Game 85, Gainst the Jays, interesting first inning...

Pettitte starts tonight. Also, Eric Hinski is to start today. Lets see how the guy plays in the Yankee setting.

Like I said the first inning was very peculiar. Pettitte takes care of the Jays, one, two, three, pitching only 6 in the first. The bottom is when it happens. Derek Jeter walks to start off the Yankee's side of the inning. He gets second on a balk, then is "caught" stealing third. The throw beats him by a couple feet, sure, but there's a problem..The gloved hand of Scott Rolen never touches Jeter till he is bending up to get up. Jeter was thrown out at third because "the ball beat him." That is the reason the third base ump, Marty Foster. Jeter was sliding into third, saw the throw had beat him and the tag was coming for his left hand, so he pulled his left hand back to avoid the tag and slide his right hand in to touch the base. The replay shows a great display of base running and avoidance, but the ump wasn't giving in.

After the call Jeter immediately got up and went to the ump to argue the call. Girardi came out and, while Jeter was calming down, got the explaination from Jeter about what Foster had said and that Jeter was never tagged. Girardi went to Foster for an explaination about being thrown out at a base soley on the reason that the throw beat the runner. Girardi didn't get an explaination at all, just got tossed out of the game. After the game "Girardi referred to 'baserunning errors' in the first inning as letting Romero off the hook early." Sweet.

Anyways, Pettitte gets the loss, the Yankees get a tough loss as well, almost coming back in the end, but coming up short 7-6. 5 of the Yankees runs were scored during and after the seventh inning.

Although this was a tough loss it did have some nice notes in it. It was Hinske's first game in a Yankee uniform and he did not disipoint, going 2-4 with a HR. He was the last out, however, with a strike out. But whatever, the game was cursed from the first inning.

The first inning mishap in this game is one of the many examples baseball onlookers are seeing as a reason to get the ump calls checked by replays. The umps already check home run calls, Yankee fans know that more than anyone, having the most home runniest park and the first replay was called in New Yankee Stadium.

Game 22, at Detroit, Joba goes for first decided, NY trip soon?

Joba Chamberlain takes on Rick Porcello. An undecided to a 1-2. After the Yankees most powerful inning of the season, Joba takes over for game 3 of this 1-1 series. Lets go Joba get a decided game, and by decided game I mean Win. Game starts at 7:05 tonight, ESPN.

Wow, taking a look at the new ticket plans for New Yankee Stadium, I might head out to NY this year. Many prices cut, season ticket holder getting twice as many seats. No joke the economy is effecting everyone and everything. Many tickets were cut down 40%. The only reason why they are talking about this on ESPN is, come on, they're the Yankees. Anyone else and chances are it'd be lost in that teams news archives. Oh well, everyone's got to have their piece of the best I guess.

Hughes, so Hughes might take Joba's starter spot and move Joba back to the eighth inning reliever spot. Fine with me, I'm predicting Joba will be the closer after Rivera.

In other news, Red Sox snap streak with a Pitching error. Sweet, Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox Hero, 1-5 with a strike out. David Ortiz, 1-4, still homerunless.

Game 19, at Fenway, avoid the sweep

Losing 2 already at Fenway, the Yankees play tonight to avoid the sweep. Having been tied with the Red Sox at 9-6 2 games ago, I would hate to see them be back at .500. Overall the games have been really close, no blowouts. I went through and counted all the Yankee and Red Sox games. The Yankees play six in Fenway and two at home against the Red Sox before the All Star break, then three at Fenway and seven at home after the All Star break. Lets just hope they wake up against the Red Sox after the break.

Yankees score first in the third off a sacrifice fly by Gardner. But the Red Sox get it right back with a sacrifice fly by Ortiz. Red Sox get 3 more in the fifth. 1-4. With the bases loaded in the eight and no out I though Varitek was going to hit another. Whoa boy, Melancon, you got out of a tough situation. But a sweep never looks good. Just wait till your in NY and Rodriguez is back. Back to the best hitting infield.

Teixeira and Swisher went 0-4. Power hitters were shut down tonight, good with 3 strike outs between them. Berroa, Rodriguez's replacement, went 0-3, just as good as Ransom. Mastui, Cano, and Cabrera went 2-4 with 0 RBIs.

Yankees play Detroit Tigers the next 3 game series. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7:05. All right, lets win some.

In other news, the Rangers get to a 7th game, once leading the series 3-1. Typical.

Weekend Series at Fenway..Yay..part 2

So New Yankee Stadium home run hitting heaven? Nah, majority of the home runs were hit in that embarrassing Wang start. 8 in one game, almost a third of all. So, ya I think all this talk about the New Yankee Stadium being great for home runs, mostly just something to talk about to fill the void. Whatever, the average will go down with the season and this will all just blow over.

