The New York Jets end their miserable season with a loss in Buffalo

The New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills by the score of 28-9 on Sunday. The game took place at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York. The Jets looked as miserable as they have all season, Mark Sanchez got another chance to start and wasn’t very good once again. Tim Tebow didn’t play at all and he will be gone very shortly I suspect. 
Sanchez was 17-35 for 205 yards, no touchdowns an an interception. Shonn Greene led the rushing attack with 74 yards on 19 attempts. Bilal Powell had 56 yards on 12 carries, Lex Hilliard had two yards on a carry and Joe McKnight had two yards on a carry.

Jeremy Kerley had three receptions for 88 yards, Braylon Edwards had four receptions for 42 yards and Jeff Cumberland had three receptions for 36 yards. Jordan White had one reception for 13 yards, Powell had two for 12 yards and Hilliard had one for seven yards. Konrad Reuland had one reception for four yards and Greene had two for three yards.

McKnight had four kickoff returns for an average of 18.8 yards with 33 being his long. Nick Bellore had one for eight yards. Robert Malone had four punts for an average of 43 yards with 61 being the long. Bart Scott led the defense with five tackles and an assist.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was 12-26 for 225 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Spiller led the Bills rushing attack with 59 yards on 24 carries. Tashard Choice had five rushes for 30 yards and a touchdown and Brad Smith had two for 20 yards and a touchdown.

Stevie Johnson led the receivers with six catches for 111 yards, Spiller had two for 72 yards and a touchdown and Smith had two for 26 yards. Ruvell Martin had one reception for 11 yards and T.J. Graham had one for five yards.

Rian Lindell was 0-2 on field goals and made four extra points. Smith had three kickoff returns for an average of 26.7 yards and Justin Rogers had one for 27 yards. Shawn Powell had five punts for an average of 39.2 yards with 51 being the long.

Bryan Scott had an interception and Nick Barnett led the defense with six tackles and five assists. Spencer Johnson had a sack.

The Jets finished their season at 6-10 and the Bills had the same record. The Jets are going to make some changes and now we await the fates of the coaches and the General manager. It looks like the head coach will stay with everyone else going. It should be an interesting offseason as they try to trade Sanchez and they get rid of Tebow. I expect Tebow to land in Jacksonville where he will be the starter and restart his career and probably end up doing well.

The New York Giants finish strong but miss the playoffs

The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by the score of 42-7 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants came onto the field knowing that they needed to win and three other teams had to lose for them to earn a trip to the postseason and try to defend their title. They knew they couldn’t control what happened elsewhere but they made sure to take care of their own business. They had a dominating performance that left you wondering where they had been for the last couple of weeks. 
Eli Manning was 13-21 for 208 yards and five touchdowns. David Carr was 1-1 for 15 yards, Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 107 yards on 16 carries and David Wilson rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries. Bradshaw also had a touchdown, Jerrel Jernigan had one carry for six yards.

Rueben Randle had four receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns, Victor Cruz had four for 52 yards and a touchdown and Domenick Hixon had two catches for 41 yards. Bradshaw had a reception for 41 yards, Wilson had one for 15 yards and Martellus Bennett had one for 15 yards. Henry Hynoski had one catch for a yard and a touchdown.

Lawrence Tynes didn’t attempt a field goal but was 6-6 on extra points. Wilson had one kickoff return for 29 yards and Steve Weatherford had two punts with an average of 49 yards. Stevie Brown had an interception and Chase Blackburn led the defense with six tackles and an assist. Brown had six tackles plus the interception. Justin Tuck had a sack.

Michael Vick was 19-35 for 197 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Trent Edwards was 2-2 for 14 yards. LeSean McCoy had 10 rushes for 45 yards, Vick had five for 25 yards and Bryce Brown had eight rushes for 18 yards. Dion Lewis had three rushes for 15 yards and Damaris Johnson had one rush for seven yards.

McCoy had five receptions for 61 yards, Brent Celek had three receptions for 43 yards and Jason Avant had four receptions for 39 yards. Jeremy Maclin had four receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown, Riley Cooper had three for 32 yards and Johnson had one for eight yards. Brown had one for six yards.

Alex Henery was 0-1 on field goals and he did make an extra point. Brandon Boykin had three kickoff returns for an average of 28 yards and Brown had one for 16 yards. Mat McBriar had four punts for an average of 40.3 yards.

Colt Anderson led the defense with nine tackles and one assist. Phillip Hunt had a sack.

The Giants finished their season 9-7 which was the same record as last year when they won the Super Bowl. They have no one to blame but themselves though as they had a two game division lead with five games to go and blew it. They also in the last couple of weeks when they lost had destiny in their own hands. The Eagles finished out a terrible season going 4-12 and ending an era as Andy Reid will be fired as head coach.

Hideki Matsui retires from baseball and the Yankees react

Hideki Matsui announced his retirement from professional baseball today. Matsui played in the United States for ten years after coming over from Japan where he played for ten years. Matsui was nicknamed Godzilla, he played with the New York Yankees from 2003-2009 after playing for the Tokyo Giants which is Japans version of the Yankees. He was a very good player, very clutch and also very classy.. He batted 292 with the Yankees, scoring 536 runs, hitting 196 doubles, 140 homeruns and driving in 597 runs. He became the first player in Yankees franchise history to hit a grand slam in his Yankee Stadium debut. He accomplished that feat against the Minnesota Twins on April 8, 2003. He was a two time all star who didn’t miss a game in his first three years, 518 consecutive games which is a record still today for longest streak to start a career. Matsui always had a flair for the dramatic and in his final game as a Yankee he went 3-4 and drove in six runs to clinch World Series Game 6 on November 4, 2009 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was loved by everyone and that came out today upon the news of his retirement. Here are some of the Yankees reacting to the news. 
Hal Steinbrenner: “Hideki Matsui in many ways , embodied what this organization stands for. He was dedicated to his craft, embraced his responsibilities to his team and fans, and elevated his play when he was needed the most. He did all these things with a humility that was distinctly his own, which is why he was such a big part of our success and why he will always be a cherished member of the Yankees family.”

Brian Cashman: “Hideki is proof that baseball is an international attraction that brings people from all over the world together in their passion for the game. He was the type of player and person you want young fans of this game to emulate. He played with pride, discipline and of course talent, and flourished when the lights were at their brightest. People naturally gravitated towards him, and that’s a direct reflection of his character. He was a true professional in every sense of the word and it feels good knowing he was able to raise the championship trophy as a member of the Yankees.”

Derek Jeter: “I’ve said numerous times over the years, but it’s worth repeating now. I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years with the Yankees, but I will always consider Hideki one of my favorites. The way he went about his business day in and day out was impressive. Despite being overshadowed by a large group of reporters, having the pressures of performing for both his fans both in New York and Japan and becoming acclimated to the bright lights of New York City, he always remained focused and committed to his job and to those of us he shared the clubhouse with. I have a lot of respect for Hideki. He was someone we counted on a great deal and he’s a big reason why we became World Champions in 2009.”

I was at that first game in 2003 and he became an instant fan favorite. He always had a flair for the dramatic and was so clutch and that is why he was loved in New York. The Yankees today don’t really have guys like that and that is why they have struggled in the postseason. I like what they have done this off-season because I feel like they are going back to what made them successful, not so much guys that just hit homeruns but guys who can do a lot and be clutch players. I wish Hideki all the best and I am sure his fans and the Yankees look forward to seeing him at future Old Timers day celebrations.

R.A. Dickey is traded to the Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Mets traded the ace of their staff and 2012 Cy young award winner. It seems like that wouldn’t be a good idea. I think the Mets actually did the right thing though and made out well for themselves. They got two of the Blue Jays top three prospects and they traded a 38 year old knuckle ball pitcher who is coming off of his best season. He was good in New York but never close to as good as he was last season. It is hard seeing him duplicate that performance and his value will never be higher. 
The Mets are a team that has been bad for a while, they are stocking up their farm system now and hoping that within the next couple of years they will make an impact and lead them back to the postseason and beyond. The Mets have the makings of some very good and talented players. They have a good young pitching staff and Dickey if not part of the long term future would just be blocking one of the youngsters. The Mets need some outfield help and need as much money as possible to concentrate on that. They are set in the infield and pitching staff, they could maybe use some bullpen help also but that may come from within as well.

The Mets got top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, major league catcher John Buck, pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and minor leaguer Wuilmer Becerra. Here is what Mets GM Sandy Alderson had to say. “It was an extraordinary privilege for us to be part of his career over the past three years.” “The final chapter has not been written, but it has been an extraordinary career, arcing from disappointment to jubilation.”

The Mets also sent catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas to the Blue Jays. The Mets catching situation was not good at all and although d’Arnaud has had injury problems he is considered the top catching prospect in all of baseball and the Mets are willing to bet he will make the team before long and be their catcher for a long time. Dickey came out on twitter and wrote a nice message to the Mets fans.

If you are wondering Dickey is the seventh Cy Young Award winner to open the following season with a new team and fourth to be traded.

The New York Giants are embarrassed in Atlanta

The New York Giants lost to the Atlanta Falcons by the score of 34-0 on Sunday afternoon. There was nothing good at all you could say about this game for the Giants. It took place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Eli Manning had a terrible game and you could say so did coach Tom Coughlin. 
Manning was 13-25 for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. David Wilson led the rushing attack with 12 rushes for 55 yards and Kregg Lumpkin had nine rushes for 42 yards.

Domenick Hixon had five receptions for 80 yards to lead the receivers. Hakeem Nicks had three receptions for 40 yards, Victor Cruz had three receptions for 15 yards and Martellus Bennett had one reception for 15 yards. Wilson had one reception for 11 yards.

Will Hill led the defense with six tackles and three assists. Chris Canty had a sack and Stevie Brown had six tackles with two assists.

Matt Ryan was 23-28 for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Turner led the Falcons rushing attack with 16 rushes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Jason Snelling rushed six times for 39 yards, Jacquizz Rodgers had 11 attempts for 25 yards and Julio Jones had one rush for 18 yards.

