BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME XV

We are in the final stretch of the spring training waiting period and I have cabin fever!  Saturday is the first official workout day for Yankees pitchers and catchers and I am hopeful that we see more than ARod drama when the rest of the team reports.

On to some Hot Stove news...The Los Angeles Dodgers could be a market for a steady, hard throwing relief pitcher.  According to the Los Angeles Dodger Public Relations Department, "This morning at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, Dodger pitcher Kenley Jansen underwent surgery to remove a growth from a bone in his left foot." He is expected to be out 8-12 weeks and is certain to miss the first month of baseball.  "There are still a couple of relievers on the free agent market with ninth-inning experience — like Francisco Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano — so look for the Dodgers to seriously explore those options," states NBC Sports.  Jansen had 44 saves in 49 attempts last season with the Dodgers with a 2.76 ERA. This is a tough blow for Don Mattingly and his team.

WEEI's Rob Bradford reports that "According to one source, at no point during the offseason did Boras hint that he was concerned Scherzer wouldn’t get his money, potentially leading to a more palatable reduced rate. In the end, the former Tigers hurler inked a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Nationals."  Bradford goes on to say that "Cole Hamels rumors or not, this potentially ace-less collection has already dug in on believing they are all the Red Sox need."  The collection he is referring to is  Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Joe Kelly.

According to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, after signing a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, the team has invited 32-year-old utility infield Jayson Nix to spring training workouts.  Good for Jayson.  I always thought he added something to the injury-ridden Yankees.  I hope he does well but not against us.

Finally, a word of tribute to the late great player and mentor Tony Gwynn.  In an interview on the MLB Network with Ted Leitner, the voice of the San Diego Padres and the San Diego State Aztecs, Gwynn brought a sense of honor and presence to the young people of the sport of baseball.  Earlier this week, the Aztecs retired Gwynn's number in the opening game of the season.  "Leitner introduced the unveiling of a No. 19 out in right field to a standing ovation. There’s also a new mural above the right-field wall that depicts Gwynn alongside murals of Golden Spikes Award winners and former SDSU baseball players Stephen Strasburg and Travis Lee," reported a senior staff writer at The Daily Aztec.

Guys like Gwynn need to be remembered for what they brought to the game- hard work, determination and leadership.  These are three cornerstones to a successful team, both on and off the field.  So, let's remain hopeful for the Yankees this season as we enter in the final days before pitcher and catchers report.  That's Hot Stove...see you next week!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



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JAYSON NIX IS ON THE MOVE AGAIN

Quick note about another former Yankee.  Jayson Nix was acquired by the Phillies from the Rays today for cash considerations.  He was added to their 40 man roster.

John Clark from CSN has that in his Tweet:

Phillies acquire Jayson Nix from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash and added him to the 40-man roster.
— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) March 29, 2014

Nice. OK. Well, it's good to see Nix is still playing and wanted.

Gook luck kiddo.

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SCOTT SIZEMORE & YANKS MIGHT HAVE A DEAL

According to the world famous Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Yankees might have an agreement soon with Scott Sizemore:

The #Yankees are closing in on an agreement with IF Scott Sizemore. Minor-league deal.
— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) January 12, 2014

This is a good deal to make.  It's a minor league deal, it's inexpensive and could fill the void of someone like Jayson Nix who we lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. Plus, if he performs, he's our 3rd baseman.

Scott Sizemore is a third and second baseman.  He's a decent fielder.  Last season with the A's, he hit .249 with 11 homers.

UPDATE CORRECTION: At quick glance I messed up those numbers above: that was in 2011, not last year.  Sizemore missed all of 2012 and returned to play 2 games in 2013.  Thank you for helping me correct the record, Steve B. I'm not perfect... but I'm trying to be! Good looking out.

In addition to Sizemore, check out the other options the Yankees are looking at.  Read  SECURING THE YANKEE INFIELD NOW THAT AROD IS OUT.

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HEY JAYSON NIX... BUH BYE! BUH BYE NOW... BUH BYE!

