Catching up in Yankeeland
Has anyone in the history of blogging been more neglectful? We have to fix that!
Since we last worked a full day at the stadium – May 24 – a lot has changed. Well, one thing has changed, but it’s big. They added a soft-serve ice cream machine to the press dining room. Sources say O’Neill really enjoyed it; he went with the chocolate-vanilla swirl, no toppings. Every day.
Paging Tino Martinez: Okay, so this is the series where we plan to ask Tino your questions. Your questions are great. But we can’t find Tino! He’s expected here Tuesday for the draft; hopefully he’ll come in a day or two early. If not, we’ll get your answers the next time we see him.
Hughes in the pen: Hughes says he’s ready to do whatever the Yankees ask, and he’s available out of the pen from now until the foreseeable future. If Wang is right for a couple of starts, Hughes could return to AAA as a starter, to keep his arm strength so he’s ready should the Yankees need a starter at some point.
Courage for Life: You might remember an Innerview we did late last June with John Challis, an 18-year-old from the Pittsburgh area who died of cancer Aug. 19. He remains an inspiration through the foundation he started not long before he died. Courage for Life Foundation grants wishes of high school athletes who have life-threatening illnesses; for more info check the Web site.
John’s parents and sister, Lexie, were here today. Girardi greeted them, as did Alex; Mr. Challis still marvels at the flower arrangement Alex sent to the funeral home. And Joe Maddon has a T-shirt that bears one of his slogans, the proceeds from which go to John’s foundation.
A short story: Alex called John a couple of weeks before his death and they chatted for a bit. Then John said, “Well, I have to go. One of my friends just got here.” Mr. Challis laughed in relaying those words. (How many teenagers cut short a call from Alex Rodriguez?) “That was John,” he said. “He treated everybody the same.”
Hitting the Mark: Girardi, on Teixeira, who had an awful April and a marvelous May, which is continuing into June: “His demeanor’s been the same the whole way throughout. That’s one of the things that’s impressed me.”
Bruney ball: Bruney will throw another bullpen tomorrow, one that will simulate a two-inning stint. He will throw 15 pitches, sit down and throw 15 more. After Bruney and the Yankees gauge how he feels Monday, they will know his next step. For now, both parties are taking a cautious approach. Bruney, on the DL for the second time with a strained flexor mass in his right elbow, won’t commit to a timeframe for his return. “I tried that the last time and probably rushed myself,” he says. “I’m just going to go whenever (I’m ready).”
Price is right: Rays teammate James Shields says of David Price, “He definitely has ‘it.’ He has that good arrogance that I think all baseball players have to have to succeed.” Price’s pregame demeanor on the day he pitches is somewhat like CC’s. Both lefties will say hello to reporters, chat with teammates and generally appear to remain pretty relaxed.
REX! Jets coach Rex Ryan is here today. We called him “intimidating” on the pregame. He’s actually very friendly and easy to talk to. We probably should have described him as “not easily intimidated.” Whatever. The important thing is, Rex has committed to appearing on “This Week in Football” this fall on YES. Which puts him ahead of the Mangini pace already.
Pass the popcorn: We were lucky enough to be invited by the Giants to their practice facility Thursday for a screening of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” due in theaters June 12. (Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is producer.) It rocks! Denzel and Travolta are terrific. So is the new facility. The Giants did a really nice job with it; it’s bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside. And it definitely trumps that practice bubble they’ve been using for years. (John Mara appreciated that assessment when we shared it with him.)
The theater where the movie was shown will be used for film study. There are no cup holders attached to the seats. And the movie started five minutes early. No kidding.
The weight room is as enormous as you would expect. Rumor has it, coach Tom Coughlin is doing personal two-a-days. His first workout ends by 6 a.m. and he goes back for another in the afternoon.
Good news for Giants fans: Brandon Jacobs was the first player we saw and he appears leaner than ever. He says he’s lost eight pounds. He looks like he could play a game today. And run over a bunch of people. The Giants are delighted with him.
Speaking of food…: Following Kay’s lead, we ate a burger today but, unlike him, we added a bun and tomato. Kay also had bacon, grapes and watermelon. Something tells me soft-serve ice cream is in the near future.
Still paging Tino Martinez. Please pick up the white courtesy phone.
The Kimberly Jones Blog 
Welcome back Kim.You know, you better start paying more attention to this blog. If Newman starts her own blog, you will be left with tumbleweeds here! lolMake sure you have a vanilla cone for me. yummy
Ohh, btw, great interview with Swish! What a great, down to earth guy he is! He also doesn’t give plain answers and actually throws some of his personality into his interviews.