Jones led the receivers with six receptions for 74 yards. Harry Douglas had three receptions for 83 yards, Tony Gonzalez had six receptions for 49 yards and Roddy White had two receptions for 16 yards. Snelling had three receptions for 14 yards, Rodgers had one reception for 14 yards and Mike Cox had one reception for 11 yards. Turner had one reception for nine yards. Matt Bryant was 2-2 on field goals with 38 being his long and 4-4 on extra points.

Asante Samuel and Thomas Decoud each had an interception. Sean Weatherspoon led the Falcons defense with six tackles and three assists. Kroy Biermann had a sack.

The Giants are now 8-6 on the season and in a three way tie for first place in the NFC East. The Redskins hold the tie breaker and are technically the first place team. The Giants if they win their last two games will be in the playoffs and they will see how the seeding unfolds. They still have destiny in their own hands, they play at Baltimore and then home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Atlanta Falcons are having a great season and improved to 12-2.

R.A. dickey is an angry Elf

The Mets had their annual holiday party, one of them dresses as Santa and they have a couple of elves. David Wright was there as Santa and R.A. Dickey and Ike Davis were elves. Dickey seemed to speak out about the Mets and their lack of effort with getting a deal done with him. I personally didn’t think it was horrible but it didn’t look good what he said. I am not sure that a event with children was the right place to air out your grievances. I do understand why he is upset though, he is only looking for a two year deal with fair market value. Dickey did win a Cy Young award last season. 
I think they may keep him but just have him on the final year of his deal. I think the Mets could trade him but want a really good deal for him and if not I don’t see them giving him two years. They probably should just give him a two year extension and leave it at that. Johan Santana is in his last year and the rest of the staff is young. It is good to have a veteran presence around but we will see how it plays out.

The other big story which is more up to date is Josh Hamilton agreeing to a deal with the Anaheim Angels on Thursday afternoon. He signed for five years and 125 million dollars. What a lineup they have with Pujols and Hamilton in the middle and they also have Mike Trout. The rivalry between the Angels and Rangers has also really picked up steam with this. The Angels and Dodgers though in different leagues have a little territorial rivalry going like the Mets and Yankees. It will be interesting to see how Hamilton performs outside his comfort zone. He won’t be expected to be the guy in Anaheim as Pujols and Trout are also there. A city like Los Angeles though can be very tempting and they better have someone watching his every move to make sure he doesn’t fall off the wagon.

New York Yankees moves and a big trade in baseball

The New York Yankees have signed Kevin Youkilis to play third base for them in 2012. Alex Rodriguez is their third baseman but he is having hip surgery and will miss at least half the season. If Rodriguez comes back in half a season who knows how he will be and if he can play the field anymore. I know that Youkilis is one of the most hated players to go against the Yankees for all those years in Boston. The signing though one year for 12 million is not a bad move in my opinion. I would say he was clearly the best option out there, he is not as good as he used to be but he still hits lefties and can get on base. He walks a lot and gets hit by pitches. It will be interesting to see how he is received by Yankees fans and of course how they react in Boston to him.

Ichiro Suzuki hasn’t officially signed yet but he is coming back to the Yankees. The only question now is if he is coming back for a year, a year and an option or two years which is being rumored. Ichiro has a chance of reaching 3000 hits and the Yankees may tie bonuses to his contract if he does that. I like the move with Ichiro to be the right fielder, he does so many things right. He also brings that speed element which I think is so important. I think the Yankees will have a different offensive team next year. They will have to create more runs which in the long run is good for them. They have become too reliant on the homerun and that has cost them in the postseason. I think the Yankees will also sign a right handed outfielder to complement Ichiro but we will see. Scott Hairston is an option.

There was also a big three way trade in baseball on Tuesday between the Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. The Indians got Drew Stubbs a center fielder, right handers Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw. Shin-Soo Choo has been the right fielder for pretty much the last seven years for the Indians. He went to the Reds, Jason Donald and 3.5 million also went to the Reds. Tony Sipp a reliever and first baseman Lars Anderson went to Arizona. It looks like Cleveland may have gotten the upper hand in this deal but we will wait and see how it all plays out.

The Jets are able to win a close one in Jacksonville

The New York Jets defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars by the score of 17-10 on Sunday afternoon. The game was played in Jacksonville, Florida. Mark Sanchez was 12-19 for 11 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. 
Bilal Powell led the rushing attack with 78 yards on 19 attempts and a touchdown. Shonn Greene had 20 rushes for 77 yards and a touchdown and Sanchez had three rushes for 11 yards.

Jeff Cumberland led the receivers with one catch for 37 yards. Jeremy Kerley had four for 27 yards, Chaz Schilens had two for 27 yards and Mardy Gilyard had two catches for 15 yards. Konrad Reuland had two catches for seven yards.

Nick Folk was 1-1 on field goals making a 44 yarder and he had two extra points. The Jets had two interceptions and Laron Landry led the defense with nine tackles and one assist. The Jets also had three sacks. David Harris, Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples each had a sack.

Chad Henne was 21-43 for 185 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. Montell Owens led the rushing attack with 14 attempts for 91 yards and a touchdown. Richard Murphy had four attempts for 19 yards, Jordan Todman had three for eight yards and Greg Jones had two rushes for four yards.

Justin Blackmon led the receivers with six catches for 57 yards, Jordan Shipley had five receptions for 55 yards and Kevin Elliott had three catches for 38 yards. Owens had one catch for 11 yards, Guy Whimper had one for 10 yards and Jones had two catches for eight yards.

Josh Scobee was 1-2 on field goals making a 31 yarder and making one extra point. Paul Posluszny led the defense with 10 tackles and an assist. Jason Babin had the only sack for the Jaguars and they didn’t have an interception.

The Jets improved their record to 6-7 and the Jaguars dropped their record to 2-11.

The New York Giants roll past the New Orleans Saints

The New York Giants special teams did some heavy lifting on Sunday evening. The Giants were able to beat the New Orleans Saints by the score of 52-27, rookie David Wilson set a Giants rookie record for most all purpose yards ever. The Giants rookie had a 97 yard kick return for a touchdown and a couple of other long ones which really set up the Giants field position all day. 
Eli Manning was 22-35 for 259 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Wilson had 13 rushing attempts for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Ahmad Bradshaw had 11 carries for 33 yards and Henry Hynoski had one carry for five yards.

Victor Cruz led the receivers with eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, Hakeem Nicks had four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown and Martellus Bennett had five catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Domenik Hixon had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown and Hynoski had two catches for nine yards.

Lawrence Tynes was 1-2 on field goals making from 39 yards and he had seven extra points. Stevie Brown on defense had two interceptions and the Giants had one sack from Osi Umenyiora. Michael Boley led the defense with seven tackles and three assists.

Drew Brees was 26-43 for 354 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Mark Ingram led the rushing with 13 attempts for 68 yards. Darren Sproles had five rushes for 56 yards and a touchdown, Pierre Thomas had five rushes for 19 yards.

Joseph Morgan led the receivers with two catches for 106 yards. Marques Colston had four receptions for 61 yards, Thomas had seven receptions for 57 yards, Jimmy Graham had five catches for 56 yards and Darren Sproles had four for 28 yards and a touchdown. Lance Moore had one catch for 26 yards, Devery Henderson had one for 11 yards and Jed Collins had two catches for nine yards.

Garrett Hartley was 2-2 in field goals with his long being from 32 yards and he made three extra points. The Saints defense had two interceptions and Curtis Lofton led their defense with seven tackles and two assists.

The Giants remain in first place in the NFC East. They are now 8-5 on the season and will travel to Atlanta for their next game on Sunday. The Saints record dropped to 5-8 on the season and they will have to win out and hope for a lot of luck, but they are basically out of the playoffs now.

The Winter Meetings end with the Yankees remaining quiet

The New York Yankees aren’t used to being quiet at this time of year. The Yankees right now are quiet though. I don’t want to be like everyone else and start speculating on what is wrong with the Yankees. I actually don’t think there is anything wrong with them. They went after pitching first and did resign Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Hiroki Kuroda. They have a formidable rotation right now with CC Sabathia, Kuroda, Pettitte, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova/David Phelps. Their bullpen sets up pretty well also even without Rafael Soriano. The Yankees right now though need a right fielder, a catcher unless they go with what they have and a 3B since Alex Rodriguez is hurt for at least half the season. 
The Yankees did make an offer to Kevin Youkilis on Thursday for one year and 12 million. It looks like it is between them and the Cleveland Indians who have his former manager Terry Francona as their new manager. It is being reported also that Cleveland offered two years, less money per year but the extra year. It will be interested if he ends up with the Yankees. He played most of his career in Boston and was hated by the Yankees fans, also what kind of first clubhouse meeting will it be between him and Joba Chamberlain?? It should be interesting but I do think he may be the best fit for them in that position. He isn’t as good as he used to be but can play a pretty good third and is a high on base guy. He has some power also. The Yankees lost Eric Chavez and Jeff Keppinger but in the end they may end up with someone better.

The Yankees I think will still end up resigning Ichiro Suzuki and to me that would be the best fit for right field. They are losing a lot of power from Martin, Swisher, Arod but I think they need to get away from that and become more balanced like the great late 90s teams were. It is only December and they don’t need to field a team until the middle of February so there is plenty of time. It doesn’t look like the Yankees will do much or anything big though. They could swing a trade which there is a rumor today that they are shopping Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova. I am not so sure about that and I am sure they would ask for a lot.

MLB Winter Meetings Day One

The Winter Meetings have begun and the Yankees are in the news but not for good reasons. Alex Rodriguez will need surgery on his left hip and be out about half of the season. What does this mean for the Yankees?? Will they make a trade for a third baseman, could they sign a third baseman or will they go with what they have. Brian Cashman the general manager has already said Eduardo Nunez is being strictly seen as a shortstop. Eric Chavez is still out there but can he play everyday for half a season?? Chase Headley is a name that has been mentioned but the Padres told writer Joel Sherman they won’t be trading him. Kevin Youkilis is a free agent although I can’t see him landing with the Yankees. There are a couple of other free agents also like Placido Polanco, we will have to wait and see what the Yankees do but they are being patient. I think it is the right thing to not make a panic move and see how it plays out.