Jayson Nix is gone.  Did you know that? I actually was surprised to read that Nix is no longer a Yankees. Yup, the work on the street is... and by street I mean the Internet, that Jayson Nix has signed a 1 year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.  The deal is a minor league deal. That comes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

Sources: #Rays to sign free-agent IF Jayson Nix to minor-league deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 9, 2014

Now, we liked Jayson Nix here at BYB while he was a New York Yankee.  There were many issues and injuries last season, and Nix was one of them at times, but when he was healthy, he was pretty solid filling in where we needed him. The Rays lost Mike Fontenot to the Washington Nationals, which is why they pursued Nix and Nix thought he'd probably never be back with the Yanks anyway, considering the moves we made this offseason... so there you go.

And so now we say Buh-Bye and if Nix makes it back to the Show, we will see him when we play the Rays.  And that's baseball... things happen, players move on.  He did and Jayson, it's been fun. Thanks for your service... you were a good Yankee.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

GUESS WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO STEWART & NIX?

Many saw the writing on the wall for Chris Stewart when the Yankees signed Brian McCann, but did you know the writing is also on the wall for Yankee infielder Jayson Nix? In a word... they could be "NON-TENDERED!"  OK, cue the spooky music.

Now, non-tendered isn't a bad word. In fact, it's not even a bad thing for Chris and Jayson.  All it means is that their time in pinstripes could be over.  Now many of you have emailed me asking, "What does non-tendered mean?"  Well, luckily for you, I am willing to give you news and educate you as well.  Happy to help.

To put it simply and taken from WikiAnswers as to not botch it up for you:

"Non-tendered means that an arbitration-eligible player was not offered a contract by their team. A non-tendered player becomes a free agent available to sign with any team. There is a non-tender deadline which means that teams must tender contracts to those arbitration-eligible players by that date & time or effectively release them to become free agents."

So, in other words,  the Yankees could non-tender both Stewart and Nix because of the recent signings of Brendan Ryan and McCann. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes:

(In Photo: Brendan Ryan)

"Catcher Chris Stewart and infielder Jayson Nix are among those on the bubble as the Yankees steer forward with their arbitration-eligible players. Players who are not tendered contracts before Monday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline will become free agents."

There you have it... BYB. News, opinion, humor and educator... I'm  making business cards as we speak... I kid, I kid.

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NO ONE LIKES A LOSER & THE YANKEES KNOW THAT

When the Yankees lose, it impacts Bleeding Yankee Blue.  When the Yankees win, you read more.  I see it in the viewership daily. In short, no one likes a loser.

So what can we do as fans? We continue the support and we hope the Yankees turn it around.  It's always hard to root when a team stinks up the joint, but just as quick as the Yankees were winning again, they already lost 2 in a row at "the Trop". Luckily though... we're the Yankees, and us Yankee fans... we'll, we have to believe and will not quit... the Yankees know this and they will deliver.

There are a few guys I wanted to point out this morning as you're reading and sipping your coffee.  Guys that have contributed and deserve a shout out.  There are guys that have struggled this season that I'll mention as well. But as a whole, for us Yankee fans, it's been a brutal season, full of injuries, scandal and a record that is just plain not us.  Let's start with that...

The Yankees are 7 games out of first place.  The Rays & the Red Sox are tied for 1st and we are in 4th.  Can we win the division? We could, but first we need to win games consistently, and then we need to have the other teams lose... that's tricky.  In the Wild Card we are 4 1/2 out.  There are 4 teams ahead of us.  Now, while this is more realistic, I personally hate limping into the playoffs with the Wild Card, but, you do what you need to do to represent I guess.

Look at the guys this season that have stepped up.  Look at Brett Gardner, who always seems to be in the play when we need him.  Look at Alfonso Soriano who has returned to the Bronx with something to prove.  Ichiro Suzuki contributes every single game, be it in the field or with the bat.  Hiroki Kuroda has been dominant this season, and I can't even be upset with him in his appearance Friday night.  He's literally carried us, becoming our ace as of late and I appreciate that.    Even Jayson Nix, before he busted his wrist had a pretty good run.

Guys stepped up big time and many did it when they were simply given a shot.  Look at Lyle Overbay who rose to the occasion and really has played well all season.  Perfect!  When you are given an opportunity... you run with it! He has and I'm happy he's a Yankee.

