Zell's Pinstripe Blog

Game #134: Athletics at Yankees

September 2, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

C.C. Sabathia Athletics (65-67) at Yankees (83-50)

Pitching Matchup:

LHP Dallas Braden (9-9, 3.28) vs LHP C.C. Sabathia (18-5, 3.14)

Lineup

Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1b
Cano 2b
Thames DH
Posada C
Kearns LF
Nunez 3b
Gardner CF Continue Reading »

Posted in Yankees Gameday | Tagged New York Yankees, New York, Yankee Stadium, Oakland Athletics, YES Network, C.C. Sabathia, Dallas Braden, Bronx | Leave a Comment »

The Horace Clarke Era

September 2, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Horace Meredith Clarke played second base for the New York Yankees from 1965-1974. With the retirement of longtime Yankee, Bobby Richardson, Clark became the Yankees full-time second baseman in 1967. In his 10 seasons with the Yankees, he hit .257, with 27HR’s and 300RBI’s.

My dad was born in 1955, and grew up watching these Yankees. It wasn’t a time of celebration, but rather a decade filled with disappointment. From 1965-1974, the Yankees won absolutely nothing. Some of these teams included the likes of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Bobby Murcer and Thurman Munson.

The big complaint about Clarke was that he wasn’t able to turn the double play. With runners trying for the take out slide at second base, he would wind up holding onto the ball instead of turning it. With that said, Clarke was also a durable player, who came out ready to play everyday. He became the face of those poorly performing Yankees ball clubs, which is often called “The Horace Clarke Era” or “The Horace Clarke Years.”

In a recent interview, conducted by Kenneth Hogan, Clarke expressed his feelings on the subject:

You see (Laughs) every time I hear “the Horace Clarke Era” I don’t know how to take it but I think it is mostly because we were losing and I was a member of all of those teams. I could understand because fans, writers, and commentators were spoiled at being so successful for so long. I know how the fans feel about the drought that we went through, it was a let down during that losing era. But when I hear it I think, “Here we go again. The Horace Clarke Era, the Horace Clarke Years”. I’m going to tell you something, while I was there some guys (writers) always target me, I was targeted more than anybody I think because I played just about everyday. When I was traded to San Diego a writer wrote, “You know, that guy wasn’t so bad after all.” Because he had gone to the record books and saw what I had done over those years.

They said I couldn’t make the double-play but Gene Michael and I were tops in double plays a couple of years. I have looked in Yankee books and compared my stats to some of the older second basemen over the years and they didn’t do any better than me but they were among elite players that won World Series. My play was consistent over the years. I got on base and scored runs everyday. During the time I played I had the 3rd leading fielding percentage among second basemen. How could I be that bad?

Year	Tm	W	L	Ties	W-L%	Finish
1974	New York Yankees	89	73	0	.549	2nd of 6
1973	New York Yankees	80	82	0	.494	4th of 6
1972	New York Yankees	79	76	0	.510	4th of 6
1971	New York Yankees	82	80	0	.506	4th of 6
1970	New York Yankees	93	69	1	.574	2nd of 6
1969	New York Yankees	80	81	1	.497	5th of 6
1968	New York Yankees	83	79	2	.512	5th of 10
1967	New York Yankees	72	90	1	.444	9th of 10
1966	New York Yankees	70	89	1	.440	10th of 10
1965	New York Yankees	77	85	0	.475	6th of 10

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/21/2010.

Posted in Baseball Statistics, Yankee Players, Yankees History, Yankees Miscellaneous | Tagged New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle, Bobby Murcer, World Series, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Horace Clarke, 1965-1974, Bobby Richardson, "The Horace Clarke Era", "The Horace Clarke Years", Kenneth Hogan | 1 Comment »

Yankees & Orioles Brawl: The Wonder From Down Under, The Straw and Nellie get nasty

September 2, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Posted in Yankee Players, Yankees Humor, Yankees Videos | Tagged New York Yankees, David Wells, Baltimore Orioles, Jeff Nelson, Darryl strawberry, 1998 New York Yankees, Graeme Lloyd, Armando Benitez | Leave a Comment »

Game #133: Athletics at Yankees

September 1, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Athletics (65-66) at Yankees (82-50)

Pitching Matchup:

LHP Brett Anderson (3-5, 3.32) vs RHP A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17)

Lineup

Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Thames DH
Kearns LF
Granderson CF
Nunez 3B
Cervelli C Continue Reading »

Posted in Yankees Gameday | Tagged New York Yankees, New York, Yankee Stadium, Oakland Athletics, YES Network, A.J. Burnett, ESPN, Bronx, Brett Anderson | Leave a Comment »