The Yankees may be looking for a catcher although that doesn’t seem as much of a priority as right field. It doesn’t look like the Yankees will make any big moves or sign any big names but you never know with them. I still feel that Ichiro Suzuki will end up back with them and be their right fielder but there hasn’t seemed to be any conversations between the two sides.

Jacob Ruppert an old owner of the Yankees has been posthumously been elected to the baseball Hall Of Fame. A lot of people assumed he was already in for all that he did. He presided over the Yankees first six world championships and brought Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

Tuesday is another day and we will see what that brings. The Red Sox did sign Mike Napoli today to a three year deal. He will play first base for them, Angel Pagan resigned with the San Francisco Giants, four years and 40 million. It looks like R.A. Dickey is a name that is getting a ton of attention, the Mets may move him and a lot of teams are interested but the Mets want a good package for the 2012 NL Cy Young award winner.

New York Jets win a lousy game over the Arizona Cardinals

The New York Jets defeated the Arizona Cardinals by the score of 7-6 on Sunday evening. The game took place at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was a terrible offensive game for both sides. Mark Sanchez was so bad that he was finally benched, not for Tim Tebow though. Tebow was inactive for the game with a couple of fractured ribs. Greg McElroy got his first action and led the Jets to victory. 
Sanchez was 10-21 for 97 yards no touchdowns and he threw three interceptions. McElroy was 5-7 for 29 yards and a touchdown. Shonn Greene led the rushing attack with 24 carries for 104 yards, Bilal Powell had 12 rushes for 58 yards and Joe McKnight had two rushes for eight yards. Stephen Hill led the receivers with five receptions for 40 yards. Jeremy Kerley had three receptions for 37 yards, Jeff Cumberland had two receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown and Dustin Keller had two receptions for 17 yards. Chaz Schilens had two receptions for five yards. Nick Folk was 0-2 in field goal attempts and made the one extra point.

Ryan Lindley was 10-31 for the Cardinals for 72 yards and an interception. Rashad Johnson had one rush for 40 yards, Beanie Wells had 15 rushes for 22 yards and William Powell had four rushes for 18 yards. Larry Fitzgerald had one catch for 23 yards, Michael Floyd had two catches for 22 yards and Rob Housler had four receptions for 15 yards. Early Doucet had two receptions for 13 yards.

Laron Landry had an interception for the Jets and Kerry Rhodes had two for the Cardinals and Patrick Peterson had the other for the Cardinals. Kyle Wilson led the Jets defense with five tackles and an assist. David Harris had ½ a sack, Muhammad Wilkerson had ½ a sack and Bart Scott had a sack. William Gay had a sack for the Cardinals, Adrian Wilson, Sam Acho, Darnell Dockett and David Carter each had ½ a sack.

The Jets record improved to 5-7 and they kept their fading playoff hopes alive. The Cardinals record dropped to 4-8 as they will be playing out the string. The Jets next game will be Sunday afternoon at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The question now for the Jets will be who is their quarterback in that game. I would suspect Greg McElroy but could it be Tim Tebow and will any of the three quarterbacks not dress for the game?? We will have to see in the next couple of days if the Jets announce it.

New York Yankees updates heading into the Winter Meetings

The baseball hot stove has heated up the past couple of days. The Yankees are in the news for signing a couple of their old players. The Yankees have resigned Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera to one year deals. They did the same for Hiroki Kuroda a couple of weeks ago, they seem pretty set in the pitching department. The Yankees head into the winter meetings looking for a catcher, right fielder and some bench help. 
Andy Pettitte was signed officially yesterday for one year and 12 million with performance based bonuses. Mariano Rivera officially signed tonight for one year and 10 million also with performance based bonuses. Kuroda had signed earlier in the off season for one year and 15 million. The Yankees did lose Russell Martin to the Pirates tonight though, he signed for two years and 17 million pending a physical. The Yankees apparently didn’t make him an offer as they said they weren’t going to match that offer. I want to make it clear that it wasn’t that they didn’t have the money, they just chose not to spend it on Martin. The Yankees I am sure have a plan for catcher. I would trust Cashman and company more then some of the fans do. I do think he was a very good catcher but he did hit 211 last year so let’s not act like it is the end of the world.

The Yankees right now though have Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart as their catchers with Austin Romine in the minors about to get a good luck. I don’t think the Yankees will sign any of the free agents such as Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski. I think if anything the Yankees will make a trade for a catcher, maybe they will just go with what they have, say play good defense and don’t worry about the hitting. They may figure that these guys can’t really do worse then 211, they will lose a lot of power though.

The Yankees most likely will resign Ichiro Suzuki to a one year deal to be their right fielder and I am all for it. They are going to lose Nick Swisher along with Martin though and that is a lot of power gone from the team. The Yankees may have a whole new offensive strategy though which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am all for Ichiro, Gardner, Nunez and one of those catchers playing. They can use speed, more bunts and hit and run and manufacture runs. When it comes to the playoffs that is how you score runs and the Yankees won’t have to wait for the homerun and more often then not fail because of that.

In other baseball news the Minnesota Twins traded Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for minor league right handed pitcher Alex Meyer. It was a good move for the Nationals as they have a legitimate leadoff hitter now and he will play good defense also. Bryce Harper can now shit to left field where he is better served.

There are some other rumors going around such as the Dodgers being the favorites to sign Zack Greinke. The winter meetings will begin next week and I am sure we will get a lot of action and really start to see how things are going to line up for next year. Will the Yankees have a new catcher and right fielder by the end of the meetings, will they sign some spare parts?? Will the Yankees make a big move such as signing Josh Hamilton?? I would doubt them making a big move but you never know.

The New York Jets suffer an embarrassing loss on Thanksgiving night to the New England Patriots

The New York Jets were defeated by the New England Patriots by the score of 49-19. It was a embarrassing performance. Mark Sanchez was terrible but Tim Tebow had a couple of cracked ribs and he wasn’t able to play although he was the only other quarterback on the roster for the game. The Jets didn’t have a good game in any facet of the team. 
Mark Sanchez was 26-36 for 301 yards and one touchdown and he threw an interception. He also fumbled the ball and the Patriots ran it back for a touchdown. Shonn Greene led the Jets rushing with 71 yards on 14 attempts, Bilal Powell had 40 yards on 12 attempts and a touchdown and Joe McKnight rushed for six yards on one carry. Sanchez had two yards rushing on two attempts. Jeremy Kerley had seven receptions for 86 yards, Dustin Keller had five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown and Jeff Cumberland had four receptions for 58 yards. Chaz Shilens had two receptions for 28 yards, Clyde Gates had two receptions for 20 yards and Stephen Hill had two receptions for 16 yards. Powell had two receptions for 13 yards, Greene had one reception for nine yards and Konrad Reuland had one reception for seven yards. Nick Folk was 1-1 on field goals making a 32 yarder and making two extra points.

David Harris led the defense with eight tackles and two assists. Demario Davis had six tackles, LaRon Landry had five tackles and three assists and Kyle Wilson had four tackles and two assists. They didn’t have any sacks or interceptions.

Tom Brady was 18-28 for 323 yards with three touchdowns. Stevan Ridley had 21 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Shane Vereen had 10 rushes for 42 yards and Brady had three rushes for five yards and a touchdown. Danny Woodhead had two rushes for eight yards, Julian Edelman had one rush for three yards. Vereen led the receivers with two catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Wes Welker had seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, Julian Edelman had two receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown and Aaron Hernandez had two receptions for 36 yards. Brandon Lloyd had three receptions for 26 yards, Daniel Fells had one reception for 24 yards and Woodhead had one reception for 11 yards. Stephen Gostkowski missed his only field goal attempt, he had seven extra points.

Jerod Mayo led the Patriots defense with eight tackles and three assists and a sack. Brandon Spikes had seven tackles and four assists, Steve Gregory and Alfonzo Dennard each had five tackles. Donta Hightower had a sack.

The Patriots moved to 8-3 and in first place in the AFC East and the Jets dropped to 4-7 and tied for last place with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

The New York Giants win in dominating fashion over the Green Bay Packers

The New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers by the score of 38-10 on Sunday night. The Giants had a couple of pretty bad weeks and they hadn’t played a really good game in quite a while. The Giants brought their A game in this one and looked like the World Champions that they are. The Giants after giving up an early score to the Packers really shut them down. The Giants offense was really balanced with the passing and rushing and their wasn’t much to complain about at all. 
Eli Manning was 16-30 for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Andre Brown led the rushing with 64 yards on 13 attempts with a touchdown, Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 58 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. David Wilson had six rushes for 13 yards. Hakeem Nicks had five receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown, Bradshaw had two receptions for 61 yards and Victor Cruz had three receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. Martellus Bennett had three receptions for 44 yards, Rueben Randle had two receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown. Lawrence Tynes made one field goal from 43 yards and five extra points.

Mathias Kiwanuka had five tackles and an assist and two sacks to lead the defense. Kenny Phillips and Antrelle Rolle each had five tackles. Chase Blackburn, Chris Canty, Osi Umenyiora each had a sack.

Aaron Rodgers was 14-25 for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception. James Starks led the Packers rushing with 35 yards on eight carries, Alex Green had 10 rushes for 30 yards and Rodgers had three rushes for 22 yards. John Kuhn had four rushes for 17 yards and Randall Cobb had one rush for 12 yards. Jordy Nelson led the receivers with two catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Jermichael Finley had three catches for 51 yards, Kuhn had three catches for 49 yards and Cobb had four catches for 39 yards. Alex Green had three catches for 20 yards. Mason Crosby was 1-2 on field goals making a 28 yarder and missing a 55 yarder. He had one extra point.

A.J. Hawk led the defense with eight tackles and two assists. Brad Jones had six tackles and two assists, Dezman Moses had the only sack of Manning on the day.