Ohh, and while I am stealing your blog :-), can you ask Phil about HIS blog? He seems to have forgotten about it. I tried his email address he gave to fans but that is not getting his attention either.Please report your findings back to me. {tapping my fingers}lol
My sister is a big fan of yours as am I. She wants to do what you do. She’s starting college this summer.
Anyway, like the last person said. Do yo think that you could ask Phil Hughes about his blog? I think he forgot he has one. He’s never on it anymore. Thanks, the interview with Swish was great. Keep up the good work.
Hey Kim, thanks for the updates!
Today was a great game. It would have been better had we won, but you have to give the Rays players a lot of respect. They’ve got some good bats in that lineup, and got the job done despite the injuries they have been plagued with. That’s what makes a great team. Going to continue to be a tight east through the rest of the year!
Let Kay and Coney know that I know who MC Hammer is and I was born in 1989. LOL they are such a ball to listen to on YES during gametime. I just finally got up here to make a comment about that but I’m sure they will remember the mini discussion they had about it during the game.
I love how Texas is helping us out (so far) with Boston and keeping them from gaining anything on us. Let’s hope we can take tomorrows game from Tampa and then take the Boston series. I’m so sick of hearing the Boston fans. They still think they are amazing because they finally won a series after 86 years. lol. Talk about bandwagon fans out there, my goodness. They always talk about Yankee fans being the rudest fans ever, but I’ve encountered way more rude Boston fans. I do dislike the Yankee fans that are obnoxious and make the rest of us look bad.
Anyway, keep up the great blogs, I enjoy reading them! đŸ™‚
Melissa from CT
Hey Kim, thanks for the updates!
Today was a great game. It would have been better had we won, but you have to give the Rays players a lot of respect. They’ve got some good bats in that lineup, and got the job done despite the injuries they have been plagued with. That’s what makes a great team. Going to continue to be a tight east through the rest of the year!
Let Kay and Coney know that I know who MC Hammer is and I was born in 1989. LOL they are such a ball to listen to on YES during gametime. I just finally got up here to make a comment about that but I’m sure they will remember the mini discussion they had about it during the game.
I love how Texas is helping us out (so far) with Boston and keeping them from gaining anything on us. Let’s hope we can take tomorrows game from Tampa and then take the Boston series. I’m so sick of hearing the Boston fans. They still think they are amazing because they finally won a series after 86 years. lol. Talk about bandwagon fans out there, my goodness. They always talk about Yankee fans being the rudest fans ever, but I’ve encountered way more rude Boston fans. I do dislike the Yankee fans that are obnoxious and make the rest of us look bad.
Anyway, keep up the great blogs, I enjoy reading them! đŸ™‚
Melissa from CT
Sorry about the duplicate comment, internet is acting up!
Kim,
It seems that Mariano has had trouble pitching the 9th in tie games for a couple of years, he has let games get away a number of times. Any idea why he has issues with that situation? It seems like the solution would simply be to not use Mo unless the team has a lead. Coke and his 4.5 ERA wasn’t a good option either after taking Mo out. Besides getting Bruney back how can the Yankees improve the bullpen?
This was definitely one of the more interesting games in quite a while. It took on the feeling of an NL style game in the late innings. I hope you get to do an interview with David Price this series now that he has started in Yankee Stadium. Even though he walked 5 guys he’s pretty impressive.
Kim,
I have a suggestion for YES for an online video feature, weekly show, or a segment on the pregame/BP show. I’ve been reading the Down on the Farm report on RAB and think it would be really cool if YES profiled some of the Yankee prospects and showed some footage from the minor league games if available. With the draft coming up on Tues. it would be great to keep the fans up to date on the future of the Yankees.
PS: If you find Tino either before or after Tues it would be great to have an interview with him and/or anyone else highly involved about the draft and its resulting Yankees picks.
Hey Kim!
I loved the interview you held with Swisher today. It was amazing and I’ve been looking for it online. I can’t find it anywhere ): I was wondering if you guys could put the inner views and the post game interviews up online! Thatttt would be awesome.
Love your blogs!
Samantha
Neglectful? You know Kimmie…if neglect were a crime, you would be on death row right now.
So anyway, let’s get back to the imprtant things at hand. Mariano…He’s just not too good in tie game situations. Let’s face it, that’s when he seems to give up thie long ball the MOST. Still, he’s the best CLOSER in the game for my money, but THAT is where he should be used. Nowhere else.
