Tag Archives: New York Yankees

Dec23

Twitter the night before Christmas MLB style

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Author Note: I was on Twitter last year the night before christmas and all the web not an account was stirring when out like a flash, the Phillies official account started and the laughs began on Red and Rockies and MLB and then the Pirates tried to close it out but the Reds got to say “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

Here is last year’s post:
Were you on Twitter? , If you were, you would have seen the MLB teams had some fun and the fans had some more fun reciting the famous Christmas poem by, Major Henry Livington Jr,  which also called Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas. The official accounts of  Phillies, Red, Astros, Rockies, Cubs, Mariners, MLB and more got into the mix. So my gift to you on this the merriest of nights.

Sep30

Welcome MLB Playoff Fans

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Welcome MLB playoff fans! Come on in and sit yourself down. Someone get them a beer and a dog.

For you Dodger fans, we have the classic Dodger Dogs.

For those enjoying the Cubs, we have the best version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Here is a quick bio of Harry Caray. Do not go to WRIGLEY FIELD and not know Harry Caray.

Baseball playoff season is upon us. In the NL, the Cardinals are already in. The Dodgers are in, thanks to Clayton Kershaw. The Mets are coming in from the East.  A battle for the wild card is going on between the Cubs and the Pirates. Will this finally be the Cubs’ year? In the AL, the Blue Jays are in, as are the Royals, who have been dominant this year. There is a battle in the West for who will go on to win the division, who will play the Yankees in a one-game winner-take-all and who will just go home.

Now here come the FANS. You know the fair-weather fans, the ones who about the end of August realize that people are playing baseball. They flip on the channel and suddenly become fans, watching the teams get better and better.

The fair-weather fan comes into our house. For the die-hard fans, it feels like an invasion of privacy, and honestly, there’s a little bit of jealously. We suddenly become bitter girlfriends.

“Oh no, you cannot come in here. This is my team. You just need to step off. I have been cheering for them all season. You think you can just come in here and think you are as good of a fan as me!”

I have always been a die-hard Rangers fan. But last year, with the Rangers nowhere near the playoffs, I turned my attention to my favorite player Jayson Nix. He was picked up by the Royals, and so I picked up my fandom and became a Royals fan. For the first time, I was a fair-weather fan. Social media and fandom can be a wonderful combination. I was embraced by the Royals fans online, forgiving me for being a Nix fan once they found out I met him and that’s why I cheered for him.

The Royals went on an impressive streak, and the fair-weather and die-hard fans were sent into a frenzy. And I was so excited I even bought a shirt and had it customized for Nix. I like being unique. I wore my shirt proudly and was again embraced by the real Royals fans. High-fives and”love your shirt.” They made me a real fan, while the Rangers still have my heart. The Royals brought me back to baseball.

Baseball can be an elitist sport sometimes. We have our own jargon and rules and no real reason of why we do things. Our job as the die-hards is to show the fair-weather fans what they have been missing, encourage and teach them all about what makes the team great. Let’s embrace the fair-weather fans, and maybe they will become real fans.

 

Sep23

Rest in Peace Yogi Berra

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Each morning I wake up and look at the news, and there is news that just makes us stop. Yogi Berra has died.   We stop, we put away the rivalries and we unite, we are baseball fans. We think of our favorite yogi ism; and smile My favorite is

“Baseball is 90% mental the other half is physical.”

Doesn’t quite seem so funny now, maybe to be a great baseball player it take more than 100%. There is a line from the movie the Sandlot that brings me comfort:

“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”

Yogi is a legend.

To Yogi Berra’s family, friends, the New York Yankees organization and to baseball fans everywhere, peace be with you.

Aug18

Bryan Mitchell on the DL

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Last night, Bryan Mitchell while pitching in the 2nd inning of last night Twins vs Yankees, Eduardo Nunez shot a line drive right at Mitchell’s head. There was nothing Mitchell could do; While still coming out of his pitchers motion the ball get him right in the face. The ball seemed to whip off the bat and had a direct path to Mitchell’s face.

 

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the exact moment the ball hit Mitchell.

 

Mitchell was on the ground with blood coming out of his face, he then puts a towel on his face and with minor assistance from a Yankee trained is able to walk to the dugout. Fortunately the outcome is good. Mitchell went to the hospital and has some small nasal fractures . This makes it sound not so bad but any fractures on the face are not good and Mitchell was placed on the 7 day DL for a possible concussion. For all head and facial injuries I think this should be mandatory.

While injuries are a part of baseball, these type of event take my breath away. While some wonder if Mitchell could have gotten out of the way. This is one of those unfortunate events, there was no way for Mitchell to get out of the way in time. I wish him a speedy and full recovery and glad the injury was not more serious.