The Giants and Packers both have records of 7-4. The Giants are in first place in the NFC East by two games over the Dallas Cowboys. The Packers are behind the Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North. The Giants will face the Washington Redskins in Washington next Monday night.

Kuroda is back and a couple of minor moves

The New York Yankees announced on Tuesday night that they had resigned starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.  He is their number two pitcher and for most of last year was their best pitcher.  He signed after plaing for the Dodgers for four years after coming over from Japan.  A lot of people doubted how he would transition to the AL and especially the Yankees and the AL East.  Kuroda was great for the Yankees and now they are happy to have him back for at least one more year. 

The Yankees signed him for one year and 15 million.  You may say wow that is a lot of money for one year.  They probably did overpay for him but they will do that for one year.  The Yankees are trying to get under the 189 million cap in 2014 so one year deals work well for them and it doesn't affect that.  I wouldn't be suprised to see them do some more deals like this with Andy Pettitte, maybe Russell Martin, Ichiro Suzuki and maybe a couple of bench players and a veteran starting pitcher. 

The Yankees now have CC Sabathia and Kuroda.  If Andy Pettitte comes back which most expect they will have a solid top three with Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and David Phelps battling it out for the back two spots of the rotation. 

The Yankees claimed reliever Mickey Storey off of waivers.  He is 26 and made his major league debut in August of last year with the Astros.  He was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 26 relief appearances.  The Yankees also added six players to their 40 man roster.  Manny Banuelos one of their top prospects who will miss all of next season due to Tommy John surgery.  They also added OF Ramon Flores, RHP Brett Marshall, RHP Jose Ramirez, LHP Francisco Rondon and LHP Nick Turley.  Dave Herndon elected free agency instead of being sent to AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre. 

The Yankees also sold a 49 percent stake in the YES network to News Corp which is a subsidiary of FOX.  I don't really know what to make of this but we will see if anything develops out of this. 

The New York Jets end their losing streak in St. Louis

The New York Jets defeated the St. Louis Rams by the score of 27-13 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place in St. Louis. The Jets are now 4-6 on the season and have a game on Thanksgiving against their rivals the New England Patriots. I wouldn’t say the offense was great but Mark Sanchez did a good job managing it, no turnovers from their offense. The Jets defense was really good and they ended their three game losing streak.

Sanchez was 15-20 for 178 yards with one touchdown and Tim Tebow was 1-1. Shonn Greene had 18 rushing attempts for 64 yards, Bilal Powell had 11 rushes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Joe McKnight rushed four times for 14 yards. Chaz Schilens led the receivers with four catches for 48 yards with one touchdown. Jeremy Kerley had three catches for 43 yards, Powell had two catches for 18 yards and McKnight had a catch for 18 yards. Konrad Reuland had one catch for 18 yards.

Nick Folk was 2-4 in field goals with his long coming from 51 yards. He had three extra points made. Laron Landry led their defense with eight tackles. Muhammed Wilerson had a sack and Eric Smith had an interception.

Sam Bradford was 23-44 for 170 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Steven Jackson led the Rams rushing attack with 81 yards on 13 carries, Daryl Richardson had six carries for 26 yards and Bradford had one attempt for seven yards.

Austin Pettis had two catches for 46 yards, Danny Amendola had seven catches for 41 yards and Brandon Gibson had three catches for nine yards and two touchdowns. Chris Givens had four catches for 19 yards, Richardson had one catch for 18 yards and Lance Kendricks had two catches for 14 yards.

Greg Zuerlein had one extra point made and no field goal attempts. James Laurinaitis had ten tackles and an assist to lead the Rams defense. Quintin Mikell had a sack, Chris Long had two sacks.

The Jets will play the Patriots on Thanksgiving in their next game before having 11 days off. The Jets will need a big win if they want to get some momentum and have a chance at the playoffs. The Jets are at 4-6 right now and have to make their move.

Baseball Offseason notes

Here are some baseball notes on a fairly quiet offseason so far.  The New York Mets and New York Yankees haven't done anything although the Toronto Blue Jays have been busy the past few days.  In the next couple of weeks when the winter meetings begin I would expect things to pick up. 

The Blue Jays made a big trade with the Miami Marlins the other day to aquire Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, John Buck was also part of the trade.  The Blue Jays gave up some top prospects and they gave up Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria.  It was a big trade, I wonder why the Marlins are able to operate like this.  In the long run it may benefit them but how can they sign all these players and then break up their team within a year.  I think this is just embarrassing and shouldn't be allowed to happen.  The Marlins got a  new stadium which the tax payers mostly paid for and now they barely even have a team. 

The Blue Jays on Friday signed Melky Cabrera to a two year 16 million dollar deal. 

The Detroit Tigers signed Torii Hunter to a two year deal, they have some offense on paper.  The Padres and Oakland Athletics made a trade on Friday.  Oakland sent righty pitcher Tyson Ross to the Padres for infielder Andy Perrino and lefty Andrew Werner.  The A's also sent minor leaguer A.J. Kirby-Jones in the deal.  The Athletics found a player in Perrino who can play shortstop for them.  Ross had a very good season in AAA last year. 

The AL MVP was one of the most contested in recent years with Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout.  Cabrera won to complete a wonderful season winning the Triple Crown and the MVP.  It was and is still a war between the sabremetrics community and the old school baseball community.  The Old School won out for now but it really got heated and contentious between the two sides.  I personally would of voted for Cabrera myself if I had a vote because the Tigers did win the division and the Angels didn't even make the playoffs.  I know you don't have to do that but I give that more weight. 

I don't think there were really any suprises in the awards.  R.A. Dickey won the NL Cy Young which wasn't a shock although he was the first knuckle ball pitcher to ever win the award.  I guess for the AL manager of the year you could of picked Buck Showalter but Bob Melvin won it with the Oakland Athletics who also had a great and very suprising season. 

Justin Verlander lost out on his second straight Cy Young but David Price won it, he also had a great season and Verlander didn't have as great of a season as the year before. 

The Giants put up a stinker in Cincinnati

The New York Giants lost to the Cincinnati Bengals by the score of 31-13 on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Giants have not played that well in the last couple of weeks and it continued in this game. This was probably rock bottom as they didn’t play well in any facet of the game. 
Eli Manning was 29-46 for 215 yards, no touchdowns and he threw two interceptions. Andre Brown led the Giants rushing attack with 65 yards on seven carries and a touchdown. Ahmad Bradshaw had 10 carries for 57 yards. Henry Hynoski the fullback had a carry for five yards, Manning and David Wilson each had one carry for one yard. Hakeem Nicks led the receivers with nine catches for 75 yards, Martellus Bennett had four carries for 37 yards, Brown had five catches for 29 yards and Victor Cruz had three catches for 26 yards. Ramses Barden had two catches for 22 yards, Bradshaw had three catches for 14 yards and Domenick Hixon had one catch for eight yards. Rueben Randle had two catches for four yards. Lawrence Tynes was 2-2 on field goals with his long being 31 yards and he made one extra point. Wilson had six kick returns for average of 17.8 yards. Steve Weatherford had four punts for an average of 53.3 average with a long of 68 yards.

Prince Amukamara led the defense with seven tackles and three assists. The Giants did not have a sack or an interception. Chase Blackburn did have a forced fumble.

Andy Dalton was 21-30 for 199 yards and four touchdowns. BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 15 rushes for 50 yards, Cedric Peerman had six rushes for 21 yards and Brian Leonard had four rushes for four yards. Mohamed Sanu had one carry for three yards. A.J. Green led the Bengals receivers with seven catches for 85 yards and one touchdown. Sanu had four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown and Andrew Hawkins had three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown. Orson Charles had a catch for 19 yards, Peerman had a catch for nine yards and Green-Ellis had two catches for eight yards. Mike Nugent was 1-1 on field goals and had four extra points. Brandon Tate had two kickoff returns for an average of 12 yards. Kevin Huber had four punts for an average of 48.3 yards.

The Bengals had two interceptions, Terence Newman had six tackles and one assist to lead the defense. Carlos Dunlap had 1.5 sacks and four tackles and an assist. Wallace Gilberry had a sack, Robert Geathers had a sack and Domata Peko had ½ a sack.

The Giants are now 6-4 and the Bengals are 4-5. The Giants remain in first place in the NFC East but now only a game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants were behind 14-0 after five minutes of the game and never got it together. They were losing 17-6 at the half and it just got worse from there.

Yankees Notes from the GM Meetings

Here is some notes from the GM meetings courtesy of the Lohud Yankees Blog.  I put my own thoughts mixed in there.  It really is laying the groundwork because no real trades or anything get done but this will set up the Winter meetings where most of the action takes place. 

Surrounded by media standing four or five deep, Scott Boras just spoke in the hotel lobby and left little doubt that his client, Rafael Soriano, will decline the Yankees qualifying offer.

“Most qualifying offers are really for players of the highest value,” Boras said. “When teams make them, they’re acknowledging the value and other teams know that, as well. I don’t anticipate many players accepting single-year contracts that are in that arena.”
  I would agree that for the most part they won't take the offer.  I don't think the Yankees want him too take it though, they just wanted to protect themselves from him leaving. 
As for current value, Boras made the case that Soriano might have been the difference in some teams making or missing the playoffs this season, and he played up the idea that the Yankees shouldn’t easily let go of such late-inning comfort.

“If you look at the Angels, Dodgers, White Sox, Milwaukee; those teams would have been in the playoffs if they had a closer that had the efficiency rating of Soriano,” Boras said. “The Yankees took advantage of that. If that was a really good business decision for the Yankees two years ago, and it proved to be so valued today, it certainly would be a wiser decision when (Mariano) Rivera is older and coming off an injury.”  It sounds wise but the Yankees are trying to get under the cap and also Soriano wants to close and he won't be a closer with the Yankees unless Rivera gets hurt. 

