Yankees vs. Rangers - 6/3

Hey Everyone. Back here for tonight's game between the Yankees and Rangers at Yankee Stadium. This is the second game of a three-game set in the Bronx. Andy Pettitte (5-1, 4.10) will face Scott Feldman (4-0, 3.91). It'll be interesting to see how Pettitte's back is after it stiffened up on him during his last start. Just a note, it is raining in everywhere basically from Cincinnati, Ohio to Boston, Massachusetts right now. It'll be a miracle if the whole game is played tonight, if anything.

Some notes before the game starts:
*The Yanks have won 2 straight and 16 of their last 20 overall, including 9 of their last 11 at home.

*Derek Jeter has a 16-game hitting streak and has raised his average up to .319.

*Hideki Matsui has 3 home runs in 12 at-bats this season against the Rangers.

*Mark Teixeira was scratched from tonight's line-up with a bruised right ankle. He sustained the injury on his hard slide into 2nd last night to break up a double play. He is listed as day-to-day. For the Yankees, they better hope this is nothing major. Tex has been raking the ball lately and cannot afford to lose him in the middle of their line-up.

Back for the start of the game...if it ever does start. Will update you when I find out information on the weather and start time.

UPDATE (6:45): Swisher will hit second in the line-up with Damon hitting 3rd. Interesting there, but I assume it's because Swish was great in the #2 spot on Monday night. Also, they are apparently getting ready to take off the tarp. Might have baseball after-all. Early runs will be important I'm sure!

UPDATE (6:51): First pitch is at 7:15. Good news there. The bad: There is another big blob of green on the radar, with the east-most point at Scranton, PA right about now. I say there is about a 90-minute window before it starts raining heavy again. That could be about the 5th inning. Again, early runs will be important.

UPDATE (7:32): Underway after a 12-minute rain delay. Rough start for Andy Pettitte. Lead-off walk to Ian Kinsler, who later comes around on an infield single by Nelson Cruz. Marlon Byrd had an RBI fielder's choice, and Chris Davis had an RBI single. Could've been worse if Byrd wasn't gunned down trying for 3rd on Davis' single by a great throw from Melky in right. 3 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks in the inning. We'll see if the Yanks can respond. They lead the majors with 18 come-from-behind wins.

UPDATE (7:41): Yankees get a run back on a double by Swisher and a single by A-Rod. Pettitte needs to settle down and give his offense a chance to get the lead before the rains come.

UPDATE (7:54): Rangers get their run back as Ian Kinsler scores Elvis Andrus. Three more hits for the Rangers and a throwing error by Pettitte on a pick-off attempt. Not a good start for Pettitte. He's been good for the Yanks this year, but his stuff is not intimidating anymore.

UPDATE (8:12): WOW! Andy Pettitte gives up a lead-off walk (again) and a single. 2-on, none-out, and Marlon Byrd interferes with Posada by hitting him on the back with his backswing as the runners were stealing. Instead of 2nd and 3rd with no out, the runners have to go back, and Pettitte proceeds to strike out the side, all swinging, to end the inning. Great job by Pettitte!

UPDATE (8:31): Hard to say this with the way the Yanks come-from-behind, but this doesn't look like the Yanks' night. Feldman walks Gardner, Swisher, and Damon all in the same inning, and sure enough, A-Rod grounds into a 5-3 double play to end the inning with nothing. Bad start by Pettitte so far and lack of a big hit. The good news: It's a 3-run game, and it's the 4th inning. The bad: the rain's a-comin!

UPDATE (8:39): Another stolen base off Jorge Posada. He's got one of the best bats among catchers, but my goodness, everyone is going to steal off of him. He cannot throw anyone out. He is airmailing almost every throw to 2nd. Teams are going to start taking real notice of this. Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte NEEDS to stop walking batters. 3 of the 4 lead-off hitters have walked off him.

UPDATE (8:48): Pettitte walks three more to bring his total in the game to 6 in four innings. He does have 6 K's, but he's had to battle in every inning and has thrown 95 pitches. However, it's still a 3-run game, and the offense needs to start capitalizing against Feldman if the Yanks want this game.

UPDATE (9:00): 9 pitches is all Andy needs to get through the fifth. I was shocked he stayed out there, but he finally has an easy inning. The game is still up for grabs. It's up to the Yanks offense now.

UPDATE (9:06): Another 1-2-3 inning for Feldman. He's retired 8 in a row and has been pretty good all night aside from a few walks. It's an official game now, so if the rains come soon, Texas will have a win. Still plenty of time left, but the Yanks need to start hitting.