Then there were injuries and struggles.  CC Sabathia has not had a good season.  Many want to attribute it to the fact that he's thinner.  Hey, who knows, maybe it is, but why take a shot at a guy's weight.  Clearly the guy is doing what he can to better his health as well as pitch his heart out.  You're really gonna suggest he needs to be fat to pitch? There doesn't HAVE to be a reason why he's struggling you know? Why not just chalk it up as he's having a bad year.  Every big time pitcher has had one, even Nolan Ryan.  The point is, let this ride out and he's a veteran, so I know he'll figure it out, that's what makes CC so special!

Derek Jeter may finally be back on Monday in Toronto.  It's exciting because now we know that he's ready. And I don't me ready for 2 games... I mean really, REALLY ready  and no doubt he will help this club win, right now, when we need it most.

Alex Rodriguez is walking around with a cloud over his head and you know what? He hasn't done much, but give the guy a few more games, and I will bet he'll start delivering. Sometimes just being in several games consistently starts momentum for a player. That's what I see happening for him.

And Ivan Nova.  Wow, he's turned it around huh?  Hopefully he gets us a W today and we start to turn it around again.  I appreciate where he is now and where he's been. It's been a journey.

No one likes a loser and the Yankees know that.  We will turn it around, we have to, for the Yankees, for the fans, we can and we will.  We aren't losers... we're the God damn New York Yankees... we can do this.

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NIX LIKELY OUT FOR THE REST OF 2013

Remember when RA Dickey hit Jayson Nix with a knuckle ball the other night and word spread that he fractured his wrist? (Read HERE), Well, According to Newsday and other sources... he's probably out for the remainder of the 2013 season.

Newsday writes: "Asked before Thursday afternoon's series finale at the Stadium if Nix is done for the season, Yankees manager Joe Girardi sighed and said, 'We haven't got a timetable, but my guess would be yes.'''

Nix had a good run with the Yankees this season and was given a whole lot of opportunities and handled it pretty well.  We wrote about him in our BYB piece, WE STRUCK GOLD WITH JAYSON NIX, Read it, it's great!

We'll let you know if the guy is expected the come back... but let's assume not.

Enjoy your Friday.

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WITH A HUFF & A PUFF... THE YANKEES WIN!

In a game that had all the earmarks of an extended battle, Alfonso Soriano put to rest any thoughts of extra innings with an eighth inning blast to the left field seats off Blue Jays hurler RA Dickey that gave the Bombers a 4 – 2 win.

In the first four innings of the contest, Adam Warren limited the Toronto offense to four hits and two runs, yielding two walks and striking out four.  But, after giving up a lead-off home run to Josh Thole (his first of the season) and then hitting Kevin Pillar with a pitch in the fourth, Joe Girardi brought in 28 year-old left-hander David Huff.  From that point on the Blue Jays would manage just one hit off Huff – a chop over the mound by Brett Lawrie. 

The value of what Huff gave the Yankees bullpen cannot be put into words as the group had been worked heavily in yesterday’s double-header sweep.

The blast by Soriano was his ninth as a Yankee (this season) and ruined an otherwise brilliant pitching performance by Dickey who remained sitting in the dugout until well after the game’s finish.

An early highlight of the game for the Yankees was Ichiro Suzuki’s 4,000^th hit (MLB and Japanese baseball combined).  Following a signature single to left, the game was halted to recognize the great hitter’s accomplishment.

For a majority of the game Dickey seemingly owned our boys in pinstripes, but from the fourth inning on Huff matched scoreless innings with the 2012 Cy Young winner.  Both Huff and Warren proved that the Yankees have depth at starting pitching should they need it.

In spite of working both games yesterday, the great Mariano Rivera took the mound in the ninth inning and struck out Mark DeRosa before giving up a double down the left field line to Rajai Davis. 

Mo responded by picking Davis off second, then striking out Edwin Encarnacion to end the game.

Also having a big night – yet again – was Robinson Cano.  The second baseman went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

The excitement of tonight’s win is tempered by the fact that the team lost Jayson Nix for an extended period with a broken hand.  He was hit by a Dickey pitch in the second.  What move the Yankees make to fill in the hole that is left with the loss of Nix is yet to be determined, but David Adams might want to stay by his phone.

