On some Yankee fans' blatant double standard when it comes to booing

I got a variety of responses, both on Facebook and elsewhere, to my article defending Nick Swisher's complaints about Yankee fans booing him. Click here to read what people said in the comments section of Subway Squawkers. Thanks to everyone for weighing in on the subject. Anyhow, the whole thing got me thinking some more about when and where Yankee fans boo.

Since we started writing this blog way back in 2006, I have been consistent in being against Yankee boobirds. I swear, I think some fans just want to show up at the game so they can vent their frustrations in life against A-Rod/Swisher/Granderson/whoever their target du jour is. Because it's soooo much to endure being a fan of a team with 27 rings and the best record in the American League this year, still playing October baseball, y'all!

Sure, this postseason's batting struggles have been extremely frustrating. However, maybe it's because my co-Squawker is a Mets fan, but I do attempt these days to keep real fan misery in perspective. Not that Mets fans are perfect -- the way some of them scapegoated Carlos Beltran was terrible. But their season usually effectively ends in July. The fact the Yankees are still playing in October is something to be thankful for.

While I get complaining about the Yankee lineup these days -- I've done a ton of that recently! -- I don't get booing them, especially when some Yankee fans are focused on their two-minute hate against the designated Yankee scapegoats that they seem to have forgotten to boo the opponents!

Somebody brought up to me yesterday that Mickey Mantle got booed by Yankee fans. Yes, he was. So was Roger Maris, and Reggie Jackson, and Dave Winfield, and many other Yankee stars. And it was as stupid then to boo as it is now. Imagine the conversation young Yankee fans may have had with their elders over it:

"Tell me, grandpa, did you ever see Mickey Mantle play?" 
"Yes, I did, Bobby, and we booed our lungs out at him!"

Anyhow, the subject got me thinking about Yankee fans' reaction to another high-profile flop. Remember when Jorge Posada was batting .165 last May, and was 9 for his last 62, and Joe Girardi had the nerve to bat him ninth against the Boston Red Sox? Unlike Alex Rodriguez, who has yet to throw a fit over being pinch-hit for, moved down the lineup, and benched during the postseason, Posada had a sitdown snit, pulling himself from the game and throwing a hissy fit. Then, instead of putting on a happy face, he pouted in the dugout. Oh, and he had his wife spread an excuse saying that his back was bothering him, when the only thing really hurting was his ego!

So you would think that these Yankee fans who are so appalled these days at A-Rod, and Granderson, and Swisher, and Cano, for committing the crime of hitting poorly would really have been outraged over Posada's sitdown strike. After all, not only was he not performing at the plate, something that, by their logic, should automatically be grounds for booing, but he also refused to play against the Red Sox, showing that he wasn't being a team player, but a diva. Then the next day, he gave a non-apology apology, saying that he "needed a day," and that he was "trying to move on." Lovely.

You can guess where I'm going with this. Not only was Posada not booed by these Yankee fans for the "Quit, quit, Jorge" act, but the Bleacher Creatures did a special salute for him the following night, while ESPN kept on focusing on fans holding up a "We stand behind Jorge" sign during the game. To top it all off, Posada got a standing ovation from Yankee fans when he came into the game to pinch-hit the next night. Here's what I wrote back then:

Look, I am not a fan of booing your own players. But vociferously cheering Posada was flat-out ridiculous. What, exactly, was he being hailed for? Was it for quitting on his own team? Insubordination? Pretending to be injured, when he really wasn't? Getting his wife to spread that phony story on Facebook and Twitter? Making a rather lame -- and late -- apology the next day? Sitting in the dugout making the Nomar face? Sorry, but there is nothing Posada did this weekend that was worth giving him a standing ovation for.

So keep that in mind the next time you hear Yankee fans justifying booing their own players. Many of the very same people doing the catcalls now gave Jorge Posada a standing ovation after he quit on his team, as if he were a victim or something.What hypocrites they are.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Free Bartolo Colon! Time for Him to Take Phil Hughes' Place in the Rotation

Signing Bartolo Colon wasn't exactly a Brian Cashman move I was crazy about this winter, but the pitcher has actually shown some value so far this year. And given that he has had to come to the rescue for every single Phil Hughes start, I think it's time to put him in the rotation, and Hughes in the bullpen to work out his issues.

I don't think Hughes is afraid, or can't handle starting, or anything like that. He's built of pretty strong stuff. But the Yankees can't hope to have great walk-off wins like last night to salvage every Hughes debacle!