UPDATE (9:25): The Yankees fail to capitalize again as A-Rod strikes out and Cano grounds out with Damon on 3rd. A-Rod has left four runners on base himself. Yanks just not in it tonight offensively and seem weak without Teixeira in the line-up. Hopefully, he's not out for an extended period. Give Scott Feldman credit. He has pitched great over 6 innings.

UPDATE (9:45): Jorgie juices one to RF, a Yankee Stadium homer on a line drive to the short porch. 4-2 now in the 8th, should be an interesting finish in the Bronx. I'm surprised the rain has held off this long!

UPDATE (9:51): Brett Tomko comes out of the bullpen and throws three scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 3. The Yanks have him, Aceves, and Hughes all who can go long and be effective in the pen.

UPDATE (10:02): A-Rod strikes out again with Swisher on base. Elvis Andrus with a nice play on a chopper by Cano to end the inning. He has been great at the plate and in the field tonight. Yanks have 3 more outs to try and do something at the dish.

UPDATE (10:33): Yanks don't do anything in the 9th and lose the game 4-2. Tough loss for the Yanks who couldn't get anything going at the plate. Pettitte was shaky at the beginning but kept the team in the game. Good relief again from the Yanks. We'll see if Chien Ming Wang can be effective tomorrow.

Yanks Take Homestand Opener; Mets Drop 2nd in a Row in Steel City

For the second night in a row, the Yankees were victorious while the Mets floundered. The Yanks returned to the Bronx to open a three-game set against the Rangers and flexed their muscles in a 12-3 victory.

AJ Burnett got the start and performed well aside from one rough inning. He gave up a 3-run homer in the 3rd to Nelson Cruz, and was very strong outside of that. His final line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 110 pitches. Another solid start from a Yankee pitcher, which has been the key to their success.

Key Highlights:
*The entire Yankees 4th inning, in which they scored 7 runs off Vicente Padilla and Derek Holland. The big play in the inning: Mark Teixeira sliding into second to break up a potential inning-ending double play with A-Rod at the plate. He slid hard into Elvis Andrus, kept the inning going, and the Yanks ended up plating five more runs. The final three came off the bat of Hideki Matsui, who launched a homer into the right field bullpen. Big offensive showcase for the Yanks.

*Jorge Posada launched a bomb of his own, drilling a Warner Madrigal pitch deep into the second deck in right for a 3-run dinger. This one put the game officially away and was a mammoth bomb.

Key Stats:
*1 walk for AJ Burnett. After winning his first two starts, in which he gave up just 1 walk in each, he has given up under 2 walks in a start just once in 8 starts since. His totals: 2 twice, 3, 4 twice, 6, and 7. He walked 4 against the Rangers last week, and only one tonight. He did a much better job challenging the hitters, and trusting the defense behind him, which was great.

*E2 in the Top of the 4th inning. That would be charged to Jorge Posada when he airmailed a throw to second, trying to catch Elvis Andrus stealing. That was the Yanks' first error in 18 games, ending their record streak.

*Jeter: 3-4 at the plate, extends his hitting streak to 16 games.

*Teixeira: 0-2 at the plate, ends his hitting streak at 14 games. He was hit twice by a pitch, and showed some anger after the 2nd one, yelling at Padilla on the mound, sliding hard into second, and being overly emotional in the dugout after Matsui's home run later that inning.

As for the Mets, they were stymied by Zach Duke, and the Pirates made 3 runs of Johan Santana stand up in a 3-1 win. The Mets were once again without the services of Carlos Beltran, who is still battling a stomach virus, and apparently, an SNY Producer may have the Swine Flu. Not good news for the Mets, neither was losing a second straight game to the Pirates.

Santana was solid again, pitching 6 innings. He gave up 7 hits, 3 runs, walked 1, and struck out 3. He threw just 85 pitches. All the Mets could muster was a sac fly off the bat of Luis Castillo in the 5th inning. In addition, Ramon Martinez was injured, hurting his finger, and left the game after just 2 at-bats.

Key Highlights:
*In the 5th, after the Mets took a 1-0 lead, Jason Jaramillo took Santana deep to left with one out to tie the score. Good way for the Pirates to respond and keep things close against a dominant pitcher like Johan Santana. It was his first dinger of the season.

*In the 6th, the Pirates took the lead for good. Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche hit back-to-back, almost identical doubles to right, plating a run a piece, and giving their team a 3-1 lead. Santana was strong all night up until the 6th, and the Pirates made him pay.

