Beer was banned in Section 39 at the old Stadium in 2000 to tame the sometimes overly passionate Bleacher Creatures, but with the move to the new ballpark, the taps will be turned on once again, a team official told The Post.
[...]
“Now we are going to retire all of our old ingenious ways of smuggling beer into the stadium,” [a fan] said.“
We’d go into a deli, and they’d make us a hero with fresh Arthur Avenue bread, hollow it out and put four beer cans inside. The guy would wrap it up and write ‘ham and cheese’ on it.”
In fact, alcohol never really stopped being sold in the bleachers, ["Sheriff Tom" Brown, a Creature since 1993] said.
“
This one guy would sell those airline-size liquor bottles out of a bathroom stall, like a drug dealer,” he said.
We can look forward to decades more civility, family fun, laughs and smiles in the bleachers. Or not.
Behold!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cYj0Ry6A9M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Recently, I started the Moose retrospective by comparing him with contemporary Curt Schilling. Mine was a relatively simple and cursory view of the two pitchers. Now, I want to point you in two related directions, which really highlights how good a derivative thread can be.
First, to Lar at Wezen-ball, who takes a great look at Moose through the years, with his conclusion:
As we all know, Mussina never ended up winning his Cy Young award. His highest finish was in 1999, when he finished second behind Pedro Martinez’s line of 23-4, 313 strikeouts, 2.07 ERA (243 ERA+). Despite that, Moose had a great career. For those first 10 years of his career, when he was still with Baltimore, he was clearly regarded as one of the top pitchers in the American League, a notch below Clemens, Pedro, and Johnson, maybe, but still top tier. His strong ERA+ and fantastic won-loss record (as overrated as it can be at times) and his frequent placement in the Cy Young results all help support this.
In addition, the relative stability of his homerun rate could be a result of moving from a good homerun park (Oriole Park at Camden Yards) to a more difficult one (Yankee Stadium). Like most pitchers, as he aged Mike Mussina had to survive by pitching more to contact.And given the state of the Yankees defense, perhaps this was exactly the wrong time for Mussina to have to make this adjustment. In his prime, up the middle in Baltimore, Mussina had Ripkens (plural), Harold Reynolds, Mike Devereaux, Robbie Alomar, Brady Anderson, and Mike Bordick, all players with excellent defensive repuations. Meanwhile, as a Yankee, he’s had Soriano, Jeter, Miguel Cairo, an aging Bernie Williams, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera. Defense has not been a hallmark of the Yankees of late, and Mussina’s shift in pitching strategy seemed destined to lead to more basehits.
I am totally stuck down a rathole on the BodogLife.com site. Here are the Over/Under lines for Team Wins for 2009. Have fun!
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- Baltimore Orioles 71
- Boston Red Sox 94
- Chicago White Sox 78
- Cleveland Indians 85
- Detroit Tigers 81
- Kansas City Royals 75
- Los Angeles Angels 88
- Minnesota Twins 83
- New York Yankees 95
- Oakland Athletics 82
- Seattle Mariners 72
- Tampa Bay Rays 88
- Texas Rangers 74
- Toronto Blue Jays 79
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- Arizona Diamondbacks 86
- Atlanta Braves 84
- Chicago Cubs 92
- Cincinnati Reds 78
- Colorado Rockies 77
- Florida Marlins 75
- Houston Astros 73
- Los Angeles Dodgers 84
- Milwaukee Brewers 80
- New York Mets 89
- Philadelphia Phillies 88
- Pittsburgh Pirates 67
- San Diego Padres 70
- San Francisco Giants 80
- St. Louis Cardinals 82
- Washington Nationals 71
Remember, the lines are for betting purposes, not prediction! So which would you place your mortgage on, if you had to? I think the Reds and Giants can hit the over.
Also, for the cynical ones out there, I am not (I repeat NOT) being paid to link to Bodog. I just find this stuff interesting.
According to BodogLife.com, here are the managers on the hottest of seats and their odds on being first to be fired:
Which of these MLB Managers will be the first to be fired by their respective team?
- Jim Leyland (DET) 2/1
- Ron Washington (TEX) 3/1
- Bud Black (SD) 5/1
- Joe Girardi (NYY) 5/1
- Cecil Cooper (HOU) 15/2
- Clint Hurdle (COL) 13/2
- Bruce Bochy (SF) 10/1
- Bob Melvin (ARI) 10/1
- Bob Geren (OAK) 10/1
- Jerry Manuel (NYM) 15/1
- Ozzie Guillen (CWS) 15/1
I hate to come across as simply bashing Lasorda just because he so far past his prime, but man, he is just so off base here.
“I don’t believe that at all,” said Lasorda, the longtime Dodgers manager. “He worked so hard. I saw him in the weight room working out all the time. Whatever (is in the book) is hearsay. I just don’t believe it. He comes from a family that’s full of good people.“I wouldn’t comment on it if I didn’t feel strongly about it. He has too much to lose. And he’s such a nice young man. He goes to church, he’s got a nice family. I know him. I know what kind of man he is and I just don’t believe it.”
So if you’re nice, go to church and have a family full of good people, there’s NO WAY you could do PEDs? Is that so, Tommy? What say you about Pettitte? Wasn’t Chad Curtis the biggest bible-thumper for years? By all accounts, the Giambi brothers are good guys, too. And Italian!
Tommy, this sort of argument is what the stat guys have been facing with regards to the scouts for years: spare me your stories and tales and show me the data. Right now, Pearlman is putting up the data with at least one named player shining the light on Piazza.
Saying that “he worked too hard” to use PEDs is silly and beyond basic as a defense. PEDs don’t turn a bad ball player into a HOFer, but they will boost a good player into something more. You still have to hit a round ball squarely. Tommy, my suggestion for you: You can tell everyone you doubt the claims but don’t sign on as his defense attorney.