Going to Colon in the fifth was the right move last night, as Ed Valentine of Around the Empire noted. He said he was "shaking [his] head in disbelief" when Michael Kay thought the Yanks had too quick a hook with Hughes. You and me both, Ed!

Oh, and how about that play at the plate last night?

Loved that Nick Swisher hit the sac fly to give the Yankees the walkoff win. He seems to enjoy the pie thing more than any other Yankee.

Speaking of Swish, have you seen the commercial he has with Jonathan Papelbon for Norelco? The best part of it is that the ad plays off on Swish being likeable and amiable (even Squawker Jon digs him), but Papbelbon comes off as, um, kind of a jerk!



What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jon Heyman Criticizes Nick Swisher Over Slide, Tweet

It was great to see the Good A.J. Burnett pitch for the Yankees yesterday -- he's now 2-0. There was one sad thing in the win, though. Nick Swisher's slide into Minnesota Twins second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka (you can see the video here.) ended up knocking the player out of the game -- and breaking his leg. It seemed like a clean slide to me, and the Twins agreed. But it's a tough blow for the Japanese-born player in his first week of MLB.

Anyhow, Swisher did all the right things, as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes:

Swisher visited Nishioka in the X-ray room.

"The first thing I said was, 'I'm sorry, man. I thought you were going to jump,' " Swisher said. "And he said, 'It was my fault. I should have gotten out of the way.' I was just trying to break up a double play. I didn't mean to do that. Especially with a guy like that, just trying to make his mark over here."

Nishioka said he appreciated Swisher's apology but didn't feel it was necessary.

Added Gardenhire: "[Nishioka] just got caught a little flat-footed. Swisher's a clean player. That's just a good baseball slide, trying to break up a double play. There's no intent there."

The article also notes that Nishioka even apologized to Gardenhire for the play!

It looks like there's no bad blood between the Twins and Yankees over this, and best wishes to Nishioka on a full and speedy recovery. But there is at least one sportswriter who took issue with Swisher -- Jon Heyman of SI.com. On Heyman's Twitter account, he first wrote:

I'm sure all the yankee honks will come after me, but I didn't love that swisher slide. Too late. Best wishes to nishioka

Then he wrote this, retweeting a Swisher tweet after the game:

wheres the remorse? remember nishi? RT @nickswisher Great series win for the Bombers today ... Off to Boston baby!

I like Heyman -- he's emailed me replies when I've written to him, and tweeted back several times. He talks to fans a lot, and is accountable, which is good. And I do like his writing, and I enjoy hearing him on the radio.

All that being said, I think he is way off base here. He has a right to his opinion on the slide, but to gripe about Swisher not showing remorse is a bit much. (Heyman later acknowledged the possibility that it might not have been Swisher himself writing the tweet. But he still thought the post was wrong.)

Are journalists going to start demonizing players not just for not talking for them, but not showing what they deem to be sufficient remorse on their Twitter accounts? Good grief.

And, as I wrote Heyman on Twitter last night, plenty of journalists in newsrooms make black-comedy jokes about tragedies that are much worse than what Swisher did. When I first visited a newsroom in college (my professor was a TV weatherman who gave us a tour during a broadcast) he warned us that we might hear some offensive jokes, because that was the way journalists sometimes coped with horrible stories -- by cracking wise. And Swisher didn't even do that -- he just posted an innocuous tweet about winning the series and getting ready for the Red Sox.

It's a touchy thing when something bad happens. When my father died, I laughed at something somebody said during the wake, and was also delighted to see an unexpected face. Would somebody view that as not sufficiently mourning?

I suppose Swisher could have specifically tweeted his apology. But really, it makes no difference -- he apologized in person, which is the important thing. Whether or not he referred to it on Twitter is irrelevant to me.

At any rate, I don't want Swisher dwelling about what happened, if it constrains him as a player. What if, the next time he is supposed to slide, he is unable to do, because he's afraid of inadvertently hurting another player?

There are a lot of dopey things athletes do on Twitter. What Nick Swisher did wasn't one of them.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Nick Swisher to appear on "Better With You," his wife Joanna Garcia's show

Was in the midst of writing about the Baseball Hall of Fame votes when I saw something really important -- Nick Swisher is going to have a two-episode arc on "Better With You," the hit ABC show starring Swish's wife, Joanna Garcia!