The Yankees hope to finish a sweep of the Blue Jays tomorrow at 1:05 when Andy Pettitte takes the mound.  For now, the team is on a roll and has won its fourth consecutive series. 

Final: Yankees 4 - Blue Jays 2

Anyone else feeling 1978-ish?


    
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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THE YANKEES DOUBLE SHOT TUESDAY

Today’s Tuesday workday led to a Yankee win day at the stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 and 2. First... Game 1.  Here’s how it went down:

Robinson Cano was red hot for the lunch hour crowd slapping four hits including his 200th career home run.

"As a kid, you always dream to be able to hit one," Cano said. "Then, to hit 200, it means a lot to me. We're in a situation where we need to win games. It's good to hit 200, but the great thing is that we won."

Also clobbering a home run was catcher Chris Stewart after a three-month drought.  When we hit, we win- it’s that simple and when you hit 11 on the day as a team, that’s even better.  Ichiro Suzuki picked up his 3,999 career combined MLB and Japan hit today bringing him one closer to 4,000.  Manager Joe Girardi, still fired up from Sunday’s game against Boston, will be a lot happier when Ichiro hits the milestone so his right fielder can calm down a bit and focus better on the game.

Ivan the Great took us to the top 7th where he was replaced by Boone Logan and later by Shawn Kelley.  Joba Chamberlain came into the game for the 9th but was quickly replaced with Mariano Rivera, a frustrating move by the manager who recently stated that “the Yankees will need some 'big innings' from (Joba Chamberlain)…so he's going to have to get it done.”  Girardi was not taking any chances in the 9th, so he yanked Joba for Mo who got it done in eight pitches.

Game 1: Yankees 8 - Blue Jays 4.

And then, the “we have to win every game” momentum carried through to the evening bout as the scorching hot Yankees swept the double-header against the Jays.  Oh and Mo got the win!  Phil Hughes threw a great game but did not get the offense to support him tonight.  He threw seven-ground ball put outs, which helped the Yankees keep things close through the first half of the game.

The Yankees picked up a run in the third with a Robinson Cano RBI.  Then Jayson Nix tied the game in the 7th with a solo home run. Preston Claiborne, called back up from minors, came in and was spot on.  Then, Mo came into the game in the 9th to hold the Jays to two.  Tied in the ninth, the Mark Reynolds walked in four pitches and Ichiro Suzuki came in as a pinch runner.

Ichiro got to second on a beautiful Eduardo Nunez bunt.  Ichiro stole third setting up for Jayson Nix’s first ever game-winning hit.  Thaaa Yankees walk off win against the Jays!!!

 Game 2: Yankees 3 - Blue Jays 2

The Yankees have won 9 of the last 12 games and picked up their 6th walk off win of the season.  We are now 5 ½ games out of the wild card race.  We have to win every game seems to be the right mindset for the Yankees.  Let’s keep the momentum going!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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REPORTERS! NATIONAL, LOCAL, LEGENDARY & JOE BUCK

Sports reporters- annoying, informative, helpful, and yes, necessary! As a New York sports lover and baseball fanatic, I like hearing trained, professional journalistic perspectives mixed with the everyday fan rants. Yet, like you, I get aggravated from time to time with the reporters I listen to on ESPN or read in the New York Daily News. So, here are a few rants of my own, chock filled with smack and raw opinions.

First our national reporter, Buster Olney, senior baseball writer for ESPN The Magazine, covered New York Yankees and New York Giants for the New York Times, is a frequent contributor for ESPN's Baseball Tonight and hosts his daily podcast for the network. He, like many other reporters, also keeps his own blog and tweets consistently on Twitter(@Buster_ESPN).  He has published a couple of books including, The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty, where he analyzes why the Yankees lost the series to the Arizona Diamondbacks and why they fell so hard in the early nineties. Now that you have his credentials, let me tell you what I think of him. I think he's smug, Joe Buck-smug but with a stronger resume. The other day I posted a TED Talks presentation by Rita Pierson who candidly stated that "kids don't learn from teachers they don't like." I put Olney in the same category, he's not likable. He doesn't connect with fans and he doesn't care. That's just my opinion. He's no Peter Gammons. He's Buster Olney and he's cocky. He beat up stats people in his Insider's bog back in July, read that HERE, and he laid on thick with Ryan Braun and he pissed off Deon Sanders when the two of them were just rookies.  Olney wrote an unflattering piece about Sanders who blew off his request for an interview. Sanders replied to Olney by writing on a baseball "Keep writing like that your whole life and you'll always be a loser." Olney is not a loser but he does have a knack of taking a story a bit too far.