Flip Flop Fly Ball Presents: The M & M Boys and the 1961 Home Run Chase

September 1, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Click on the Image to Enlarge

(Graphic courtesy of Craig Robinson: Flip Flop Fly Ball)

Posted in Yankees Miscellaneous, Yankees Photos | Tagged New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, 61*, Flip Flop Fly Ball, 1961 Home Run Chase, M & M Boys | 2 Comments »

Mickey Rivers found guilty of “Ball on Ham”…”Meat on Meat Contact”

September 1, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

In the ESPN television series, The Bronx is Burning, the Yankees held kangaroo court inside the Yankee Stadium clubhouse in 1977.

When: May 13th, Post-Game: California Perpetrator: Mickey Rivers

Charged With: Lunch Meat Violation

When reaching for a cupcake, Mickey Rivers private parts touched ham. Paul Blair called it ”Meat on Meat Contact”, while Dick Howser said ”Ball on Ham.” I laugh every time.

Posted in Nonsense, Tales & Legends, Yankee Stadium, Yankees Humor, Yankees Videos | Tagged New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, ESPN, Mickey Rivers, 1977, Yankee Stadium Clubhouse, The Bronx is Burning, May 13th, Post-Game, Lunch Meat Violation, Cupcake, Ball on Ham, Meat on Meat Contact, Dick Howser, Paul Blair | 1 Comment »

Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr. & “The Streak”

September 1, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak is widely considered one of the most enduring records in sports history. It’s right up there with Cy Young’s 511 wins, Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games, Celtics’ eight consecutive NBA championships and Gretzky’s 2,857 career points.

The streak began on May 15, 1941. During the streak, he had a batting average of .408, 15 home runs and 55 runs batted in. The streak ended on July 16, 1941. In the process, he snapped “Wee Willie” Keeler’s 45-game hitting streak. On July 17th, Cleveland Indians pitchers, Al Smith and Jim Bagby held Joe hitless. He hit two hard shots, but Ken Keltner was flashing the leather at 3rd base that day, and it was all over.

When the streak ended, DiMaggio began a new one. This one lasted only 16 games. Over the span of both streaks, Joe hit safely in 72 of 73 games during that 1941 season.

It’s been just about seventy years since “The Yankee Clipper” achieved this remarkable feat. The only one to really challenge the record was Pete Rose in 1978, when he had a hit in 44 consecutive games. Just like everyone else who went after it, they all came up short (Molitor [39], Rollins [38], Castillo & Utley [35]). A person has to wonder if the record will ever be broken.

Hitting StreaksPlayers With At Least 1 Hit in At Least 30 Consecutive Games
Rank	Year	Name	Team	League	Games
1.	1941	Joe DiMaggio^(AL Record)	New York	AL	56
2.	1896-1897	Willie Keeler^{(NL Record)}	Baltimore	NL	45
3.	1978	Pete Rose	Cincinnati	NL	44
4.	1894	Bill Dahlen	Chicago	NL	42
5.	1922	George Sisler	St. Louis	AL	41
6.	1911	Ty Cobb	Detroit	AL	40
7.	1987	Paul Molitor	Milwaukee	AL	39
8.	2005-2006	Jimmy Rollins	Philadelphia	NL	38
9.	1945	Tommy Holmes	Boston	NL	37
10.	1896-1897	Gene DeMontreville	Washington	NL	36

“Now this is over thirty years later and the guy said he was that cab driver (who drove DiMaggio to the game on July 17th). He apologized (for telling DiMaggio that he thought the streak would end that day) and he was serious. I felt awful. He might have been spending his whole life thinking he had jinxed me, but I told him he hadn’t. My number was up.” – Joe DiMaggio Continue Reading »

Posted in Tales & Legends, Yankee Players, Yankees History | Tagged New York Yankees, Joe Dimaggio, Pete Rose, Chase Utley, Cleveland Indians, 56-Game Hitting Streak, Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, "Wee Willie" Keeler, Paul Molitor, Jimmy Rollins, Luis Castillo, "The Yankee Clipper", Willie Keeler, Cy Young, Hitting streak | Leave a Comment »

Game #132: Athletics at Yankees

August 31, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Athletics (65-65) at Yankees (81-50)

Pitching Matchup:

RHP Vin Mazzaro (6-6, 3.61) vs RHP Phil Hughes (15-6, 4.12)

Lineup

Gardner LF
Jeter SS
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Posada C
Thames DH
Granderson CF
Pena 3B Continue Reading »