I read the news on the new site TVLine. Michael Ausiello of the site reports:

Sources confirm to me exclusively New York Yankee Nick Swisher will play himself in two episodes of Garcia’s underrated freshman ABC sitcom Better with You.


The arc kicks off during February sweeps when Ben (played by Josh Cooke) is involved in a mishap with Swisher during a home game. From that moment on, their paths continue to cross.

 Have no idea what the mishap will be, and I've never watched the show, but I'll have to check it out. Have any of our readers watched "Better With You"? What's it about?


What do you think? Tell us about it!
 

Nick Swisher talks about Derek Jeter and "Movember"

FOX Business Network let me know about Nick Swisher's appearance (see video here) on their network to promote Movember -- the month where men grew facial hair to raise cancer awareness. (You can read more about this here.)

He told FBN's Cheryl Casone and Ashley Webster this about Derek Jeter:  “I could not see him in any other uniform than the pinstripes.”

Here are some excerpts from the interview. Transcript is courtesy of Fox Business Network.

On whether Derek Jeter will return for another season:


“He’s the face of the franchise. He’s done so much for this team, so much for the city, and so much for the game of baseball. Who knows what’s gonna happen, but I could not see him in any other uniform than the pinstripes.”

On the Yankees 2010 season:


“We had such an amazing season this year, we kind of tailed off toward the end, but hey we had a great team didn’t work out for us, but I know that that hunger’s gonna definitely be there next year. It’s a wonderful team, wonderful opportunity, and any time you get to put the pin stripes on every day, life is great.”

On New York:


“I love it here, hopefully I’ve found a home.”


On the difference between a New York fan and a West Coast fan:


“Everything is different. There are no fans in this game that are like the New York Yankee fans. I’ve never been around a group of more loyal people in my entire life and to be able to go out and take the field every day with that pride, honor and tradition…it’s been an amazing couple of years.”


On involvement with charity Movember:


“What a wonderful opportunity to team up with Movember and The Art of Shaving to help raise cancer awareness. For myself, losing my grandmother from cancer and my mother going through Leukemia right now, it’s definitely an honor.”

Nick Swisher sez he's bleeping tired of talking about Cliff Lee

ESPN New York is making a whole to-do over Nick Swisher cursing (shocker!) when asked yet another question about Cliff Lee. Good for Swisher, I say.

Here's what happened (hat tip to Was Watching for the link.) Swisher overheard Andrew Marchand asking his teammates about Lee. Swisher responded:

With the Yankees facing Texas Rangers starter Colby Lewis in Game 6, Swisher did not take kindly to a reporter asking teammates a couple lockers down about Lee.


You guys are talking about Cliff Lee?" said Swisher out loud in a room full of reporters. "[Expletive], who cares?"


As he walked off, Swisher said, "I can't wait to hit against his [behind]."

OMG, a ballplayer cursed! Twice! What is the world coming to? What about the children? (And yes, I'm being sarcastic here.)

The story continues:

Later, when asked about saying this out loud with reporters present, Swisher cut off a question when the words "Cliff Lee" were uttered.

"I'm not talking about Cliff Lee," Swisher said. "I don't give a [expletive]."

A few points:

* Whenever you hear a writer refer to what "a reporter" said, nine times out of ten, "a reporter" is really the reporter writing the story. I don't know why sportswriters keep with this silly, passive convention; it does not serve the reader. And indeed, it is the case here; Marchand's ESPN colleague Wallace Matthews confirms that Marchand was the one to ask the question. Matthews also writes that Swisher was openly tired of the Cliff Lee questions as early as last Saturday.

* As for Swish's response, what's the big deal here? Swisher's response is exactly what I want to hear from him. And I don't give a bleep that he cursed to reporters, and offended their delicate sense of being (yeah, because we all know that the harshest word any sportswriter will say is "gosh darnit"!) What is Swisher supposed to say? That he's really, really scared to face Lee, and the Yankees are just terrified? C'mon now.

* Why don't the reporters worry about Game 6 before raising the OMG! Cliff Lee Is Pitching Game 7 specter? Then again, they raised it after Game 2, so that would be too much to ask for!

What do you think? Tell us about it! 

I watch one pitch -- and it's Nick Swisher's walkoff homer!