Brian Cashman said he hasn’t heard and hasn’t asked whether Soriano, Nick Swisher or Hiroki Kuroda will accept or decline their qualifying offers — “We’d be very happy (if they accept), let’s put it that way,” Cashman said — but it’s becoming clear that the Yankees are setting priorities this offseason. One-year deals are one thing, but with $189 million in mind for next year, the Yankees have to pick and choose where they allocate funds.  It sounds like tonight that Swisher and Soriano will definitely decline, Kuroda is still up in the air. 

That alone might be enough to keep the Yankees out of the Soriano bidding should he hit the open market.

“It would be great if we had them both (Soriano and Rivera),” Cashman said. “The only bad side to having them both — and I don’t have Mo, and I don’t have Soriano (right now) — but obviously it would affect dollars to be spent elsewhere. But bullpens are big time, so do I have to replace him? I think it’s relative to how that would impact the other side of it.”

Boras certainly sounded as if he’s not expecting to come to terms on a contract extension for Robinson Cano any time soon. “He’s there for another year,” Boras said. “I talked to Randy (Levine) a few times this week. I talked to Cash. These are things that, I’m sure as time goes forward, we’ll continue to talk about. But nothing current.”

Just to be clear, Cashman said that if Soriano does happen to accept the qualifying offer, he has no problem with paying both Soriano and Rivera closer money next season. “That would happen,” Cashman said. “If he accepts, yeah, absolutely. We made that decision when we tendered the offer.”

Because Tino Martinez was serving as a senior advisor in the Yankees organization, he had to receive permission to interview for the Marlins hitting coach job. “You combine the great player with that type of experience in seeing how things get done, and I think he’s got a tremendous amount to offer,” Cashman said.  I am sure they are happy he went to Miami and not Boston. 

The Yankees never talked about making Martinez their hitting coach. “We didn’t have any vacancies,” Cashman said. “The Yankees, we’ve been blessed to have some tremendous hitting coaches, from Don Mattingly to Kevin Long, so it’s not an area that’s needed to be addressed at all.”

Although he hasn’t asked whether Kuroda will accept a qualifying offer, Cashman said he has spoken to Kuroda’s agent. “Yes,” Cashman said. “I wouldn’t say, and I couldn’t say (what exactly the conversation was about).”  I have a feeling Kuroda will come back but if he gets a two year offer somewhere and it is pretty significant money you never know he could go there. 

Just something to keep in mind: Ken Davidoff brought up that the $189 million luxury tax threshold includes more than player salary. There’s a certain amount of money — something around $10-12 million, Cashman said — that’s automatically factored in for things like travel expenses. So in terms of player contracts, the Yankees have to get closer to $177 million to stay below the luxury tax.

Cashman dismissed the idea that the Yankees can’t get better while also working to control spending. “Didn’t we get better this year?” he said. “Ninety-five wins. Won the American League East. Went farther in the playoffs (than the year before). Got older, probably. … Improved flexibility. Kept financial costs in check. Lined ourselves up for the long term going that route in certain areas, and we’re better.”  I agree with him, pitching is the most important, they still have a lot of good players and if they get good bench players and have good pitching they will be fine. 

The New York Giants build a big lead, blow it and then hold on to win in Dallas

The New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys by the score of 29-24. The game was played at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The Giants jumped out to a 23-0 lead and looked like world beaters but then Dallas came back and in the third quarter they actually took the lead. The Giants though somehow kept their composure and stuck with it. The Giants have Eli Manning and he didn’t have a great game again but he is there when you need him the most. The Giants defense started out really strong but then they looked pretty awful after that. 
Manning was 15-29 for 192 yards and no touchdowns with one interception. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 78 yards on 22 attempts. Andre Brown rushed for 21 yards on three attempts and one touchdown, Manning rushed for three yards on one carry and David Wilson rushed twice for one yard. Wilson is the main kick and punt returner. He returned four kicks for 86 yards which is a 21.5 average. Wilson has brought something to the Giants they have really been lacking which is a true kick return threat. Ruben Randle had the most yards receiving with 68 on two receptions. Hakeem Nicks caught four balls for 46 yards, Martellus Bennett caught four balls for 29 yards and Domenick Hixon caught three passes for 26 yards. Victor Cruz caught two balls for 23 yards. Lawrence Tynes was 5-5 on field goals and two for two on extra points. His long field goal was 43 yards.

The Giants defense had four interceptions with Stevie Brown having two, Corey Webster and Jason Pierre-Paul each had one interception. Paul had one touchdown. Stevie Brown also led the defense with six tackles along with Keith Rivers who had six tackles.

Tony Romo was 36-62 for 437 yards and one touchdown with four interceptions. Felix Jones rushed 13 times for 19 yards with one touchdown, Romo also had a rushing touchdown. Jason Witten led the receivers with 18 catches for 167 yards. Miles Austin had nine catches for 133 yards, Dez Bryant had five for 110 and John Phillips had three catches for 14 yards. Dan Bailey was 1-1 on field goals and three for three on extra points. His field goal was 51 yards. Dunbar returned six kicks for 142 yards which is an average of 23.7 yards.

The Cowboys had one interception and one fumble recovery. Brandon Carr was their leading tackler with five.

The Giants are in first place in the NFC East with a 6-2 record and the Cowboys are 3-4 and in third place in the NFC East. The Giants will play at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon.

San Francisco Giants take Game 2 of the World Series and lead 2-0

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers by the score of 2-0 on Thursday night in the World Series. The game took place at AT+T Park in San Francisco, California. It was game two of the 2012 World Series. The Giants won and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. The next three games will be played in Detroit. Madison Bumgarner started for the Giants and was great and Doug Fister was also very good for the Tigers. The offense for the Giants had a sacrifice fly and a groundout, they didn’t exactly kill the ball. Blanco led the offense with a couple of hits and Hunter Pence had the only RBI of the game. The Tigers only managed two hits, the bullpens of each team were also good. 
Bumgarner earned the win in this game pitching seven innings giving up two hits and no runs with two walks and eight strikeouts. Santiago Casilla pitched one perfect inning and Sergio Romo earned the save with a perfect inning. Fister suffered the loss pitching six innings giving up four hits and a run with a walk and three strikeouts. Drew Smyly pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with three walks and two strikeouts, Octavio Dotel pitched 1/3 of an inning walking one and Phil Coke struck out the only batter that he faced.

Angel Pagan drew a walk and more importantly a stolen base which secured a free taco for all of America. Tuesday October 30^th between 2-6PM you can stop in any Taco Bell store and get your free Doritos Locos Taco. Pablo Sandoval had a hit and drew a walk, Buster Posey had a hit and drew a walk and Pence had a hit and an RBI. Brandon Belt drew a walk, Blanco had two hits and Crawford drew a walk. The Giants were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Blanco had an outfield assist and Bumgarner had a pickoff.

Austin Jackson drew a walk, Omar Infante had a hit and Miguel Cabrera drew a walk. Delmon Young had a hit, Young hit a double and the Tigers were 0-2 with runners in scoring position and they left two men on base. Infante was caught stealing.

In the seventh the Giants took a 1-0 lead on a groundout. It was bases loaded no outs and they took a double play instead of playing the infield in, it was a controversial move to say the least. In the eighth Pence hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 Giants and that would be the final score.

The Giants took the first two games of the series at home. The two teams had the day off on Friday and will resume on Saturday night in Detroit. They will play the next two there and then if there is a game five it will also be in Detroit before shifting back to San Francisco if need be.

The New York Giants win a wild game against the Washington Redskins

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins by the score of 27-23 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Eli Manning led the Giants to another victory in the last couple of minutes of the game. Robert Griffen III the Redskins quarterback led the Redskins to the lead less then two minutes before the Giants scored the winning touchdown. The Redskins had another chance but fumbled and the game was over. 
Manning was 26-40 for 337 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Ahmad Bradshaw led the rushing attack with 43 yards on 12 attempts. Andre Brown had 17 yards on five attempts. Bradshaw and Brown each had a rushing touchdown. Victor Cruz led the receivers with seven receptions for 131 yards with a touchdown catch. Martellus Bennett had five receptions for 79 yards and Hakeem Nicks had five receptions for 53 yards. Bradshaw had four receptions for 22 yards and Domenik Hixon had three receptions for 32 yards. Lawrence Tynes had two field goals and three extra points. David Wilson had four kick returns and averaged 26.5 yards per return. Steve Weatherford had three kicks with an average of 40 yards. His longest kick was 44 yards. Chase Blackburn, Keith Rivers and Stevie Brown lead the defense with six tackles each. Brown had an interception.

Griffin was 20-28 for 258 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Alfred Morris led the rushing attack with 22 attempts for 120 yards. Griffin had nine attempts for 89 yards, Darrel Young had five rushes for 26 yards. Leonard Hankerson had six receptions for 70 yards, Logan Paulsen had four receptions for 76 yards and Santana Moss had three receptions for 67 yards. Kai Forbath had three field goals and two extra points. Sav Rocca had one punt for 33 yards, Madieu Williams had six tackles to lead the defense. Rob Jackson and Josh Wilson each had an interception.

It was 3-0 Redskins after the first quarter, 13-13 at halftime. There was no scoring in the third quarter and in the fourth the Giants outscored them 14-10. It was a wild fourth quarter with lots of back and forth action. The Giants are now 5-2 on the season and the Redskins are 3-4. The Giants are in first place in the NFC East.

A Few Early Off Season Notes for the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees were eliminated from the postseason prematurely. They were swept out of the ALCS by the Detroit Tigers. It was pretty embarrassing, they didn’t hit at all and they got blown out in the fourth and final game. It was a good season overall as the Yankees battled a lot of injuries and finished first in the American League. They fell short of their ultimate goal though which is always to win the World Series. I personally think it was a decent year, I don’t think it was a total disaster but of course it wasn’t a success either. I think getting swept the way they did made it worse but they did get to the ALCS. 
Curtis Granderson is being sent to an eye specialist. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this because he just looked so bad. I also think they will pick up his option and let him play out the year. The Yankees could trade him but I don’t think they will, his value may be low right now also.