Posted in Yankees Gameday | Tagged New York Yankees, New York, Phil Hughes, Yankee Stadium, Oakland Athletics, YES Network, Bronx, Vin Mazzaro | Leave a Comment »

Posada: The Underappreciated Yankee

August 31, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

I thought about this for a long time, but Rebecca Glass’ blog post about Posada urged me to get this up:

When you think of all the Yankees great players from the 1995-2010, some of the names that come to mind are Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, etc. One name missing from that list would probably be Jorge Posada. He’s always been overshadowed, with the constant sluggers coming and going in the Big Apple (Giambi, Sheffield, Abreu). When you look at a team filled with superstars, sometimes people get left out of certain discussions, and it’s about time Posada is given credit for all that he’s done.

Posada is a 5X All-Star, 5X Silver Slugger and a 4X World Series champion (5X if you count ’96..where he played only 8 games). I’m not going to analyze all of his numbers, and start comparing him to each and every player, because you already know that he’s one of the greatest offensive catchers of all-time.

When Posada took over the starting catcher’s role in 1997, the fans didn’t know what they really had. Over the next thirteen years, Jorge became an offensive force in the American League. You can tell me that he can’t run, he calls a bad game behind the dish and he doesn’t have a very good arm. It almost sickens me to hear all the complaining about him. How often do you get a catcher who can both hit for power and play great defense? Not very often. Posada has one of those qualities, and he’s good at what he does.

Finding a solid catcher in the major leagues isn’t a very easy thing to do. Georgie is a switch-hitting catcher with power, which is considered a rare commodity. Watching Molina, Cervelli and Moeller hit over the last few years has been painful. It gives you a greater appreciation for what Posada has done, and how long he has done it. I’m well aware that the Yankees have great catching depth in the minors, with Montero, Romine, Sanchez and Murphy coming up through the system, but prospects don’t always pan out.

With Posada’s career winding down, you really shouldn’t take him for granted. He ranks right up there with Elston Howard and Yogi Berra in the record books, and will go down as one of the greatest to wear the pinstripes. Hopefully, one day he’ll be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. When Posada hangs up his cleats, fans will look over his career and really start to appreciate all the things he’s accomplished in his career.

Jorge’s Career Statistics: .276AVG 259HR 1013RBI .378OBP .480SLG .858OPS Continue Reading »

Posted in Baseball Statistics, Yankee Players, Yankees Miscellaneous, Yankees Opinion | Tagged Andy Pettitte, Austin Romine, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Elston Howard, Gary Sanchez, Jesus Montero, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, Tino Martinez, Yogi Berra | 1 Comment »

Wade Boggs and his “Chai” superstition

August 31, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

Former Yankee, Wade Boggs, was one of the most superstitious athletes of all-time. He had quite the routine. During his career, he woke up at exactly the same time every day, ate chicken before every game (Jim Rice nicknamed him “Chicken Man”), took batting practice at exactly 5:17, did wind sprints at exactly 7:17, and etched the Hebrew symbol “Chai” in the dirt before he entered the batter’s box. The thing is..he’s not Jewish..so I always wondered why he did that. Of course, the symbol can be worn by anyone, but it was a very unusual thing to do.

Before he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he gave an interview to Mark Groenich, explaining why he did that throughout his enitre career.

From Being Jewish:

MARK GROENICH: I have an offbeat question that one of my clients wants to know about.You write the word chai by home plate. How did that come about? Where and when did you first start doing it? How did you first learn about what chai meant?

WADE BOGGS: I was seven years old and in Brunswick, Georgia. I was going through a magazine and there were symbols in the back of the magazine. One of them was the chai sign for good luck and life. I looked at it and said, well, I’ll just wish myself good luck when I get into the batter’s box and I drew it with my feet. I just continued to do that throughout my career. I would draw the chai sign in the dirt before I got into the batter’s box, not being Jewish, but, it was just a symbol that I used throughout my career — just wishing myself good luck when I got up, before I got into the box.

GROENICH: It would help?

BOGGS: Along with the other 85 (superstitions) that I had — they all helped. Continue Reading »

Posted in Tales & Legends, Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Humor, Yankees Miscellaneous | Tagged New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baseball Hall of Fame, Wade Boggs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cooperstwon, Mark Groenich, Chai, Hebrew, Baseball Superstitions | Leave a Comment »

2010 Postseason Primary & Alternate Logos

August 31, 2010 by Kevin Rozell

A few weeks ago, I passed along an image of the 2010 World Series logo. Now, Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net has released a collection of all the patches that will be used for this years Postseason (ALDS, ALCS, WS). I think they look great.