I completely forgot that the Yankees were playing in the afternoon yesterday. Then I saw something online about them losing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, and I hurriedly rushed to put on the TV. I saw only one pitch. And it had a great result! Nick Swisher hit a walkoff homer, exactly one year to the day that he hit a walkoff homer to win a game for the Yanks against the Orioles the year before.

Squawker Jon actually grudgingly gave Brian Cashman credit for something today -- picking up Swisher! Jon also made a comparison between Swisher and Jeff Francoeur. Only thing is, Swisher is having another great year as a Yankee, while Francouer is, um, no longer a Met!

Oh, and how about Buck Showalter? Anybody who thinks managers don't matter ought to see what these Orioles are doing. They very nearly swept the Yankees this week, and look like a very different team than the one Jon and I saw in Baltimore this June. Too bad the Mets didn't fire Jerry Manuel, and hire Showalter!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Who will get your All-Star Final Vote?

I've been busy voting - and voting and voting - for Nick Swisher in the AL All-Star Final Vote campaign. I also wrote a piece for The Faster Times about the battle between him and Kevin Youkilis for the spot.

But I'm wondering who Yankee fans are throwing their National League vote to. I would have voted for Joey Votto - he got robbed of a spot on the All-Star team in the first place - but then he had to form an evil alliance with Youk. So that's out.

So I decided to make my NL vote all about ticking off Squawker Jon. Initially, I voted for ex-Met Billy Wagner. The fact that the Mets lost two draft picks by trading him is something that still ticks Jon off. But then I thought I should also throw some votes Heath Bell's way, given that the Mets essentially traded him for a bag of balls, and he's turned out to be a great closer for the San Diego Padres. Now that Bell has been named to the team as an injury replacement, maybe Jon will have to deal with both Wagner and Bell as All-Stars!

My votes are all about getting Jon irate. Ever wonder why Met-killer Yadier Molina wins the catcher vote every year for the All-Star Game? It's my fault!

Who is Jon voting for on his Final Vote ballot? I dunno, but I heard he's going to announce it tonight in a prime-time special. Where do you think LeBron James got the idea?

Who are you voting for? Tell us about it!

Nick Swisher sez "No way, dude" to Clay Buchholz's "Sweet Caroline" singalong

I am on record as despising the Neil Diamond song "Sweet Caroline." I hate it oh so very, very much.

It's bad enough that "Sweet Caroline" has become a Red Sox anthem, but then the Mets started using it as their own singalong, which made it even more annoying. Fortunately, I think the Mets finally stopped playing it last year, but this tradition still goes on at Fenway Park.

And the song is just plain creepy. Neil Diamond (you know, the dude in that cringeworthy album photo cover above) said the Caroline he wrote about was Caroline Kennedy. She was all of nine years old at the time. How disgusting are these lyrics being sung to a little girl?:


Hands, touchin' hands
Reachin' out
Touchin' me
Touchin' you

Or these?:

Look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holdin' you

Yuck.

Anyhow, Nick Swisher is in an ESPN commercial with Clay Buchholz, of all people (Hat tip to Sox and Dawgs for the video) and Swisher also has a negative reaction to the song.

Here's the scene: Buchholz, actor Adam Scott (whoever he is!), and Swisher are sitting around the living room together when the first two burst into a "Sweet Caroline" singalong. They try to get Swisher to join in, and he says, "No way, dude." Left unsaid is why Swisher was hanging out with a Red Sox. At the very least, I hope Swish kept his laptop hidden!

And I might not have known that was Clay Buchholz in the video if it weren't for the description. He's not exactly Youk when it comes to being recognizable!

Anyhow, here's the video:





What do you think of "Sweet Caroline"? Creepy or cool? Leave us a comment!

Grrrrr - I'm still peeved about last night's game

You know, I actually would have felt better if the Yankees lost last night's game without them rallying to get the lead in the seventh. But to have them score six runs then, after being down 4-0, and then still lose makes it truly gut-wrenching.

But really, I don't blame Joe Girardi for the loss. I wrote in a piece for The Faster Times that Phil Hughes, Nick Swisher, and A.J. Burnett are my goats of the game. I note that Hughes has been terrible this postseason. And don't tell me he would have been better if he had started the seventh. He started the eighth in ALDS Game 2, and promptly gave up two runs to make the game 3-1.

Either Joe Girardi needs to bat Nick Swisher ninth, and move Melky Cabrera up, or he needs to bench Swisher. Because he's killed rally after rally in this series, most notably last night.