Alex Rodriguez is going to continue to be a hot topic this winter. Brian Cashman the general manager indicated that he would listen to offers on him but also made it clear that more then likely he won’t go anywhere. He knows because of the contract it would be extremely difficult and there probably aren’t many deals that would really make sense. I don’t think he is going anywhere and I think he will be playing DH more and more. I also think he was bothered by his hand injury more then anyone thinks. It was actually something I really didn’t even think of. He is never going to be an MVP candidate again but I don’t think he is as bad as people are making him out to be. His main problem the last couple of years has been staying healthy. He is getting older but he can still be productive, I just think the Yankees need to be careful with him. I am sure you will hear plenty of rumors about Arod this winter and we will see what happens.

CC Sabathia is the ace of the pitching staff and was on the DL twice this season. The Yankees believe he is healthy but they are sending him to Dr. James Andrews this week anyway. There are sources saying he has bone chips and they will just need to be cleaned out. It is always scary though when you hear the name Dr. Andrews, he is the one who tells most pitchers when they need Tommy John surgery. The Yankees and their fans will keep their fingers crossed.

The Yankees have plenty of free agents and will have a very busy winter. The Yankees have to figure out if they are going to keep Nick Swisher. I would say that is a no, Granderson has a team option which I would assume they pick up and let him play out the season but he could be traded also. Ichiro Suzuki was a huge pickup for the Yankees and will they resign him. The Yankees know Derek Jeter will be their shortstop next year but he just had ankle surgery and how will he bounce back?? Will he be ready for opening day, he should be ready for spring training and the season but you never know how quickly he will come back from the injury. The Yankees have to think about signing Hiroki Kuroda and is he worth a multi year deal?? There are plenty of questions, will Rafael Soriano opt out which is assumed and how will Mariano Rivera bounce back from his injury. This should be one of the busiest winters the Yankees have had in a long time. It may make for a fun and exciting off season because there is so much to talk about.

　

　

The New York Yankees get blown out in Detroit and swept in the ALCS

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers by the score of 8-1 on Thursday night. The game took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and did not pitch well, the bullpen was ok. Max Scherzer started for the Tigers and pitched very well and so did their bullpen. Delmon Young won the MVP of the series and had a good game along with Miguel Cabrera. The Yankees offense was missing in action once again. 
Sabathia pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up 11 hits and six runs with five of them being earned. He walked two and struck out three. Sabathia took the loss, Cody Eppley pitched one inning giving up a hit, Clay Rapada got out the only batter that he faced and Joba Chamberlain gave up a couple of hits in an inning. Derek Lowe pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run and Dave Robertson pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout. Scherzer picked up the win pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up two hits and a run with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Drew Smyly pitched to one batter and retired him, Octavio Dotel pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out two and Phil Coke pitched two perfect innings.

Ichiro Suzuki drew a walk, Nick Swisher had a hit and an RBI and Mark Teixeira drew a walk. Jayson Nix drew a walk and Eduardo Nunez had a hit. Swisher hit a double and Nunez hit a triple. The Yankees were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Nunez had a stolen base and Teixeira and Nunez each committed an error.

Austin Jackson had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Omar Infante had two hits and Cabrera had a hit and two RBI. Prince Fielder had two hits, Young had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Jhonny Peralta had two hits and three RBI. Andy Dirks had three RBI, Avisail Garcia had two hits and an RBI. Dirks and Garcia each hit a double and Cabrera and Jackson each hit a homerun. Peralta hit two homeruns. The Tigers were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Garcia had a stolen base and Fielder committed an error.

In the first Young had an RBI single to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Garcia hit an RBI single in the third to make it 2-0 Tigers. Cabrera and Peralta each hit two run homeruns in the fourth inning and it was 6-0 Tigers. Swisher in the sixth hit an RBI double to put the Yankees on the board and make it 6-1, that was all the scoring for the Yankees. The Tigers added a run in the seventh and eighth to finish the scoring at 8-1. Jackson and Peralta each hit solo homeruns.

The Tigers swept the best of seven series 4-0. The Tigers never trailed in the series and just completely shut down the Yankees offense. The Yankees offense was historically bad, they had the second lowest team batting average in their history. It was the worst showing since the 1920’s. It is hard to fathom that after putting away the Baltimore Orioles in a hard fought five game series that their offense just completely disappeared but it did. It wasn’t like they really hit against the Orioles either but they really didn’t hit against the Tigers. The Tigers will move on to the World Series and the Yankees into the off season.

The New York Yankees bats remain silent as the Detroit Tigers move one win away from the World Series

The New York Yankees were defeated by the score of 2-1 on Tuesday night by the Detroit Tigers. The game took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Phil Hughes started and was pitching ok but had to leave the game early due to back stiffness. The Yankees bullpen pieced the game together and did a good job. The Yankees offense was very silent again until the ninth inning. Justin Verlander started for the Tigers and was good without his best stuff. The Tigers pen made it interesting and Delmon Young and Miguel Cabrera led the Tigers offense. 
Hughes pitched 3+ innings giving up three hits and a run with three walks and a strikeout. David Phelps pitched an inning giving up two hits and an unearned run, Clay Rapada walked one in 2/3 of an inning and Cody Eppley gave up a hit and a walk with a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning. Boone Logan pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out one and Joba Chamberlain got out the only batter that he faced. Verlander pitched 8 1/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with no walks and three strikeouts. Phil Coke pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and striking out one.

Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, Mark Teixeira had a hit and Robinson Cano had a hit. Eduardo Nunez had a hit and an RBI. Nunez hit a homerun and the Yankees were 0-1 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. Chavez committed an error and Martin had a passed ball.

Austin Jackson had a hit and drew a walk, Quintin Berry had a hit and Avisail Garcia had a hit. Cabrera had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Prince Fielder drew a walk and Young had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk. Andy Dirks drew a walk, Alex Avila had a hit and Omar Infante had a hit. Cabrera hit a double and Young hit a homerun. The Tigers were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Berry and Infante had a stolen base.

Young hit a solo homerun in the fourth to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. In the fifth Cabrera hit an RBI double to make it 2-0 Tigers. The Yankees scored their only run on a solo homerun by Nunez in the ninth. They put a couple of guys on with two out but Coke got Ibanez to strike out to end the game.

The Tigers now have a 3-0 advantage in this best of seven series. The Tigers need to win one more game and they will be going to the World Series. The Yankees will be trying to stave off elimination with a win on Wednesday night. The Yankees will send their ace CC Sabathia to the mound but pitching hasn’t been their issue. They haven’t hit at all and that is why they are in this position. The Yankees season will end on Wednesday night or they will push it for at least another day.

The New York Yankees offense continues to be anemic as they fall 3-0 to the Tigers

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers by the score of 3-0 on Sunday evening. The game took place at Bronx, New York. Hiroki Kuroda started and pitched great. He was pitching on three days rest for the first time in his major league career. The bullpen wasn’t great but there was also a blown call that cost the Yankees. The offense was terrible. Anibel Sanchez started for the Tigers and pitched very well and so did their bullpen. The Tigers offense was led by Miguel Cabrera. 
Kuroda pitched 7 2/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with no walks and 11 strikeouts. Kuroda lost the game, Boone Logan didn’t record an out and gave up a hit, Joba Chamberlain gave up a hit without recording an out and Clay Rapada walked the only batter that he faced. Cody Eppley pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and struck out two. Sanchez won a game pitching seven innings giving up three hits and no runs with three walks and seven strikeouts. Phil Coke saved a game pitching two innings giving up a hit and struck out three.

Mark Teixeira had a hit, Raul Ibanez had a hit and drew two walks and Alex Rodriguez had a hit. Curtis Granderson drew a walk, Nick Swisher had a hit and Teixeira hit a double. The Yankees were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Granderson had a stolen base and Ibanez was caught stealing.

Austin Jackson had a hit, Quintin Berry had a hit and Avisail Garcia had a hit and an RBI. Cabrera had two hits and an RBI, Prince Fielder drew a walk and Delmon Young had a hit and Jhonny Peralta had two hits. Omar Infante had a hit, Berry hit a double and the Tigers were 3-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Sanchez committed an error.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning and then a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning. Young hit into a force out scoring a run and Garcia and Cabrera hit RBI singles. The final score was 3-0 as the Yankees couldn’t get anything going all game once again.

The Tigers hold a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. The teams will have a travel day on Monday and then play game three on Tuesday night in Detroit. The next three games if necessary will be played there. The Yankees will try to get a win in game three against Justin Verlander with Phil Hughes on the mound. If the Yankees don’t get a win they will be facing a 3-0 deficit and need to win four straight to keep their season going.

The New York Yankees lose a crazy game in 12 innings and lose their captain

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Detroit Tigers by the score of 6-4 in 12 innings. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Andy Pettitte started for the Yankees and pitched well and their bullpen was up and down. Raul Ibanez did it again with a game tying homerun in the ninth and Ichiro Suzuki had a great game. The Yankees lose their captain though in the 12^th with an injury and we are awaiting word on how severe it is. Doug Fister started for the Tigers and pitched well although he was very lucky in the first couple of innings. The Tigers bullpen was good other then their closer Jose Valverde who got lit up in the ninth. Delmon Young led the Tigers offense. 
Pettitte pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up seven hits and two runs with three walks and five strikeouts. Derek Lowe pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a strikeout, Boone Logan pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and Cody Eppley pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a strikeout. Clay Rapada struck out the only guy that he faced, Rafael Soriano pitched a perfect inning and David Robertson gave up a hit and struck out one in one inning. David Phelps lost the game pitching an inning giving up three hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout. Fister pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up six hits and no runs with four walks and five strikeouts. Phil Coke pitched a perfect inning, Joaquin Benoit pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and Valverde pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and four runs with a walk and two strikeouts. Octavio Dotel pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a walk and striking out one, Drew Smyly won the game pitching two innings giving up a hit and striking out two.