Key Stats:
*0 strikeouts for Pirates pitching. Facing a tough task against Johan Santana, the Pirates pitchers needed to be just as good if not better. The combo of Duke, John Grabow, and Matt Capps threw 9 innings of 1-run ball, and didn't K one Met batter. That's impressive.

*Jeremy Reed: 3-for-3 at the plate. Reed was once again impressive at the dish. 3 hits for him after 2 hits and 2 runs scored last night. Good to see him starting to pick up on the offense, especially when the rest of his team went 5-for-27 at the plate.

That's all for tonight. Yanks and Rangers again tomorrow at 7. Andy Pettitte goes for win #6 against Scott Feldman. Mets at the Pirates also at 7. Mike Pelfrey tries for his 5th victory against former-Yankee Ross Ohlendorf, who is 5-5 for the Bucs.

The Return

After a long time away from the blog to finish up schoolwork and get settled back at home, I have returned to revive this blog. I want to get back up and running, giving you all the best I have to offer regarding NY-area sports. For my first post, I want to look at all the of current head coaches/managers and take a look at who has done the best job. Few have been around for a while (Coughlin) while many are just getting started (Manuel, Tortorella, Gordon). However, let's take a look at what they've done so far, see who's done the best and worst job, and who has potential for future success:

Joe Girardi

Team: New York Yankees

Arrived: October 30, 2007 (hired by Yankees)

Record: 116-93

Playoffs: None

Overall Consensus: Girardi had big shoes to fill after Joe Torre left, and has been okay so far. The Yanks didn't make the playoffs in his first season, missing out on October baseball for the first time since 1993. In '09, the Yanks have shown some signs of life and increasing chemistry. He continues to make questionable decisions but overall has done a decent job. I think he'll continue to have success, find his way back into the playoffs, and has a chance at a championship. However, he won't have the same success that Torre did.

Jerry Manuel
Team: New York Mets

Arrived: June 17, 2008 (replaced Willie Randolph)
Record: 72-52
Playoffs: None
Overall Consensus: Manuel took over for Randolph midseason in '08 and helped stabilize a struggling Mets team, only to watch them collapse in September for a 2nd year in a row. The team removed his interim tag, and he's started 2009 off okay despite the team being riddled with injuries. It still seems like he has some relationship issues with players in the clubhouse, namely Jose Reyes, but overall he has held down the fort. If he's going to be successful, he needs to find a way to get the team focusing on the fundamentals of baseball (baserunning especially) and prevent another choke job late in the season. I think it's possible.

Tom Coughlin

Team: New York Giants
Arrived: January 6, 2004 (hired by Giants)
Record: 47-33
Playoffs: 4 times (Super Bowl Champs in 2008, lost NFC divisional game to Eagles in '09, lost NFC wild card games to Panthers and Eagles in '06 and '07, respectively)
Overall Consensus: Tom Coughlin has been around the longest among the NY sports coaches and has done a fine job. The team has made the playoffs in four out to his five seasons at the helm and has won a Super Bowl as well. Not much to complain about here. As long as he keeps the team in the playoffs, he has the talent on the roster to keep them mentioned in Super Bowl talks year after year.

Rex Ryan
Team: New York Jets
Arrived: January 21, 2009 (hired after Eric Mangini was fired)
Record: None, was with Ravens who were 5-11 in 2008
Playoffs: None, won Super Bowl in 2000 with Ravens as Defensive Line Coach
Overall Consensus: Eric Mangini didn't fulfill the dreams of Jets fans, and now, Rex Ryan has the chance to do that. He stresses defense, a major issue for the Jets last season, and brings in a lock-down package that has been lacking in recent years. He still has to figure out who will be the starting QB in 2009 (Kellen Clemens or Mark Sanchez) and who his wide receivers will be, but he has the foundation for a playoff team. He has the potential to succeed but needs to build up his offense a little more.

Mike D'Antoni
Team: New York Knicks
Arrived: May 10, 2008 (hired by Knicks)
Record: 32-50
Playoffs: None, made playoffs previous 4 seasons as Head Coach of the Suns
Overall Consensus: D'Antoni has a major, major task to try and build this Knicks team into a winner. The organization is banking on a big free agent signing in 2010 (namely, Lebron), but as of now, the team is very weak. They have some bright spots in David Lee and Nate Robinson, and showed brief success in 08-09, but not enough to warrant a playoff berth. I don't think he finishes his time in NY with an NBA title, but I do think if he's around after 2010, he can lead the team back to the playoffs.