Now it's on to New York for Game 6. Attention Red Sox fans who are going nuts over this turn of events - the Yankees have beaten the Angels three times more than the Sox  have!

What do you think? Leave us a comment.

How about that Nick Swisher?

I'm not going to say that I called Nick Swisher's walkoff homer last night, although I had a pretty good feeling going into the bottom of the ninth that there would be a pie in some Yankee's immediate future!

Of the Yanks' 13 walkoff wins, Melky Cabrera has three of them, and Alex Rodriguez has two of the hits (three if you count the Luis Castillo popup. But surpisingly, neither Derek Jeter nor Mark Teixeira, two of the Yankees' biggest stars, have any walkoff hits this year to their name.

Speaking of Jeter, why is it so hard for anybody in the media to believe that he's human? Of course he's pressing a little right now - it is to be expected. Why is that that so many suggest that he's some sort of android, who doesn't experience human emotions like the rest of us? I am surprised that he took off after the game without really talking to the media, though. That is not Jeteresque.

In other news, I did watch some of the Mets' Silent Sixth. If only their fans, especially Squawker Jon, would shut their yaps!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Yuck! What a rotten way to end a game

Well, last night kind of stunk. So much for that ninth-inning magic. I'm still peeved about Joe Girardi's dopey move with Nick Swisher. And it isn't second-guessing - I called it at the time. Squawker Jon is my witness!

Here's the story: Jon is housesitting in upstate New York- I tagged along for a few days - and we went to dinner last night at New World Home Cooking in Saugerties (it gets two Squawker thumbs up, by the way!) So we heard the first few innings of the game on XM Radio on the way to dinner, then heard the last inning on the way back.

And by the way, not to get all cranky on this, but John Sterling is really terrible at painting the picture of what's happening in the game, especially when Suzyn is off getting ready to do her postgame interviews. Because it was hard to figure out exactly what the hits looked like.

Anyhow, the Yankees had a great rally going, where the first six batters got on base. They scored four runs, and had runners on first and second, with nobody out. When Nick Swisher came up, Sterling speculated that Swisher might try to bunt. Squawker Jon and I were both surprised to hear that - we both thought he should swing away. Here was the logic:

* Frankie Francisco was on the ropes. It made no sense to give up an out.

* Swisher has 21 homers this season. Even if most of them are away homers, there was still the chance he could hit a homer - or at least get a single - to win or tie the game.

* There was a very good chance Swisher would mess up the bunt. Which is exactly what happened.

* Having him sacrifice made even less sense, given that it was Melky Cabrera coming up after him. I know the Melkman has delivered with three walkoff hits this year, but c'mon.

Anyhow, I was not a happy Squawker after Swisher popped up, and Melky hit into a double play. But for Squawker Jon, he had a moment of joy after yet another miserable day in Metland.

It's only one game, and the Yanks still have a six-game lead. But they should have won it.

However, things could be worse. I could be a Met fan!

* * *

As for Joba, I think it's time to, as Bill Parcells would say, take the Huggies off. Enough of these long rests in between starts. I've had it.

In other news, I read Squawker Jon's Mets entry under protest. You see, The X-Files might be my least favorite TV show ever. David Duchovny is certain my least favorite actor. He's just awful. At any rate, the truth is out there, that if Squawker Jon is going to mention the X-Files, I will be peeved!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Don't count on first place until the season is over

While the Yankees' four-game sweep of the Red Sox was undoubtedly the highlight of the season so far, don't go polishing the 2009 AL East trophy just yet.

Remember how the Mets squandered a 7 game lead in 2007 with 17 games left to play? I sure do - it's one of my favorite things to taunt Squawker Jon about!

So having a 6.5 game lead (now 5.5 games) in the middle of August is sweet, but obviously, it's no guarantee the Yankees will win the division.

Now that I've gotten the "raining on the victory parade" part of the blog over, let me do a little gloating about this weekend. Whatever happened to the so-called Best Bullpen in Baseball? Or the low risk, high reward signings like John Smoltz? Or John Henry's tweets? Or Dice-K's gyroball? I asked one of our Red Sox fan readers on Facebook if the gyroball was like a snipe!

Seeing the Sox get knocked around at the Stadium was great fun. So much fun, in fact, that last night's loss against the Blue Jays didn't bother me at all!

* * *

In other news, I've written a piece for The Faster Times comparing Alex Rios and Nick Swisher. Turns out, Ken Williams may have been better keeping Swisher, than picking up Rios.