Derek Jeter had a hit and drew a walk, Suzuki had four hits and two RBI and Mark Teixeira had a hit and drew two walks. Ibanez had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk, Nick Swisher had a hit and drew a walk and Curtis Granderson drew a walk. Russell Martin had two hits, Ibanez and Swisher each hit a double. Suzuki and Ibanez each hit a homerun. The Yankees were 3-13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Gardner had two stolen bases

Austin Jackson had two hits, Omar Infante drew a walk and Miguel Cabrera had a hit and drew two walks. Prince Fielder had two hits and an RBI, Young had three hits and three RBI and Jhonny Peralta had three hits and drew a walk. Andy Dirks had a hit and an RBI, Avisail Garcia had a hit and an RBI and Gerald Laird had a hit. Alex Avila had a hit, Peralta, Jackson and Young each hit a double. Jackson hit a triple and Young hit a homerun. The Tigers were 6-15 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Infante committed an error.

In the sixth the Tigers took a 2-0 lead. Fielder hit an RBI single and Young hit an RBI single. In the eighth Young hit a solo homerun and Garcia hit an RBI single to make it 4-0. In the ninth the Yankees hit two two run homeruns. Suzuki and Ibanez were the two guys who hit the homeruns to tie the game at four. In the 12^th the Tigers scored two to take a 6-4 lead and that was the final score.

The Tigers take a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series. This game was full of emotion and really took a drastic turn as the Tigers were able to win after a tough blown chance in the ninth and then the Yankees lost Jeter for the rest of the season. The two teams will play game two on Sunday afternoon at 4:00PM.

The New York Yankees ride their horse to a Game Five and series victory

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 3-1 on Friday night. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and was brilliant, they didn’t use their bullpen at all. The Yankees offense was led by Curtis Granderson. Jason Hammell started for the Orioles and pitched pretty well and their bullpen was pretty good also. The Orioles offense was led by Lew Ford who had their only RBI. 
Sabathia pitched a complete game giving up four hits and a run. Sabathia walked two and struck out nine and picked up his second victory of this series. Hammell took the loss his first of the series pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up four hits and two runs with two walks and six strikeouts. Troy Patton pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with three strikeouts, Pedro Strop pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up a walk and Brian Matusz pitched 2/3 of an inning retiring both batters they faced.

Derek Jeter drew a walk, Suzuki had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Mark Teixeira had a hit and drew a walk. Raul Ibanez had a hit and an RBI, Granderson had two hits and an RBI. Suzuki hit a double, Granderson hit a homerun and the Yankees were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base. Teixeira and Granderson each had a stolen base.

Nate McClouth had a hit, Matt Wieters had a hit and drew a walk and Manny Machado drew a walk. Ford had a hit and an RBI and Robert Andino had a hit. The Orioles were 2-6 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. McClouth had a stolen base.

In the fifth inning Ibanez hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Suzuki hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 2-0. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the seventh and it was 3-0 Yankees. Ford hit an RBI single in the eighth to make it 3-1 and then escaped further trouble. The final score of the game was 3-1.

The Yankees won the series three games to two and will head to the ALCS to take on the Detroit Tigers who won in five games on Thursday night. It was a series of pitching and the Yankees starting pitching dominated, they barely even used their bullpen. Sabathia pitched two games and pitched 8 2/3 innings and nine innings. The Yankees will play Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday night and will have Andy Pettitte on the mound against the Tigers Doug Fister.

The New York Yankees bats are silent as the Baltimore Orioles force a Game Five

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 2-1 on Thursday night. The game took place in the Bronx, New York. Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and pitched very well, the bullpen did it’s job and the offense was horrible. Joe Saunders started for the Orioles and pitched well and so did their bullpen. The Orioles offense didn’t do much as neither team has really done much in the series. 
Hughes pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up four hits and a run with three walks and eight strikeouts. Boone Logan faced one batter and retired him, Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Rafael Soriano pitched two innings giving up a hit and striking out one. Joba Chamberlain pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. Chamberlain had to leave the game in his second inning of work due to being hit by a flying part of the bat. David Phelps took the loss pitching 1 1/3 innings giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout, Clay Rapada faced one batter and retired him and Derek Lowe faced one batter and retired him. Saunders pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with four walks and five strikeouts. Tommy Hunter pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one, Troy Patton pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and Luis Ayala pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and striking out one. Brian Matusz pitched to one batter and retired him, Darren O’Day pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up a walk and a strikeout and Pedro Strop picked up the win pitching two innings giving up a hit and striking out two. Jim Johnson saved his second game of the series pitching a perfect inning with a strikeout.

Derek Jeter had two hits, Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and Mark Teixeira had a hit and drew three walks. Robinson Cano had an RBI, Alex Rodriguez had a hit and drew a walk and Russell Martin drew a walk. Jayson Nix had two hits including a double and Jeter hit a double. The Yankees were 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Soriano had a pickoff. Nate McClouth had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, J.J. Hardy had two hits and an RBI and Matt Wieters had a hit and drew a walk. Jim Thome had a hit, Ryan Flaherty had a hit and Manny Machado had a hit and drew a walk. McClouth, Machado and Hardy each hit a double. McClouth hit a homerun and the Orioles were 1-11 with runners in scoring position and they left eight men on base. Ford was picked off and Flaherty committed an error. McClouth had an outfield assist.

McClouth hit a solo homerun in the fifth to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. In the sixth the Yankees tied the game at one. Cano hit an RBI groundout. There were no more runs in the game until the 13^th inning when the Orioles broke the tie and took a 2-1 lead. Hardy hit an RBI double and the final score was 2-1 in 13 innings.

The Yankees and Orioles have played four games this series and are tied 2-2 with the fifth and deciding game on Friday evening. The teams have split 22 games this season so it is fitting that it would end with one final game of the year between the two teams. The pitching on both sides has been great and the hitting terrible. CC Sabathia will take the mound against Jason Hammell.

Raul Ibanez leads the New York Yankees to an improbable win in Game Three of the ALDS

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 3-2 in the 12^th inning. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and pitched very well, the Yankees bullpen was great and the unsung heroes of this game. Raul Ibanez is the offensive hero with a game tying and winning homerun. Miguel Gonzalez started for the Orioles and was very good, the Orioles bullpen wasn’t as good. The Orioles offense was led by Nate McClouth. 
Kuroda pitched 8 1/3 innings giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Boone Logan faced one batter and struck him out, Rafael Soriano pitched 11/3 innings giving up a hit and striking out one and David Robertson picked up the win pitching two innings giving up a hit and striking out two. Gonzalez pitched seven innings giving up five hits and a run. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight, Darren O’Day pitched a perfect inning and Jim Johnson blew the save pitching two innings giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout. Brian Matusz lost the game pitching an inning and giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout.

Derek Jeter had two hits and an RBI, he also got taken out with a bruised foot. Ibanez had two hits and two RBI, Nick Swisher had a hit and Russell Martin had two hits. Martin hit a double, Jeter hit a triple and Ibanez hit two homeruns. The Yankees were 1-3 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.

McClouth had two hits, Chris Davis drew a walk and Adam Jones had a hit. Mark Reynolds had a hit, Flaherty had a hit and an RBI and Robert Andino had a hit. Manny Machado had a hit and an RBI, Flaherty and Machado each hit a homerun. The Orioles were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. McClouth had a stolen base and was caught stealing.

Flaherty hit a solo homerun in the third giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Jeter hit an RBI triple in the third to tie the game at one. The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a Machado solo homerun. The Yankees tied the game in the ninth on a Ibanez pinch hit solo homerun. The Yankees won the game in the 12^th on a Ibanez solo homerun. The final was 3-2 in game three with game four to come on Thursday night.

The Yankees and Orioles have played three games in this ALDS and the Yankees have a 2-1 lead. They played 18 times in the regular season and split them 9-9, so the Yankees now have a 11-10 advantage this year over the Orioles. This series has been tied or a one run game in the ninth in each game. This was the Orioles first walk-off loss of the season. It was their first extra inning loss after winning 16 straight of them. The Yankees are the only team that has beat Baltimore in extra innings this season. Phil Hughes will pitch against Joe Saunders on Thursday night. The game is scheduled for 737PM, if the Tigers win tonight and advance to the ALCS then it will be moved back to 837PM.

Yankees ALDS Game Two postgame notes

Here are the postgame notes after the Yankees lost game two on Monday night in Baltimore.  The series will now shift to New York for the remainder of the series.  The Yankees hope they can win the next two and move on but if it goes to a fifth and deciding game they will be home for that also.  Hiroki Kuroda will take on Miguel Gonzalez in Game Three.  The notes are courtesy of the Lohud Yankees blog. 

This was Andy Pettitte answering about how he pitched. “No, because I didn’t,” Pettitte said, offering the most predictable answer of the night. “… It’s a playoff game. The bottom line is that you know that if you give up too many runs, that number doesn’t have to get up too high before it adds up to a loss. Like I said, we had a lot of guys in scoring position, a lot of opportunity. We just weren’t able to take advantage of it.”

Leading the series one game to none with a one-run lead against the Orioles and Pettitte on the mound, that was the opportunity. There were a lot of other opportunities sprinkled in — bases loaded in the fourth, tying run at third in the seventh, two on with no outs in the first — but the Yankees got just two runs, and that wasn’t enough. Two runs meant Pettitte’s three runs were too many, which meant the series is shifting to New York tied.  I thought Pettitte pitched well but the Yankees offense just didn't get the job done and didn't help him much. 

“No one this time of year is going to lay down for you,” Alex Rodriguez said.

Thing is, tonight was the broken record that was supposed to stop playing months ago. Ten runners left on base, five of them in scoring position, three of those with fewer than two outs.  This has been their achilles heel all season and it hasn't gotten them yet but if it keeps up it will in this series and then they will go home. 

“I believe these guys are going to come through,” Joe Girardi said, for the hundredth time this year. “I believe they’re going to put good at-bats, they’re going to keep putting runners on, and they’re going to break through. I believe in them.”  Girardi is loyal and they have bounced back all year so why shouldn't he believe they will do it again. 

The Yankees came through in a big way late last night, not so much tonight.