Swisher… too many strikeouts man!! He’s come through a few times for us, but we need MORE!! Maybe go see the voodoo doctor Melky has been seeing this year.
Teixiera….all world lately. This gy is just hitting his stride, and is in the PRIME of his career. Best signing the Yanks have made in YEARS.
Joba was GREAT in his last game. 8 innings and all those strikeouts. But I still want him in the pen. He can effect more games there. Like yesterday….if Joba is in the pen, Girardi doesn’t put Mo in the tie game, he puts Joba in for a couple of innings, and then maybe Mo. I like Joba better in the HOLD situation than Mo, and all you have to do is look at the history for the past few years to see why.
OK…that’s all from here Kimmie. But the next time you neglect us like this we’ll have to hold a Kangaroo court of our own and sentence you to fetching food for O’Neill and Kay for the next series they are in the booth together.
3 questions… (1) How do the players play day after day and not be sore and exhausted or how do they rest and recuperate so quickly? (2) Who pals around with who or Who hangs together? (3) How do you stay so svelte and lovely with all that delicious food that surrounds you?
Kim and every one else.
I have a burning issue to mention. While watching todays Yankees batting practice show, it seems the media is again focusing in on the wrong aspects of yesterday’s loss to Tampa. Yes, Mo blew the game, it happens, how ever, even before that, why doesn’t any one talk with the 9 idiots who have to hit and score runs? We left runners on all day, and yet, we get only 7 runs. Swisher, Cano, Arod, and Melky have been the biggest culprits. We shouldn’t be waiting till the late innings before getting it done. Bases loaded, with less then 2 outs, we shouldn’t be getting just one run or no runs at all. Double plays, ground outs, pop outs don’t get it done. Not to mention striking out, Swisher..
Arod has been the worst at leaving guys on base. Sure you can make excuses for him, we’ve heard it all, but you can’t excuse his entire Yankee career. His lack of play off production, his not hitting in key situations, etc.
I know he gets his numbers by the end of the season, how ever, where is he when he’s needed? The past week tells the tale, 15 runners left on base. Bases loaded 3 times against Texas, where’s Alex? 2 Runners on base, where’s Alex?
It’s every day with him, how ever he isn’t the only one right now, Swisher, Matsui, Cano, Melky, and Damon here lately. We need to be focusing on them and their lack of production. Forget Mo’s blooper yesterday, it happens. we score more runs, our bull pen isn’t as exposed.
I’m sure you could all argue my points, but look at the stats, especially RISP. It doesn’t lie. Watch the entire game, pay attention to the hitters and the situation they are in at bat. Se how the at bat goes, you’ll see the trend.
You keep us informed on a lot of little things. but what about the viewers who are not Baseball experts? How about a new small item added to the Pregame show….Baseball 101. You can’t use Baseball for Dummies, that is taken already. But teach us the little things that we are afraid of asking someone.
What is a slider?, What is a Balk? What is the difference between the Windup and the Stretch? What are all the positions numbers etc.
In other words a small series of items to teach the basics of behind the scenes baseball rules.
This little item would teach people and the newer Baseball lovers can lean without looking like an idiot when we ask someone.
I have another concern for our Yankees, well actually a couple, first off, the ever popular, but other wise now useless Swisher, Why are we still playing him? He’s not hitting, can’t hit the broad side of a barn from 15 feet out, and is a liability on base, why is he playing above Brett Gardner? Did you all see how Swisher got thrown out at third because he’s undisciplined base runner? That costs us a run. Gardner is faster, and is the future for us, why aren’t we playing him? If he isn’t the answer, let’s get Austin Jackson up and let him rip. Swisher is killing us with his offense, which is getting pretty offensive now.
The other concern, Jorge.. How much longer do we stick with a guy whom is costing us games with his arm? My mother could run on him, his throwing error hurt us. Sure he still can hit, but we need more then a hitter. Need that leader behind the plate, who can stop opponents run games, who can make the throws, and he hasn’t been able to since before he got hurt. For us to win, I mean to win, we need to get younger. Suffer the growing pains, and be better for it. Cervelle proved he can do it. Austin Jackson should get his chance, Gardner needs to play period. Matsui should be released, or traded, Swisher, banished to the bench, Posada removed from the starting role.
Hey Kim welcome back! While I have a full season package in the Grandstand, I always see a couple games with the always entertaining bleacher creatures. I have to say Swisher is really endearing himself out there. Not only with his play, but he actually joined in with us in heckling an obnoxious Cubs fan right before he was thrown out. Go Swish!!!!