One other note - there's only a few hours to vote for your least favorite Red Sox!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

While Mets are 'Dumb and Dumber,' the Yanks win sixth in a row

While Squawker Jon is in despair over the Mets' teamwide meltdown, I'm all pleased that my Yankees are riding high. They now are 20 games over .500, and have a two-game lead in the AL East. 

And get this - A.J. Burnett used a Jim Carrey movie line to lighten the mood on the team. After Nick Swisher bobbled the ball in yesterday's game, he later made a great play in that inning to save Burnett's bacon. The Yankee pitcher put his arm around the outfielder and unleashed this famous "Dumb and Dumber" quote:

"Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this...and totally redeem yourself!"

And Swisher didn't even barter the team's van for a moped!

In the postgame, Swisher, who drove in two RBIs described his day as being like an ice cream flavor - Rocky Road! Heh.

As for Burnett, he has continued to impress. Since he got destroyed by the Red Sox last month, he's gone 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA. 

Phil Hughes (I will not call him one of the Phil-thies!) had another good game, and Mariano Rivera got his 23rd straight save. But really, Rivera shouldn't have had to be in the game in the first place. Unfortunately, Brian Bruney gave up back-to-back homers and made the score 6-4. 

Bruney needs to get it together - and soon. He's the only real weak link in the bullpen right now. He's also a weak link with his mouth, as the Journal-News reports:

Bruney was mad that reporters were asking him questions and gave several sarcastic answers including, “I just wanted to get Mo a save, that’s what a set-up man does.”

He also claimed he pitched perfectly fine and that those home runs could have been pop-ups.

Speaking of weak links, Brett Tomko, who was designated for assignment Tuesday, griped about the way the Yanks treated him, and said he would not accept a minor-league assignment with the club:

"I don't think I got a fair shot," he said. "I pitched great in spring training and didn't make the team. I pitched great in the minors, got called up and didn't get much of a chance. I understand other guys are pitching great. But it could have been different. I can't see the point in coming back."

He had a 5.25 ERA with the Yankees. How much of a chance should he have gotten? He shouldn't have been on the team so long in the first place. It's like "Dumb and Dumber" with Bruney and Tomko, when it comes to dopey comments.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Yankees are 'comeback kids' against Tampa Bay

This weekend, one of our readers anonymously opined about the difference between Squawker Jon and me. Jon, the reader said, sounds "like Eeyore" (hmmm, does that make me Tigger?) Meanwhile, I assume "every game should be a Yankees victory, and any decision that is slightly against [my] team is a travesty." And that's a problem, why, exactly?

Fortunately, this season it appears that the Yankees feel the same way; Johnny Damon was recently quoted saying something like that. No, not that Squawker Jon is Eeyore, but about how the Yankees have swagger this year. "We think we can win every game," Damon told the New York Post.

And Nick Swisher posted this on his Twitter account yesterday: "Comeback kids strike again. Awesome game today. Never quit attitude. Amazing."

Anyhow, it's getting to the point where no matter what kind of hole the Yanks are in, you can expect them to make some sort of thrilling comeback rally in late innings. I missed hearing parts of the first half of yesterday's game (like the Jeter bunt controversy) but I did listen to the last few innings, so I got to hear the great Yankee comeback. (But hearing it isn't as exciting as seeing it, and doesn't really paint the full picture of what happened!)

Squawker Jon told me the other day that it's no surprise the Yanks keep on having all these come-from-behind wins, giving that they have a great lineup playing in a bandbox. But yesterday's rally had more to do with small ball than the long ball.

Squawker reader Bostowned said this last week about the Yankees, and I tend to agree:

This team is different. As a fan, I see a 3 game sweep I immediately think...well lets see how they do in the next series against a better team. Then they sweep them. Then I start thinking...hmm....well I wonder how well they'll respond after they finally lose a series. Will they lose all confidence as I've seen so many times in the past? Nope, went on to take the next 2 series. After the last 20 games, Im ready to believe that this team isn't the 2004-2008 teams at all. Nothing seems to get them down and break their confidence. Every game appears winnable no matter what the score is or who's on the mound.