Thanks to The Common Man for the “Grandpa Simpson” idea via the comments.
Dontrelle Willis has had a rough go of it the last few years. He’s gone from the emerging “face of the game” to an afterthought in Detroit. At least the doctors now think they have an explanation, even if it’s not the explanation:
Willis cited blood tests that were conducted earlier this month that raised concerns. Research suggests there are no lab tests to diagnose an anxiety disorder, but such tests can be used to look for physical causes for symptoms, ruling out other factors.
Willis said doctors told him that the condition is easily treatable…
[...]
Several Major League players have gone on the disabled list with conditions grouped under anxiety disorders. Perhaps the best-known case in recent years is Royals starter Zack Greinke, who abruptly left Spring Training in 2006 and eventually went on the DL with what was diagnosed as social anxiety disorder. He missed most of the season before returning late in the year, but has recovered to become a top young starter in the American League. Pete Harnisch and Jim Eisenreich are also listed among the better-known baseball players who have had anxiety disorders.
I sure hope that he responds well to treatment and we can get back to seeing the real Dontrelle again soon.
I’m taking a quick detour this morning. Feel free to come along, or not. Your choice.
Admission: I didn’t do a NCAA bracket this year. I won a bracket pool last year and I just never did one this year. A combo of factors but bottom line, I didn’t get one filled out. There I said it. This allowed me to continue with a long-standing thought of mine: Once Syracuse’s hoops season ends, it’s the first signal that baseball season is around the corner. So once ‘Cuse got blown out on Friday night, I had very little interest or investment in the rest of the games this weekend. As a result, I got to watch golf on Sunday.
I love playing golf but haven’t been able to play much (kids and all) over the last few years. I, like many others, don’t watch golf regularly, but will make it must-see TV when Tiger’s playing. If it’s Sunday and he’s in contention, definitely. Yesterday afternoon, I managed to catch the back nine in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And I wasn’t remotely disappointed. My sons even joined me for parts of it (we play Tiger Woods on the Wii, so they have an understanding of the game and I got a kick out of my 5 year old asking if “was that a flop shot or a wedge?”). I had to remind them that Tiger is doing this agains other pros, the best in the world, and making it look almost easy.
You know, by now, how it ended and the best part was seeing it live with my soon-to-be 9 year-old and my wife. I KNEW Tiger would do it, just as if we were watching a movie and we knew the ending, but we were watching a slightly different script. His mental strength around the green is just absurd and fun to watch. I hope everyone got to see it, or at least the highlights somewhere.
It was just incredible.
I know I have been pretty darn critical of Randy Levine. I firmly believe he puts the “evil” in Evil Empire. He’s a bully, an ex-politician, smart, stubborn, unyielding and often flat out rude. For any of you reading here for any length of time know that I think his NYC government connections were the driving force behind not just the building of the New Yankees Stadium, but also most, if not all, of the sketchy/oft-criticized financing schemes that were required to get this thing built.
In recent years, as George Steinbrenner has faded from view as the principal owner, Levine has emerged as the strongest voice of the Yankees, baseball’s wealthiest team. He is their executive-as-prosecutor, a tough, short-tempered and smart protector of the Steinbrenner family and the Yankees brand.
[...]
He’ll smile, shake your hand and cut your heart out if you’re not repared,” [former union president, Norman I. Seabrook] said. “don’t mistake that smile for anything but a knife.”
Wanted to post the final the voting results on the WBC poll:
Q: How do you feel about the WBC?
44 votes cast
- Don’t feel strongly either way 16 (36%)
- Love it as it is 10 (22%)
- Love it as it is, start it in November 10 (22%)
- Hate it and want it to stop 4 (9%)
- Love it, do it mid-season 4 (9%)
- Love it but don’t want my team’s stars to play 3 (6%)
Thanks for voting
For the longest time, I’ve been wondering who eventually takes Jeter’s spot at SS, whenever the opening appears. I’ve read a bunch about various glovemen over the last few years, but none could hold a bat. But now, there appears to be a front runner:
Fact is, Pena has always demonstrated world class defense since being signed by the Yankees out of Mexico in 2005, but his improvement with the bat is what’s elevated him to legitimate major league prospect status.“When I first saw him three years ago, you could knock the bat out of his hands,” said one veteran scout whose primary assignment is in the minor leagues. “But he was a magician with the glove and that made him someone to keep an eye on.
Now that he’s gained a little weight, put on a little muscle, he’s no longer an ‘out’. He can handle the bat. I always felt his glove would get him to the big leagues, but now I can see him as an everyday shortstop.”
[...]
“Best looking young shortstop I’ve seen in a couple of years,” said one National League scout.
The team says it feeds one to four people and sells for $20, and if a person finishes the Fifth Third Burger in one sitting, the team will offer up a Fifth Third Burger T-shirt. 
You may have heard about Fifth Third Burger, a $20 monstrosity named after the bank that sponsors the West Michigan Whitecaps minor league baseball team.
It’s 5/3 lbs (1.66) of beef with lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, chili and Fritos on an eight-inch sesame seed bun.
- Calories 4889; 244% Daily Value
- Total Fat 299g; 460%
- Sat. Fat 199g; 597%
- Cholesterol 744mg; 248%
- Sodium 10,887mg; 454%
- Total Carbs 354g; 118%
- Protein 198g; 105%
The writer, Allen Barra, takes the tone that he’s breaking ground about Jeter’s declining skills, and while that fact (Jeter’s decline) is true, he’s clearly not blazing a trail. He’s merely stepping in other’s footprints and calling them his own. I’ve been critical of Jeter when appropriate, but not wholly stomping on his throat just because it seems like the popular thing to do.
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