John Tortorella
Team: New York Rangers
Arrived: February 23, 2009 (hired by Rangers after firing Tom Renney)
Record: 12-7-2
Playoffs: Once in 2008-09, Rangers lost to Capitals in 1st Round
Overall Consensus: He was brought in after Tom Renney was let go to lead the Rangers into the playoffs, and he accomplished that. After blowing a 3-1 series lead, it is now his job to help restructure the team to his liking and use a full season to build a team that can go deep into the playoffs. He has a good style of play that's aggressive and stresses scoring, but lacks a big-time scorer. If he can nab someone like Ilya Kovalchuk, the Rangers have a great mix of young and old talent that can lead to success. He can have a temper though, and he needs to learn to keep his cool. No more squirting water on fans behind the bench! I say he brings the Rangers back to the playoffs, but won't win a Stanley Cup during his time at The Garden.

Scott Gordon
Team: New York Islanders
Arrived: August 12, 2008 (hired by Islanders after firing Ted Nolan)
Record: 26-45-9
Playoffs: None
Overall Consensus: Just like D'Antoni, he has a tall task to take this team of youngsters and bring them to the playoffs and beyond. The Islanders are the joke of the league and will not get any true, proven talent as long as they are playing at Nassau Coliseum. Until they get their new arena, IF they get a new arena, they will continue to struggle because simply, no one wants to play there and fans don't want to go and watch. I don't see a bright future for Gordon and the Islanders, and I think he's gone before the end of the upcoming season.

That does it for this debate. I left out Lawrence Frank (Nets) and Brent Sutter (Devils) since they're mostly NJ. However, Frank had some early success with the Nets but has struggled since, and Sutter has helped the Devils continue making the playoffs and will do so with the teams he keeps producing. Let me know your thoughts on all of the coaches.

In addition, since baseball is in high swing, I will try and do some liveblogging later on tonight with the Yanks at Cleveland and the Mets hosting the Marlins. I will especially be active with this when the Yanks and Mets play each other in June. Until then, I plan on being more active once again!

Trade Deadline Happenings

So the trade deadline came and went on Wednesday afternoon with all of the New York teams getting involved some how. I'll list the trades made and give some analysis:

New York Rangers:
-Acquired C Nik Antropov from the Maple Leafs for a 2nd round pick and a conditional pick.
-Acquired D Derek Morris from the Coyotes for Dmitri Kalinin, Petr Prucha, and Nigel Dawes.
Analysis: The Rangers gave up a lot, especially for Morris, but they were all expendable parts, at least in the eyes of John Tortorella and Glen Sather. Antropov and Morris both bring physicality and should help boost the league's 2nd-worst power play. Kalinin was pretty weak and wouldn't be a Ranger much longer. Prucha and Dawes were not going to get much playing time and were seen as not having a real future in New York. Good luck to them elsewhere! The Rangers got what they needed, which is what's important.

New York Islanders:
-Traded RW Bill Guerin to the Penguins for a conditional draft pick
Analysis: Really Garth Snow? Really? You trade away an aging veteran, get a draft pick, and don't try to get rid of any other garbage for a decent player or more draft picks? This is why the Islanders struggle year after year. They rely on using draft picks to help the team get better, but the picks never seem to pan out, and no one wants to come play on Long Island. The Islanders did basically nothing again on deadline day and now will have to hope they get the draft picks they want come the summer and hopefully a decent free agent or two.

New Jersey Devils:
-Acquired D Niclas Havelid and F Myles Stoesz for Anssi Salmela
Analysis: The Devils really did not need to improve too much as they have been playing great without and now with Marty Brodeur in net. This team helped fortify the blue line a little bit which certainly helps and brings some more veteran experience to the team. The Devils are set to make a strong playoff run if Brodeur keeps playing well in net and the forwards keeping scoring like they are.

Buffalo Sabres:
-Traded RW Ales Kotalik to the Oilers for a 2nd round draft pick
-Acquired C Dominic Moore from the Maple Leafs for a 2nd round pick
-Acquired G Mikael Tellqvist from the Coyotes for a 2010 4th round pick
Analysis: It doesn't seem like the Sabres did only a little to help improve themselves tremendously to make a big playoff push. Getting rid of Kotalik loses 32 points of production in exchange for what could be a good draft pick next year. Moore is having a great season and can certainly help, but I'm not sure he's the type of player who can carry give the team that extra spark to get ot the playoffs. Tellqvist could help in the goaltending as Ryan Miller is still hurt. He was having a solid year with and will split time with Patrick Lalime. However, I still don't think this is a big move. I think the Sabres could've done a little better.