Yesterday not only had a thrilling rally, but Mariano Rivera earning the WWE belt for his save, which included getting Evan Longoria out this time! But the real MVP of yesterday's game, and the unsung hero of this season, was Alfredo Aceves, who pitched two scoreless innings to keep the Yankees in the game. He mentioned something about wanting to be like Ramiro Mendoza in Suzyn Waldman's postgame interview with him. As Suzyn pointed out, he's done his homework!
Good stuff.

I'm guessing, though, that Joba Chamberlain's performance yesterday will push Mike Francesa to go on yet another rant about how he should pitch in the bullpen. Good grief.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Do the Joba! Chamberlain's pitching, great play bugs the Indians

Even though Joba Chamberlain swallowed a bug, he still had a great outing against Cleveland, pitching eight stellar innings. I listened to the first half of the game on the radio, and was lucky to be arriving home just around the time when Joba made that belly flop double play. So I got to see it live. (Click here if you haven't seen it yet.)

The play was both athletic and hilarious - Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia were shown guffawing over it. I'm thinking the Joba play could be a new dance - the catch on the ground, the hat falling off, the throw, and then the finale, a double fist pump with a little shaking around? Throw in some bug swatting, and you've got a hit. Do the Joba!

Hmmm - are Red Sox fans going to complain about the double fist pump, given that Yankees weren't leading at the time (the score was tied)? Meanwhile, Jonathan Papelbon throws a towel at a photographer, and nobody says a peep. But I digress.

That eighth inning brought back some bad bug flashbacks, though. And when YES showed the 2007 midge clip, I got angry all over again at why the Yanks didn't walk off the field in protest. Fortunately, the Rally Midge didn't get the job done this time, and the Yanks won.

I did miss seeing Nick Swisher have to fight a flock of seagulls last night. Maybe they were attracted to him because of the SwishHawk hair?

In other news, the Yanks set an MLB record with their 18th consecutive game without an error. Congrats.

Now the Yanks head home, back to the Homer-Happy House That Trost Built. With Texas in the house tonight, expect to crane your neck a lot watching balls fly out of the stadium this series.

What do you think of Joba Chamerlain, midges, or anything else on your mind? Leave us a comment!

Positively Swishalicious! Yanks win eighth in a row on back-to-back-to-back homers

Lots of nice moments yesterday at the Stadium, and the Yankees seem to have found a partial solution to filling up those empty seats.

First up, the game. Squawker reader The Emperor said that John Sterling exclaimed, "Positively Swishalicious" over Nick Swisher's homer. And yes, he went there - he did do a back-to-back-to-back and belly-to-belly-belly call! And the other night, Sterling had the stellar call, "Two and two for Swisharoo." Heh.

Swisher, who has been slumping as of late, finally got his first homer at the new Stadium. I wonder if honorary bat girl Polly Tompkins, the schoolteacher fighting Stage 4 cancer who got to throw out the first pitch, brought him good luck with her cheerful attitude. They seemed to have bonded, hugging after the game. Bryan Hoch of yankees.com wrote a very touching story on Tompkins - click here to read it.

Phil Hughes made it harder for the Yanks to send him down to the minors with his nine-strikeout win. I think the Yanks should keep him up for a while as a long reliever - I'm not sold that Chien-Ming Wang is ready just yet.

Oh, snap! Johnny Damon seemed to call out Joe Torre, saying about how "family-oriented" Joe Girardi runs his clubhouse, suggesting that's why this year's free agents came to play in the Bronx. I don't think that's the case - I think the $423 million the Yanks spent had a bit more to do with it. But I guess Damon couldn't say, "Girardi actually pays attention to players besides the four rings guys," or "Hey, I don't have to worry that Girardi is going to sell me out in a tell-all book."

And somebody in the front office seems to have gotten a clue. Instead of shunting the servicemen and servicewomen in town for Fleet Week to the obstructed view bleacher seats, the way the Yanks did with the West Point cadets on Opening Day, the Yanks put them in the Legends seats right up front. Cool!

Only thing I didn't like about last night's game was Mariano Rivera pitching the ninth. I had no problem with Girardi bringing in Mo in the eighth to shut down the O's. But after the Yanks scored six runs at the end of the inning, Mariano should have been out of the game. Getting him the save isn't worth him pitching the ninth, even if he did throw only 14 pitches in the game.

Speaking of Rivera, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at the Yankees' first Kangaroo Court since 2005. He was the judge, A. J. Burnett, Johnny Damon, and Derek Jeter were the jury, and Xavier Nady was the court stenographer. Sounds like it was great fun. I think Brian Bruney should have been the bailiff.