Jul21

MLB Predictions: The Surprise Factor

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I hate making predictions. It’s a hard thing to do. You take a roster of men, and based on stats and previous performance and/or scouting reports, you make a prediction.  There is an element in baseball that no one talks about but everyone knows: The Surprise Factor. While self-explanatory, it has many examples: the 1951 Giants — “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” — a dream when on the bottom that you can work your way to the top of the standings.

 

In more recent years, the 2004 Red Sox, during the ALCS, down three games to none, came back to beat the Yankees ( which you know I am always happy about) and later win the World Series against the Cardinals.

This year, I tried my hand at predicting the winners and wildcards. My NL Predictions and  AL Predictions.  I admit fully that I was blinded by Cub fandom. I just really want to see the Cubs in the World Series.  I was surprised at Lester. I thought he had a pickoff move. This is essential in small ball in the NL.  No one could have guessed what the Astros have done. I mean, if I weren’t a huge Ranger fan, I would be cheering for these Texas boys. The Astros have made the AL West a real division, with some real competition.

Who would I pick to win now? Well, being a glutton for punishments, I would say this:

My new AL predictions:

West: I would like to see the Astros beat the Angels, and I predict Astros will win the division. I think that if they make some trades, there could be real Wild West fun. I see the Angels being the wild card again, like last year.

Central:  Royals Royals Royals. They still have the magic from last year, and, no surprise, what make a great team great: camaraderie.

East: If you going to spend some money, you might as well get something for it. The Yankees should be on top, for all they put into the team.

My new NL predictions:

West: I love the Dodgers, where pitching is king. There is going to be some back-and-forth in the standings with the Giants, Dodgers will prevail.

Central: I think we will see The Surprise Factor at work. The Pirates are coming back in a big way. It’s going to make for some fun baseball.

East: Chocolate sauce all around. The Nationals have this in the bag. That being said, I see the Mets coming in as the wild card.

 

 

 

Jun3

Mangers being tossed, a wonderful part of the game

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I grew up in the time of Lou Piniella, seeing him unload on a crew of umpires was legendary. When you play the game with passion tempers are going to flare. This may sound funny to say but there is something almost noble about a manager arguing with an umpire. When something is not right your team need to know that the manager has their backs. Last night Lloyd McClendon meltdown was one for the books

In the top of the 3rd in last nights Yankees vs Mariners game. Alex Rodriguez checked his swing or so says the 1st base umpire on appeal. This enrages the catcher for the Mariners Mike Zunino, who is tossed, then McClendon comes out to defend his team, and it is not just to yell at one ump he goes for all three umpires. McClendon is  kicking hats and dirt along the way to each ump to give them a piece of his mind. He leaves the field to a standing ovation.

This is not the first time event for McClendon. in 2001 as a rookie manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, well let the video speak for itself

And now a little bit of history on managers being tossed. Check out this video

 

 

May25

Can you guess what is wrong with this picture?

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On Sunday afternoon, I open up my local paper to find an AP(Associated Press) story on the Texas Rangers beating the New York Yankees 15 to 4. The Rangers would later sweep the Yankees. (Woo Hoo! Who said that ? oh yeah its me!! GO RANGERS!!!!) The caption is so WRONG! I mean its so wrong I can’t not even comprehended how someone could make such a gross oversight. Here is the Miss Baseball correction.

In the picture from left to right: Delino DeShields, Jake Smolinski (not Elvis, they don’t even look close to alike) and Shin-Soo Choo.

Here is the player profile on Jake. Let’s get it right next time AP.

http://rangers.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=519295#gameType=’R’§ionType=career&statType=1&season=2015&level=’MLB’

 

Apr14

Miss Baseball’s MLB Franchise Four picks

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Oh lets have some fun today. I love baseball, I love everything about the game, and I love the long rich history of the game. So MLB has a ballot online at :http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2015/ .jsp

Well I thought I would give you my picks for each team. Now i have to say this was hard. My love of the game and some personal morals and knowledge of the game really made some of these choices hard. In some cases I would cry out to the baseball gods and ask how am I supposed to choose. (toughest teams were Yankees and Red and Cardinals)

So being a life long Texas girl lets start there

Texas Rangers: When I think of Ranger baseball who comes to mind. Now I don’t know if the team made the list or if MLB made the list but my first three choices were no brainers.

Micheal Young, Ivan Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan and my write in because I don’t know how you can talk about Ranger baseball and not mention him. RUSTY GREER!