Other News, last night the Rangers get a third win over the number 2 Capitals. Great for them, a number 7 one game away from beating a number 2. Next game is tomorrow in Washington, shouldn't be too bad because they already won 2 there, outscoring the capitals 5-3, with a shutout in game 2. Come on just 1 more.

Other Other News, Red Bulls take on Kansas City Wizards in KC on ESPN2.

3 Days Before Opening Day: Exhibition game against the Cubs Part 2

The Yankees got off to a slow start tonight against the Chicago Cubs. Just in the first inning the cubs had 2 hits with a sacrifice fly to score first. Then in the second Wang got into some more trouble with runners on first and second. Aaron Miles doubled to score 2 in the second for a 3-0 lead.

But later in the second, Posada singles and then Cano hit a home run to bring it to a one run game. Then in the third Jeter singles to get on base for the second time and Matsui makes it count by hitting a home run to give the Yankees the first lead of the game at 3-4.

But in the top of the forth a triple by Reed Johnson later turns into a run for a 4-4 tie.

After a single by Cano and a lost pop fly by Nady, Ransom hits a 3-run homer off the left field pole to give the Yankees some breathing room in the bottom of the forth.

In the sixth inning the Yankees had 2 on second and third, in the seventh they had bases loaded, and in the eighth, they had bases loaded again, but they could not get the runners in. The Yankees are hitting, but there could be some struggling in scoring those runs again like last year.

The Yankees finish just as it was at the end of the fourth, 4-7. Congrats Yankees, with 13 hits, 3 of them multiple RBI home runs, you brought a W to Yankee Stadium in the first game.

During the game Joe Girardi was talking with the announcers and gave the comment that the Yankees were getting used to winning again. It doesn't matter that it is spring training, he wants the mentality.

Side Note, after the game MLBTV announced Gary Sheffield is a New York Met. Wow, good for him. I hope we have another Subway Series for the World Series at the end of it all.

3 Days Before Opening Day: Exhibition game against the Cubs

The first game in New Yankee Stadium. The day has arrived. Many of us have been waiting for this day since they announced the decision to build a new one and broke ground in 2007. This is a very historic day, the beginning of a New Era, right across the street from The House that Ruth built. No more visions of the legends who played on the 76 year old field, the men who built the stadium to having the reputation is has today. That era, unfortunately, has passed, and is now across the street from the new Yankees home.

The legend lives on, however, through the stars of today, Jeter, the superstar captain, Rivera, the Closer that ended 4 world series with wins for the Yankees, Cano, the young rising star, Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, and Chamberlian, the starters who all the fans place their faith in to end games before they start with wins for the Yankees. Today is the beginning of the first year in New Yankee Stadium, much presure on all the starters and the bullpen pushing for the first win in the new stadium.

The Yankees have released the projected starting lineup, starting pitchers rotation, and bullpen;

Projected starting lineup

1. SS Derek Jeter

2. LF Johnny Damon

3. 1B Mark Teixeira

4. DH Hideki Matsui

5. C Jorge Posada

6. RF Xavier Nady

7. 2B Robinson Cano

8. 3B Cody Ransom

9. CF Brett Gardner

Projected rotation

1. LHP CC Sabathia

2. RHP Chien-Ming Wang

3. RHP A.J. Burnett

4. LHP Andy Pettitte

5. RHP Joba Chamberlain

Projected bullpen

Closer: RHP Mariano Rivera

Setup: RHP Brian Bruney

Setup: LHP Damaso Marte

Middle: RHP Jonathan Albaladejo

Middle: LHP Phil Coke

Middle: RHP Jose Veras

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that even with all the success in spring training, there are still hurtles for the Yankees before things really get started;

"Girardi harbored major concerns coming into the spring, and with good reason. Catcher Jorge Posada is coming off a serious right shoulder surgery, closer Mariano Rivera had a procedure on his pitching arm, Wang missed half of last season with a right foot injury and Hideki Matsui needed surgery on his left knee. All four made it through the spring healthy, but with A-Rod already missing about six weeks, another injury to a major veteran could be a crippling blow."

4 Days Before Opening Day part 3

Jeter unofficially the first Yankee to hit a home run in New Yankee Stadium. That's right. During batting practice today Derek Jeter hit a home run over the left field on just his third pitch. Something tells me some of the Yankees feel right at home in the bigger Cathedral.

On Sportscenter tonight they were talking about Yankees pitching. It was funny because they said that all 5 of the starters could match up against any other starter. That is amazing to hear as a Yankees fan. I do remember last year and the absence of a rotation. This 5 starter rotation is a dream come true. Not only that but when the starters come out the bullpen gets put in and is said to be so much better than anyone thinks. Then Rivera to finish the game up and we all know how good Rivera is.

Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain..A Force to be reckoned with.

ALSO, Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed the impaired US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Yankees' exhibition game vs. the Cubs on Saturday. Quite an honor to throw the pitch against two of the most popular teams in American history.