* * *

In honor of the Yanks winning eight in a row, here's a classic video about the number eight. It's Sesame Street's Jazzy Spies segment, featuring Grace Slick on vocals. Yes, Grace Slick. It's like having Amy Winehouse on Barney and Friends or something! Anyhow, the tribute to No. 8 is from early 1969, back when Oscar the Grouch was orange. It

And for Mets fans, click here to check out the day when Keith Hernandez and Mookie Wilson made a cameo on Sesame Street. They told Ernie to put down the duckie. Good advice!

Chien music

The Yankees always manage to upstage the Mets. History is made at Citi Field Friday night when Gary Sheffield hits his 500th homer. The Yankees can't even wait 24 hours before making their own history on Saturday by allowing 14 runs in one inning. And the Yankees even have their own Sheffield connection when six of those runs (and two later runs) are given up by Anthony Claggett, one of the pitchers the Yankees acquired when they traded Sheffield to the Tigers.

Usually, when you see a headline reading "22-4" associated with a pitcher, it's a good thing. Dwight Gooden: 24-4. Ron Guidry: 25-3. Ah, for the good old days when such numbers referred to season records, not single game scores.

After the Mets played the Chicago song "In the Beginning" during the opening ceremonies at Citi Field, Metstradamus suggested another Chicago song, "25 or 6 to 4," as a possible song for Oliver Perez, since that could be the final score. Looks like that song, which includes lines like "Wondering how much I can take" could apply to Chien-Ming Wang these days.

I feel a little bad for Nick Swisher. It was only last Monday that most people besides Jorge Posada got a little pleasure out of seeing Swisher on the mound. After all, how many times would the Yankees be blown out so badly that such a move would ever be considered?

Turns out twice in the next five days.

And now, when you hear the fans chant, "We want Swisher," it is associated with the home team being embarrassed.

But the Yankees could be even more embarrassed if Carl Pavano, who had his own nine-run inning only last week, somehow manages to beat the Yankees today.

Another reason to love Nick Swisher

I just read this in the LoHud Yankee blog about my favorite player this year:

Just before we left [the clubhouse], good ‘ol Nick Swisher walked through the clubhouse and tore off the covers of all the Daily News sitting on a table. They read “22-4!” on the front and “You Stink” over a picture of Chien-Ming Wang on the back. “New day,” Swisher shouted. “It’s a new day, brotha.”

Good for Nick Swisher!

Swisher also posted this four hours ago on Twitter:

Morn. Looks like a great New York kind of day. Perfect for a baseball game.

That's the kind of attitude I like to see. Now the Yanks just have to step it up and beat Carl Pavano today!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Michael Kay says Nick Swisher is 'not cool'

Fans like me may have enjoyed Nick Swisher last night, but Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay was not pleased by the player's sense of humor in last night's game. Kay had as much an aversion to it as he does to ketchup, and he devoted a big portion of his ESPN 1050 radio show to complaining about Swisher.

Kay repeatedly griped, both on the air last night, and on the radio today, about Swisher rolling the Gabe Kapler strikeout ball towards the dugout, saying it was 'not cool' and worried that the other team would take offense to it. (Yeah, next thing you know, the Rays will bash the Yankees' heads in, and score 15 runs off their pitching or something. Oh, wait.)

The broadcaster agreed with Posada over Swisher because Jorge "has four rings," Kay noted. (Yes, because those 15 at-bats Jorge had in the 1996 season were so crucial.)

Kay suggested that, as I predicted earlier, that Posada and Derek Jeter should have a talk with Swisher about "the Yankee way." Good grief.

What, is this, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," with Swisher as Jack Nicholson's character McMurphy, and Posada as Nurse Ratched? Next thing you know, Johnny Damon will bring out a pillow.

"Think about the championship teams of the past, and tell me who the goofball is on it?" Kay asked on the air. Hmmm, how about the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox (Damon and Millar in 2004, and Manny Ramirez in '04 and '07). Or the 1977 and 1978 Yankees (Sparky Lyle in 1977, Mickey Rivers in 1977 in 1978.) Or the 1998 Yankees, one of the greatest teams ever, with David Wells as a starter.

I mean, really. Can you imagine what a tizzy Kay would have had if he had been broadcasting when Sparky Lyle was sitting naked on birthday cakes, or Phil Linz was playing a harmonica after a loss? Oh my goodness gracious!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!