Astros: I really thought about who do you think about when you think about the Astros, Nolan Ryan is a given. Then you have to pick the killer Bees. Bagwell, Berkman and HOF Biggio

Angels: Anderson, Guerrero,Finley,Salmon

A’s: Simmons, Foxx, Henderson, Eckersley

Mariners: Griffey, Johnson, Martinez, Suzuki

White Sox: Minnie Minoso,Harold Baines,Frank Thomas,Paul Konerko

Indians: Bob Feller,Jim Thome,Omar Vizquel,Tris Speaker

Tigers: Ty Cobb,Alan Trammell,Hank Greenberg,Justin Verlander

Royals:George Brett,Bret Saberhagen,Alex Gordon,Write In: Bo Jackson

Twins:Kirby Puckett,Walter Johnson,Rod Carew,Harmon Killebrew

Red Sox: Cy Young,Carl Yastrzemski,Ted Williams,Pedro Martinez

Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr,Brooks, Robinson,Frank Robinson,Jim Palmer

Yankees: Joe DiMaggio,Lou Gehrig,Babe Ruth,Mickey Mantle

Rays: Evan Longoria,Carlos Pena,David Price,James Shields

Blue Jays: Jose Bautista,Joe Carter,Carlos Delgado, and because I can write in my favorite Blue Jay Frank Catalanotto

National League

Braves:Hank Aaron,Greg Maddux,John Smoltz,Eddie Mathews

Marlins: Livan Hernandez,Giancarlo Stanton,Josh Beckett Write in: Rick Helling

Mets: John Franco,Dwight Gooden,Mike Piazza,David Wright

Phillies: Chuck Klein,Jimmy Rollins,Mike Schmidt,Chase Utley

Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman,Andre Dawson,Vladimir Guerrero,Gary Carter

Cubs: Ernie Banks,Ryne Sandberg,Ferguson Jenkins,Ron Santo

Reds: Johnny Bench,Barry Larkin,Joe Morgan,Frank Robinson

Brewers:Prince Fielder, Rollie Fingers,Paul Molitor,Robin Yount

Pirates: Roberto Clemente,Ralph Kiner,Willie Stargell,Honus Wagner

Cardinals:Lou Brock,Dizzy Dean,Rogers ,Hornsby,Stan Musial

Diamondbacks: Luis Gonzalez,Randy Johnson,Curt Schilling,Matt Williams

Rockies: Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla,Todd Helton,Larry Walker

Dodgers: Steve Garvey,Sandy Koufax,Jackie Robinson,Fernando Valenzuela

Padres: Adrian Gonzalez,Tony Gwynn,Trevor Hoffman,Jake Peavy

Giants: Christy Mathewson,Willie Mays,Buster Posey, and I don’t know how you can talk about the Giants and not mention Will Clark so he is my last write in vote.

Ok so that’s the list, Who would you pick?

Apr7

Miss Baseball’s Top Concerns for the season

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Well, that was some opening day. Am I right? I loved all the games I did get to catch. I being a Ranger fan am glad I missed last night’s game. No one likes to see their team get shutout.  So after all this baseball watching I have a few concerns.

Jon Lester and the No Pick Off Move.

Now, don’t get me wrong Lester is a great pitcher but according to ESPN broadcast. Lester has not really had a pick off move since 2011. Come on Jon, you are in the NL now where small ball is king. The base runners are going to figure out that they can run on you. Oh and if you’re on base and Lester is on the mound. RUN!

New York Yankees Infield:

I watched the infield yesterday make what I would call careless errors. One might argue with me that its just one game. True. but I hold the New York Yankees to the highest of baseball standards and they were not in the infield yesterday for sure.

No l’m Not in Love with San Diego Padres.

I have been watching the baseball news and reading baseball stories about all the trades the San Diego Padres have done. I need more proof that all these moves are going to work. People are calling general manager A.J. Preller a genius He is only a genius if it works, and the fact that he was trained by Jon Daniels scares me.

Dec16

Be nice to the fans and they will be nice to you.

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OK, well not always, as I have seen fans who don’t behave nicely. Miss Baseball is going to be Miss Manners today and give you some Crash Davis advice on handling fans. Some Do’s and Don’ts

Do: Say Goodbye. We have cheered for you for a season or for years. Say goodbye. Billy Butler put out a full-page ad in the paper to say goodbye to the KC fans.

Don’t: Bash your former team or their fans. You know, what is sad as a Ranger fan is there is more than one player who left and insulted me (as a fan) and my city and my team. I don’t have to worry about pointing fingers at any one person.

Do: Smile. Be happy. You are playing baseball.

Don’t: Be arrogant or overly modest. Both make you appear fake and mean.

Do: Sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

Don’t: Blow fans off. If you can’t talk, tell them that. Some of them don’t know.

Do: Get on social media,

Don’t: Follow the wanna-be Playboy girl, she’s not real, and do you want your young fans to see that?

As a Ranger fan, I have been very blessed with some great players, and while we didn’t always win, we had heart, and I am still and always will be a fan.