My thoughts on the state of the Yankees, the A-rod milestone deals, and other assorted shenanigans

Looks like I missed two of the best Yankee games this year, in Friday's and Saturday's epic walkoff wins, the first two walkoff wins of 2015 for the Bombers! Back in 2009, I was at the first "pie game' that May, and the Yanks seemed to start to have an aura again about them. That aura translated into ring #27.

I am still not sold on this current team being a World Series winner, even though they are in first place and playing much better than I expected them to. Of course, as ESPN notes, 44 wins in the first half only works out to 88 wins in the second half. So unless the league-wide mediocrity continues (the Yanks actually have the third-best record in the AL, believe it or not) they need to pick it up in the second half.

It is hilarious to me that one of the main reasons they are contending at all is because of Alex Rodriguez, the very player they wished would just go away. You know Brian Cashman is gritting his teeth every day!

It also is hilarious that the Yankees, as per orders from Hal Steinbrenner, negotiated with Zack Hample to give a $150,000 donation to the Pitch In for Baseball in order to get A-Rod his 3,000 hit ball back. And Alex even was such a good sport in the presser with Hample, who is even more of a self-promoter than I am! Hample apologized for saying some jerky things about Rodriguez, and Alex said he forgave him for it, and added: "I have a Phd in saying dumb things over the years." Me too, A-Rod!

As for the 660-homer milestone dispute, I think the Yankees got off easy. $3.5 million to charity -- an amount that is tax deductible -- plus they don't have to pay the luxury tax? IMHO, they should have paid the whole $6 million to A-Rod, or at least to charity. The organization looks a little chintzy here.

* * *

Me bandaged up after the race.

I have had a busy weekend, and will miss today's game as well. Yesterday, I ran the Arielle Newman Run, a five-mile Staten Island race which was a very eventful one. Just after the race started, I tripped over a stroller and banged up both knees and my right elbow. My mind is a blur as to how it happened but I was very shaken up by it. 

But I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and ran the five miles, bloody knees and all. The first mile or so, I was thinking about the pain in my knees, but I just kept on going. And I even ended up with a personal record for not just that race, but for a five-mile race. I looked like a hot mess, though -- I even had a bloody sock!

Afterwards, I got bandaged up (there were some EMTs stationed at the race who helped me) and I got my picture taken. 

I was in a bit of pain last night -- every time I moved my knees when trying to sleep, I ended up waking myself up. But I'll live. 

Today, I have a lot going on. I am going to see "On the Town" on Broadway, and then I have the Grateful Dead simulcast in Times Square. I don't expect to get much sleep tonight!

Is Zack Hample, the guy who caught A-Rod's 3000th hit, a righteous dude or a jerk?

Zack Hample hold's A-Rod's 3000th hit ball.

So, I have been on record advocating over and over that if a fan catches a historic ball at a game, whether it be Derek Jeter's 3000th hit or Alex Rodriguez's 660th homer or 3000th hit,  that he or she should make as much money as possible out of it. Sorry, but if it were me catching such a historic ball, I would want some cold hard cash in return. Getting some trinkets wouldn't cut it.

The only exception is what happened to Frank Burke, the person who caught San Francisco Giant Travis Ishikawa's pennant-winning home run. Burke, as I noted in an article for Guideposts.org, got to throw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series that year. That is something unique you would not be able to buy on your own with the money you would get from selling the ball.

That being said, Zack Hample is really testing my patience. He is the professional ballhawk (or, as I call him, ballhog) who caught A-Rod's 3000th hit, which was a homer. Today, when he was whining online about A-Rod not following him on Twitter, I pointed out what he said earlier in the week, when somebody asked what he would do if he caught #Arod3k.

Hey, @AROD, I'm the guy who snagged your 3,000th hit. Any chance for a follow back? It would mean a lot to me.
— Zack Hample (@zack_hample) June 23, 2015

.@zack_hample You mean the guy you said you would give the finger and a dummy ball to if you caught 3000? https://t.co/VLN6ZhEkyj

— Subway Squawkers (@subwaysquawkers) June 23, 2015

Folks, what is problematic for me is that Hample is, pardon my French, a world-class douche bag. Seriously, if you type his name into Twitter, the first search terrn that comes up is "Zack Hample douche." (Sorry, I try to keep the Squawks G-rated, but sometimes the truth must be told here!)
I have heard too many stories from various people about how Hample knocks down children to snag balls before games to disbelieve them.

Not to mention the way he conducts himself. Squawker Jon pointed out Friday that the spotlight would not be kind to Mister Hample, and he was right. And I really have an issue with a 37-year-old man trolling for balls like this. Leave the glove at home, dude.

Anyhow, Hample, who apparently comes from a wealthy family, is now talking with Yankee front office bigwigs Randy Levine and Lonn Trost about what he might want for the ball. Talk about a meeting of the minds -- or, more to the point, of the d-bags! Sorry, pardon my French again, but the truth must be told here! (Squawker Jon said that me using this term burned a bridge to Yankeeland here. I said that bridge was napalmed long ago!)

At any rate, how ironic is it that the team that won't pay A-Rod for the 660-homer milestone is negotiating on his behalf for another milestone! Jon said that Hal Steinbrenner authorized the front office's pursuit of the ball. Hilarious!

In his negotiations, Hample brought up a "wish list," including donations to charity, to try to make it seem as if he isn't a jerk. Won't work, dude! You pretty much emanate jerkitude. You wear an umpire's cap to games, for goodness sake! But own it! I say go for that cold hard cash, and forget pretending that this is about charity or any such other high-minded pretense. They need to show you the money.

However, that also means giving the Yankees a simple price, and not doing these drama queen negotiations. If Hample doesn't want to negotiate with the Yankees, then sell the ball at an auction house and be done with it. But please, put an end to this drawn-out saga already. Good grief.