a new low for the network. I have never – and I really do mean never – heard a game in which the commentary was so slanted toward the Red Sox. We had to suffer through two (or was it three?) innings of Schilling in the booth talking about the glory of 2004 (and yes, there was a flashback to the Bloody Sock episode). We had to hear about Pedroia and his “heart”….about Youkilis and his “grit”…about Ortiz and his “smile”…about Ellsbury and his “power.” Blah blah blah. It was a veritable love fest. Meanwhile, Nunez hits a homer and they say, “That ball wasn’t hit that well.” It was as if the Yankees were some interlopers, not the team that came into the game tied for first place. I was truly offended. We all have our problems with Buck/McCarver on FOX, but tonight ESPN was the Red Sox version of a Yankeeography.

He’s Baaack

Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

In last night’s post I was only repeating what I thought was a rumor. But, alas, Meat Tray has returned. Why? I guess because he’s better than Buddy Carlyle. But is he better than Hector Noesi? Better than Brian Gordon? Better than Colon, Garcia or Hughes now that it looks like they’ll all be with us?

Never mind.

The good news is the Yankees won again and our division rivals lost.

AJ was the guy we all hoped he’d be.

Martin remembered how to hit.

Granderson showed why he should be an All-Star.

D-Rob showed why he should be an All-Star.

Mo showed why he’s a god.

Nunez showed why he needs more glove work. (Another error. Oy.)

Posada had a Jeffrey Maier special.

I thought the Brewers were supposed to be good. I bet they’re counting the hours before they can stumble out of town.

He's Baaack

Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

In last night’s post I was only repeating what I thought was a rumor. But, alas, Meat Tray has returned. Why? I guess because he’s better than Buddy Carlyle. But is he better than Hector Noesi? Better than Brian Gordon? Better than Colon, Garcia or Hughes now that it looks like they’ll all be with us?

Never mind.

The good news is the Yankees won again and our division rivals lost.

AJ was the guy we all hoped he’d be.

Martin remembered how to hit.

Granderson showed why he should be an All-Star.

D-Rob showed why he should be an All-Star.

Mo showed why he’s a god.

Nunez showed why he needs more glove work. (Another error. Oy.)

Posada had a Jeffrey Maier special.

I thought the Brewers were supposed to be good. I bet they’re counting the hours before they can stumble out of town.

Pie

Photo: Anthony Gattine

I know. It’s shaving cream, not dessert. But it’s just really, really fun to watch A.J. creep up the steps of the dugout with the towel in his hand and smash the stuff all over somebody’s face.

Today’s recipient was Brett Gardner and he deserved it. He slapped a single in Damon-esque style, sending Granderson home with the winning run in extras. We swept the Rangers. Yay.

Interesting debut by Brian Gordon. He handled Texas well, getting into a little trouble here and there but giving the Yankees five-plus innings of solid pitching. Noesi, Robertson and Mo did their parts, and Cory Wade, another guy who wasn’t even on the team 24 hours ago, got the “W.” Strange how things work out.

Good job by Posada knocking in the tying run off Wilson. (The Rangers do like their pitchers to throw; he was over 122 pitches when he finally came out of the game.) And it was nice to see Martin get his groove back.

What to make of Rangers catcher Torrealba’s accusation that the Yankees were stealing signs from second during the series? Here’s my reaction.

Yeah, like so what? I’ve never understood the problem with stealing signs if, indeed, that’s what the Yankees were doing. Maybe the Rangers pitchers just needed to pitch better.

Can We Play Cleveland Every Day?

I know. Be careful what you wish for. The Indians could blow out the Yankees on Monday night and have me moaning about it. But the first three games in this series have been fun (minus the injuries and hit batsmen).

Today’s game went exactly the way any fan could have hoped: great starting pitching and relentless offense (without a single homer).

Brett Gardner must have been reading this blog and taken all the comments to heart. He was slapping the ball all over the field and didn’t get thrown out once on the bases.

Posada is hitting like a DH should (well, except for that DP). I’m not flinching anymore when he steps in at the plate.

Granderson was in a slump? It sure didn’t last long.

And what a comeback for Garcia after his debacle against the Red Sox. Are we supposed to take him seriously again? I guess we have to, given that Colon’s out of the rotation.

Speaking of the Red Sox, I kept wondering as the game went on if they’re that much better than every other team in the league. Is that why we can beat everybody but them? Or are they just on a hot streak after being on a cold streak and will they come back to earth (hopefully soon)?

In the meantime, I’m enjoying our little beat down of the Indians for as long as it lasts.

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.