“Wasted opportunity?” Russell Martin said. “I don’t know. You have to win the series, that’s really what it comes down to. We split on the road, and we come back home, and we believe we can win two out of three over there. It’s part of the game. You’re trying to make something happen, and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you hit the ball hard and it gets caught. Sometimes you drop one at the right time. So it’s not something to go crazy about. I feel like we’re a good team, and we’re going to bounce back, and we’re going to give them a hard time at home.”  I would agree that going home to Yankee Stadium should be a huge advantage.  I know the Orioles played well this year but this is a new season and a different animal.  We will see how the crowd is and how the Orioles react to it. 

 Legitimately tough break for the Yankees in the first inning when Rodriguez actually hit a ball pretty hard, only to have Robert Andino make a great diving stop, turning an RBI single into a deflating double play. “I can’t believe he made that play,” Rodriguez said. “It was really an incredible play. I thought that ball was by him. I saw it into center field, it’s first-and-third, 1-0, and here we go. … That’s a big momentum change for them. That ball goes through, we might score two or three in the first and the momentum changes for us. The one thing about the playoffs, you might have the biggest play of the game in the first inning. I think tonight we saw that.”  I would agree with him, that could of changed the whole game, definitely that inning. 

Bad luck on that play, but Rodriguez also went 1-for-5 with two more strikeouts tonight. Hard to make too much of two games, but this feels more like a continuation of the last three weeks of the season. Girardi once again said he plans to keep Rodriguez batting third. “Right now, I don’t plan on making any chances to our lineup,” Girardi said.  If I had to guess, I would bet that Cano will hit third in game three and Arod fourth or fifth. 

Maybe he’s just being his usual self, but Pettitte was especially hard on himself tonight. “I felt really good early, and pretty suspect after that,” he said. “I don’t really feel like I lost command of the strike zone, really. When you’re out there, and there’s certain pitches you want to make. For the most part my stuff wasn’t as sharp as I would like, but I feel for the most part I was able to get it to the area where I was trying to.”

Martin didn’t really see it that way. “It was just one pitch (to Chris Davis), really,” Martin said. “I felt like he was pretty good all game. … If there’s one pitch he didn’t command probably as well as he wanted to it was his cutter. That’s a really big pitch for him. At times it seemed like he had a really good feel for it, and at others it looked like he wasn’t making great pitches with it. He’s definitely tough on himself, but on our side, we’ve got to score more runs and we’ve got to produce when we have the opportunities.”

The biggest blow was the Davis two-run single in the third. “Trying to go low and away, just left it up over the middle of the plate,” Pettitte said.

Why didn’t Nick Swisher try to throw home on that play? “Davis hit it so hard, just a big one hop,” Swisher said. “Really, just trying to keep them there are first and second rather than try and make a throw home and maybe get a little antsy and overthrowing the cut and next thing you know it’s first and third or second and third. I just thought it was a smart play at the time.”

Speaking of defensive plays on the right side, should Robinson Cano have knocked down Mark Reynolds’ RBI single? Girardi said he didn’t think so because of where Cano was playing, and Cano said he didn’t think a dive would have kept the ball in the infield. “We all know he’s a guy that pulls the ball, so the last thing in your mind is that he’s going to hit the ball the other way,” Cano said.

The Yankees highlight was surely Ichiro Suzuki giving them a 1-0 lead with his tag-dodging play at the plate in the first inning. “I’ve never done it before,” Ichiro said. “Obviously you look at the size of me, and look at the size of the catchers, I’d probably have to have some kind of weapon to make something happen when I went into the plate. I knew that if I just went into home, it would be an out. So I thought that if I could make something happen, maybe I would be safe is what I was thinking. Obviously I was trying to use my head and see if maybe I could use my head to make something happen.”

Ichiro said his teammates were calling him “ninja” and “Matrix” in the dugout. “In baseball, there’s times when it’s not that you’re not hustling, but slowing down and speeding up sometimes can make a difference,” he said. “It’s not that you’re not hustling, but it’s not just all going fast.”

Cano on the decision to intentionally walk him in the seventh: “Wieters said, ‘We’re going to walk you.’ I started to laugh. I thought he was joking.”

Why walk Cano with a lefty on the mound? Swisher is 1-for-18 against Brian Matusz. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Swisher said. “I don’t really hit him as well as I would like to, but man, go there in that 3-2 count. Angel’s zone was kind of a little bit big at times. Got that fastball down, just trying to line it right back up the box, just kind of got underneath it.”

Girardi on not using Brett Gardner to run for Teixeira in the eighth: “I knew we weren’t going to be able to run on Matusz in that situation. If I’m going to use Gardy, it’s going to be a situation where I think we can run.”

Phil Hughes was throwing in the bullpen late in the game. He was just throwing his between-starts bullpen, not warming up to pitch.

Give the final word to Girardi: “We get to go home, and we’ve played very well at home and we’re going to have to continue to do that if we’re going to move on. It seems like Baltimore and us have kind of went back and forth all year, and that’s what we did here. … Whoever plays the best (is going to win). I mean, that’s the bottom line. Whoever pitches the best and scores in their opportunities is really what’s going to make the difference.”

The New York Yankees fail to put a strangle hold on the series as the Baltimore Orioles take game two

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 3-2 on Monday night. The game took place at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Andy Pettitte started for the Yankees and pitched well. The Yankees offense did not deliver and that is why they lost this game. As they have done so much in the regular season, they stranded a ton of runners and couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it. Chen started for the Orioles and pitched very well, their bullpen was outstanding in this game. Chris Davis led the Orioles offense. 
Pettitte pitched 7+innings giving up three runs on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He suffered the loss and is now 19-11 career in the postseason. Dave Robertson pitched an inning striking out one. Chen won the first playoff game of his career pitching 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and two runs with only one of them being earned. He walked one and struck out three. Darren O’Day pitched to one batter and struck him out, Brian Matusz pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk and striking out two and Jim Johnson bounced back from a tough night with a perfect inning. Johnson picked up the save and struck out one.

Derek Jeter had two hits and an RBI, Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and made an incredible move to score in the first inning and Alex Rodriguez had a hit. Robinson Cano had a hit, an RBI an drew a walk, Mark Teixeira had two hits and Russell Martin drew a walk. Curtis Granderson had a hit, Eduardo Nunez had a hit and Cano and Nunez each hit a double. The Yankees were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Suzuki had a stolen base, Jeter and Teixeira each committed an error.

Nate McClouth had a hit, J.J. Hardy drew a walk and Chris Davis had two hits and two RBI. Adam Jones had a hit, Matt Wieters had a hit and Mark Reynolds had a hit and an RBI. Robert Andino had a hit and Wieters hit a double. The Orioles were 3-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Reynolds and Hardy each committed an error.

In the first the Yankees came out strong again. Cano hit an RBI double to give them a 1-0 lead. It could of an should have been worse but Rodriguez hit into a line drive double play otherwise it could have been first and third no outs and one run already in. Davis hit a two run single in the third to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. Reynolds hit an RBI single in the sixth to give the Orioles a 3-1 advantage. In the seventh Jeter hit an RBI single to make it 3-2. That would be the final score as the Yankees couldn’t do anymore off of the Baltimore bullpen.

The best of five series is now tied at one game a piece. The series now shifts to New York where they will play the next three games. If either team wins the next two in a row it will be over and a fifth game won’t be needed. The next game is Wednesday night at 7:37PM.

Yankees take Game One in Baltimore with a big ninth inning

The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 7-2 on Sunday night. The game took place at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. It was Game one of the ALDS and the playoffs for the Yankees. CC Sabathia started for the Yankees and was brilliant, Dave Robertson got the final out of the game. The Yankees offense had some chances and couldn’t capitalize until the ninth inning. Russell Martin had the game winning hit which was a homer and Robinson Cano hit a two run double to pile it on. Jason Hammel started for the Orioles and pitched ok in his first start since September 11^th. The Orioles bullpen didn’t do such a good job especially Jim Johnson their closer. The Orioles offense was led by Chris Davis and Nate McClouth. 
Sabathia pitched 8 2/3 innings giving up two runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Robertson pitched 1/3 of an inning striking out the only batter that he faced. Hammel pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up four hits and two runs with four walks and five strikeouts. Patton pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and two walks, Darren O’Day pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Brian Matusz pitched an inning giving up a walk and striking out two. Johnson pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up five hits and five runs with four of them being earned. Johnson had a strikeout and Tommy Hunter pitched 2/3 of an inning retiring both batters that he faced.

Derek Jeter had two hits, Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and two RBI and Alex Rodriguez drew a walk. Cano had a hit and two RBI, Nick Swisher had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks and Mark Teixeira had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Curtis Granderson drew a walk, Martin had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Raul Ibanez had a hit and drew a walk. Suzuki and Cano each hit a double and Martin hit a homerun. The Yankees were 3-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Suzuki was caught stealing and Jeter committed an error.

McClouth had a hit and two RBI, J.J. Hardy had a hit and Mark Reynolds had a hit and drew a walk. Davis had two hits, Lew Ford had a hit and Robert Andino had a hit. Hardy hit a double, The Orioles were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Hardy committed an error and Davis had an outfield assist.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead two batters into the game. Jeter had a leadoff single and Suzuki drove him in with a double. The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a McClouth two run single. The Yankees tied the game in the fourth on a Teixeira RBI single. The Yankees scored five runs in the ninth to break the game open and win it 7-2. Martin hit a solo homerun to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead, Ibanez, Jeter and Suzuki singled all in a row to make it 4-2 Yankees. Cano hit a two run double and Swisher hit a sacrifice fly to finish the scoring. 7-2 was the final score as the Yankees got to the Orioles bullpen. Johnson was terrible as the closer and he didn’t pitch well in the wild card playoff game also.

The Yankees have a 1-0 lead in the best of five ALDS series. The two teams will play game two on Monday night in Baltimore and then the rest of the series with shift to New York for games 3 and then four and five if needed. Andy Pettitte will start the game tomorrow for the Yankees. The Orioles finally lost a close game late, could this affect their psyche? We will have to see as this series goes on. The first pitch for Game two is at 8:07PM.