Next, a local reporter, The Daily News' own Mark Feinsand resonates with fans both in print, on the web, podcasts and his Daily News Fifth from the WCBS Booth during games. I, for one, look forward to his insights. When I first joined Twitter in 2007, Mark Feinsand was one of the first reporters I followed (@FeinsandNYDN). His local and national sports wisdom gives fans a lot to digest and he challenges us to know our stuff. He writes simply with a good amount of wit and core knowledge of the game and Yankee lore. He calls it straight but he's not mean and he's not condescending despite our Yankee struggles this year. No he is not going to put a positive spin on Phil Hughes' next start or the Alex Rodriguez comeback, but he will provide you depth and the hard-nosed facts like THIS. Following the Yankees triumphant win on Friday night Feinsand filed this insight,  "In typical A-Rod fashion, he headed for the clubhouse after being lifted for defensive purposes for Jayson Nix in the ninth, read more HERE. Who knows where he was when Brett Gardner stroked the game-winning hit past a diving Miguel Cabrera an inning later, but he wasn’t part of the swarm that surrounded Gardner to celebrate the win – one the Yankees needed in the worst way." That's how you cover the games New York-style.

Now, let's take a look at a sports reporter legend in Mike Lupica. An American icon when it comes to provocative journalism and commentary, 61-year-old New York native Mike Lupica calls it straight. New York Daily News reporter, ESPN analyst, resident sports expert and New York Times award winning author, Mike Lupica is who I check in with when it comes to storied that affect baseball at its core. What will PEDS do to baseball? Why does ARod have so much power? What do athletes like Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez do when they fall from grace? I want to know from Lupica when all is said and done. And with football season quickly approaching, Lupica is pushing out his next installment of motivating sports novels in QB1 in September. He continues to "heat" up today's fans with his sports knowledge and ingenuity.  Find out more about him HERE.

For Lupica, respect comes first and it shows in his writing and his interviews. "I want children to idolize their parents, their teachers, even older kids who set a proper example, on and off the field. I tell my sons and my daughter all the time something I wrote in a book once: I hope that when I am old and they are older, they will love and respect me the way I love and respect my parents," Lupica said.

Lastly, I can't do an article on sports reporters without taking one parting shot on Fox Sports Announcer Joe Buck.  As I have stated openly in the past, Buck seems to hate what he does and his negativity toward teams like the Yankees is just nauseating.  Again, my opinion. He loves to stick it to our guys and our team whenever he can.  It's all about the latest trends and hearsay rather than real sports, real game time analysis, honest baseball.  Not that he is dishonest, but he does not call the game fair. He and Onley parallel each other, but I guess there has to be people like Buck and Olney to keep us fans on the ball. 

So there are national, local, legendary and Joe Buck reporters.  And love or hate them, they call the shots, give us the information and at times like this, make our season's miserable.  But love 'em or hate 'em, they are there and that's American democracy at it's best!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT THE YANKEES HAVE A WINNING STREAK

Not only have the Yankees won 3 in a row, but they won scoring 14 runs tonight.  Now the Yankees are 5.5 out of the wild card and 9.5 out of first place... yes, it's true... I can dream.

Here's how it all went down:

CC Sabathia pitched tonight.  He went 6 innings and gave up 3 hits and 3 runs. He struck out 7 and gave up 6 walks. In the first, he gave up a 2 run homer to Mark Trumbo and I was sure we would have a terrible night.  But that didn't happen.

In the second inning, Vernon Wells homered.  In the 4th, Jayson Nix grounded out but in the process, it scored Wells.

Then Alfonso Soriano homered in the 5th, a solo shot. In the 6th, Eduardo Nunez grounded out but Nix scored. Then Soriano singled scoring Lyle Overbay and next, ARod doubled scoring 2.

