MLB Mourns Loss of the Boss

On what should have been a slow news day until AFTER the conclusion of the 81st All Star Game, MLB fans around the country woke up to the news that the 80 yr old Boss had passed away of a massive heart attack in Tampa.  The news hit none harder than Yankee Universe who was already mourning the loss of "the Voice" Bob Sheppard.  

George Steinbrenner was celebrating his 37th anniversary as Principal Owner of the New York Yankees.  In January of 1973 Steinbrenner bought the Yankees from CBS for $8.7 million.  A price that today wouldn't even cover a single player's salary.  During his time as Yankee's owner and chairperson, Steinbrenner saw the team win 11 American League pennants and seven World Championships, the most in the MLB.

George Steinbrenner who is famous for fueling the infamous rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox was able to put rivalries aside for the sake of charity.  He was generous donor to many charitable causes throughout the nation and his communities and even donated annually to Red Sox charity the Jimmy Fund.


Various teams throughout the MLB have expressed their condolences for the Boss who is survived by his wife and kids; the Red Sox even held a moment of silence for Steinbrenner at the start of Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers.   

Rest In Peace Bob Sheppard

Long time Yankee Public Address Announcer Bob Sheppard passed away Sunday July 11th at the age of 99. Sheppard's legacy began with Joe DiMaggio and will be carried on for as long as Derek Jeter plays for the Yankees.

Sheppard began his tenure with the Yankees in 1951 and continued with the team until his retirement in 2007 after becoming ill of a bronchial infection. Sheppard's voice also nicknamed "the voice of G-D" can still be heard before each of Derek Jeter's home game at-bats. Jeter plans to continue using the recorded introduction. As an honor to Sheppard Major League Baseball allowed Jeter to use the recording during Tuesday's 81st All Star Game.

The media dining room at the new Yankee Stadium is named after Sheppard who was also an athlete during his youth having played both football and baseball for St. John's University. Sheppard is survived by his wife, sons Paul and Christopher, daughters Barbara and Mary, four grandchildren and at least nine great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Thursday in Baldwin.

Visting fans

So working this past week at Citi Field, I've noticed an over abundance of visiting fans.  Cubs Country is huge apparently.  I'm just grateful that their fans are among the nicest and kindest fans I've encountered in all my MLB experiences.  I would really love to visit Wrigley one day to repay the visit.  Another team that I have seen a surprisingly large number of fans walking around the stadium is RED SOX FANS.  Damn we are every where!  I'm just been amazed at the large groups of fans that enter the park wearing Mets t-shirts and Red Sox hats or vice versa.

In other news I myself will be bringing a visiting fan to Citi Field on Sat.  This Sat is doggie day, and I'm very very excited to be bring my little Havanese MOOKIE MONSTAH.  Joining me for my baby's first game is my friend Dom a self proclaimed Yankee Fan from the womb, has agreed to attend the Mets v Braves game wearing Mets gear I can't wait!  It gets better in 2 weeks I'm visiting Boston, and my dislocated Yankee fan friend living up there has agreed to shop for Red Sox jersey for me to wear to the game!!! Oh and last night I came home to find My favorite Yankee Fan watching the Mets game lol... Nation, I'm getting there, 1 Yankee fan at a time! ;)  I love when rival fans can coexist!

Battle for NY

Its that time of year... Families split up, couples argue, and neighbors quarrel, its the battle for New York... 7 trainers vs 4, Bronx vs Queens. Yes I'm talking SUBWAY SERIES, Mets vs Yankees. So tonight the recovering orange and blue face the massacred Yankees.


Status Update: Yankees ventured into s familiar enemy grounds where they faced long time rivals in Boston walking into an 0-5 season record against the Red Sox. Now the Bronx Bombers return home 2 games back with a 0-8 season record, surely they plan to take it out on my beloved Mets, who after this Phillies series know how to take a beating.

After 3 games against the Phillies the Mets have only fallen one game back after winning 1 and losing 2, no thanks to Bobby Pharnell (could have been much worse if u ask me.) However if you recall last season the Mets know how to handle the then home run friendly park, well imagine what they can do now at the batting cage that is Yankee Stadium? And now that we have the benefit of Home Run Review, there will be no more Delgado type robberies.


This blogger will be there tonight and tomorrow (no thanks to stubhub.com) to provide the details from the inside. Apparently stubhub has no control over their company. I accidentally over bid on 2 tix for each game not realizing i had entered $145 instead of $45. I wasn't even ready to confirm or w.e. it is, so my mouse was hovering over and then next thing i know it was accepted and I had bid 145 for 2 tix. They look like good seats, except that buy bidding $300 for 2 games, my debit account is now empty.
What I don't get is that even ebay although HIGHLY frown upon, they have a way that you can contact the seller and have them remove the bid or even cancel a sale. That is called having control over your company. I have come to realize that stubhub.com is just a company of scalpers that simply guarantee that the tickets are real. They don't care about anyone, even after I told their representative that my account was compromised, I was transferred to their fraud department where I was told that even if someone hacks into my account and maxes out my credit cards they can't do anything about it. To top matters off there is supposedly NO way to deactivate a stubhub account, so when I die, my stubhub account will continue to exist, to which the stubhub rep said "hmmm never thought of it that way." Um how about your company consider all the possibilities and then run a business in a more LEGAL CUSTOMER FRIENDLY MANNER!

End of the weekend but bury the hatchet NEVER!

So one must live far far under a rock to not be aware of THE RIVALRY. Don't ask which, for there is no rivalry greater than the one that exists between the BOSTON RED SOX and the NEW YORK YANKEES. A rivalry to big that is has long surpassed baseball, Jets fans hate the Patriots and vice versa, the Celtics and Bruins are also outstanding enemies of NY sports fans, but that's not it the rivalry has torn families, cities and states apart.

I myself am a blood traitor as a fan of all things BOSTON and the METS. My father's biggest disappoint wasn't that he never had any sons, but that his only sports loving daughter as a matter of fact the only true sports fan out of all my cousins, chose to become a BOSTON fan. I think he would have accepted me being a Boston fan the same way most METS fans are Red Sox fans. However that wasn't the case. As a product of 86, the Sox have been deeply ingrained in my personal history. My first baseball game surely by g-d's great master plan and not in any way my father's happened to be METS v RED SOX, as the years went on and my daddy tried to get me to fall in love with football I turned my back on his beloved Giants and not even for the Jets which he would have accepted, but for the NE Patriots, and so became my total and complete fascination for NE/ Boston Teams.

I for one blame my history teachers, for if they hadn't made the TEA PARTY and the Witch Trails seem so cool, Boston would be just another city with historical stuff like DC and (gag) Philly (gag).

So here's my history lesson to you:

The Yankee Red Sox Rivalry is the oldest and strongest Rivarly in all of Sports history. Spanning more than 100 years, it's NOT only about Babe Ruth, he's just factor. Many Yankee fans blame the rivalry on jealousy as the Yanks have numerically been the more successful team 26 world series titles compared to 7 for the Red Sox. But like I said before this has everything to do with HISTORY, even before this country was formed the hence before there was major league baseball, the cities of NY and Boston already shared a rivalry, much of which had to do with economic success during the nation's early years.

Then baseball got involved; the RED SOX won the first WORLD SERIES title in 1903. All went well for the Sox until, they were sold in 1916, and after the 1919 season the Sox new owner sold 16 players to the Yankees, including BABE RUTH.
1918 was the last year the Red Sox would see a World Series title until 2004, and the beginning of the CURSE OF THE BAMBINO.

During this 86 year long curse, the Red Sox only won 4 pennant titles compared to 39 Yankee Pennants. Each W.S. that the Sox lost was played up until the 7th game. Adding insult to injury the Red Sox finished 12 seasons just behind the Yankees including 1998- 2003 and almost 2004.

1978 saw a revival of the BOSTON Massacre this time at the hands of the Yankees and not the Brits. During which the Sox lost a once 14.5 game lead to the Yankees during a 4 game series in which the Yankees score a combined total of 42–9. Ultimately both teams were forced into a once game tie breaker for the playoffs, a game NY won.

For 86 year the Yankees enjoyed the luxury of being on winning side of the rivalry, and in 2004 the rivalry took a turn for the worst. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling sported a "Yankee hater" hat, and A-Rod and Jason Varitek even found them self in a bench-clearing brawl. In SOXtober, the two teams met again this time for the ALCS for the 2 straight year. The Yanks won the first 3 games with a poetic 3rd game victory of 19-8 (last Sox ws 1918), no team had ever comeback after being down 3-0 in 7 game series, Red Sox fans were just about ready to hang their hats for the season until Fenway was struck by lightening (figuratively) and the Sox came back to win the extra inning game 4, and the extra inning game 5, game 6 with Schilling's bloody sox and finally winning game 7, and sweeping the WS leaving a nasty taste in NY's mouth for a change.

2005: Gary Sheffield cost a RSN a season ticket holder after the fan was involved in a fight with the Yankee Outfielder. Both teams finished with identical records; however.

2007: Sox win the series again, this time a full sweep through the alcs and WS.

2008: During construction of the Yankees new stadium, a true Red Sox Nation member buried an Ortiz Jersey in the stadium (see earlier post), although it did not last, the "curse" allowed the Red Sox to clinched their playoff and eliminate the Yankees from the postseason.

During the stadium's constructions Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, the same man who named the Yankees the "Evil Empire" said "There's some that want to build the 8th wonder of the world, we just want to preserve one that already exists."

Yankee's Wang is Broken

What a better time to brag then this...
Highest starting pitcher era:
Mets: Pelfrey era 8.10
Red Sox: Matsuzaka era 12.79
Yankees: Wang era 34.5

So much for having the highest payroll in the MLB.
Let it also be known that the Indians hold the record for the most runs scored against the Yankees at the Old Yankee Stadium and now at the New Yankee Stadium as well. The Indians have also made history for breaking the record number of hits and runs scored against the Yankees in all of the evil empire's history.

I guess the fact that they dug up the Ortiz Jersey aint worth sqat, the stadium is cursed... for 86 years perhaps?