In the 7th, Nunie knocked in Curtis Granderson on a ground out and Soriano homered again.  In the 8th, Nunez singled in Granderson and Overbay.  In the 9th for the Angels, they knocked in 4 runs off of Dellin Betances, who was quickly replaced by Joba Chamberlain and the  game ended there... Yankees win.

At that point, a reader posted this on Twitter:

i feel this is an appropriate retweet right now #truth RT @BleednYankeeBlu: Bleeding Yankee Blue: DEFENDING JOBA http://t.co/QAuj7QlJba
— e.k. rivera (@ek_rivera) August 14, 2013

Nice! That was written by Mike O'Hara, the Season 1 host of the MLB Fan Cave... I'm glad people are still checking it out 1 week later.

Final: Yankees 14 - Angels 7

Keep going Yanks! They kind of seem like they have alittle confidence right now, don't they?

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YANKEES LOSE ANOTHER WITH HUGHES IN CHARGE

4.1 innings... 7 hits and 4 runs allowed.  That was Hughes' day.  Are you serious?

That's not a major league pitcher.  There is no question that I am not a fan of Phil Hughes these days.  Yes, the offense is horrible, but when Hughes pitches, there is no way possible to come back from what he allows.  Sure the rest of the pitching staff didn't help matters today... the Tigers scored 9 runs, but come on, both pitching and hitting have to work together here...  we're the Yankees!

Yes it's true, Hughes doesn't get all the blame... Preston Claiborne got hammered too, but by the 5th inning, the Yankees only scored 2 runs.  By the 9th they tacked on 1 more, but it was way too late.

Lyle Overbay hit a 2 run homer in the 5th.  In the 9th, Overbay singled in Curtis Granderson.  That's it ladies and gentlemen.

Alfonso Soriano was 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Curtis Granderson, 0-3 with a strikeout. Jayson Nix, 0-4 with 4 strikeouts.  What the hell is going on. You know what?

Forget it... we suck.

Final: Tigers 9 - Yankees 3

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THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!

I told someone on Twitter yesterday to prepare to be swept.  The Tigers had momentum coming into the Bronx and we had a stadium with a newly returned Alex Rodriguez and mixed emotions from fans.  We also had no Mojo... so  I wasn't expecting much.  It's not like me to give up... but I gave up. I'm tired of the losses and I'm tired to having my heart broken every damn night... I WENT TO BED!

I'm glad I did because there was nothing better than hearing on 1010 Wins this morning that after Miguel Cabrera tied the game in the 9th, it was the Yankees that ended up coming back and winning it!  I should go to bed more often.  In fact, can I go to bed today at around 2pm? Because right now, I would if I could.

 Ivan Nova was truly exceptional.  7 innings of work, allowed 8 hits and just 1 run.  It was awesome actually and it's clear that Nova has figured it out. I feel bad for ever doubting the guy.  After him, it was David Robertson  who is so automatic, it's terrific... I know they are grooming this guy to be the next Mariano Rivera. Finally, Mo came in and it was then that he blew the Save.  It's Mo... I'm not getting on the guy, but it was clear then that the Tigers were not going to go away.

Miguel Cabrera hit a 2 run homer to tie it.  Right then we were right back where we have been... treading water.  Could it be that the Yankees would lose again? I shut the TV off.   I brushed my teeth, I didn't say a word... I went to bed. 

Little did I know that in the Bottom of the 10, little Brett Gardner would single in Jayson Nix... and the walk off was on! Boom! You gotta love that!

Final: Yankees 4 - Tigers 3.

Finally, just so you know... ARod went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts last night.  The stadium was a mixed bag of booing and cheering.  I'm going to tell you right now my thoughts on that... as a fan, do what you'd like. 

I don't care for booing. I don't think it accomplishes anything, but if you and I are paying these players salaries and they show up to each game sucking the life out of your team... do what you'd like.   Don't fear Joe Girardi who is reprimanding fans for booing... he's not your mother.  If you're frustrated... BOO.  If you are excited for a player... CHEER.  That's it... we pay the salary for these guys.

Enjoy your Saturday.

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