Welcome to the Bronx Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda - Welcome to the Bronx.  This guy threw an absolute gem in front of the sellout home opener crowd and I'm lovin it.  8 innings of flawless ball against a very good team?  Made Albert Pujols want to head back to the NL.  This is the AL version of Hiroki Kuroda right here.  Guy was basically lights out.  Working different pitches, keeping people guessing, and generally being dominant.  This guy took a ton of heat all week from people saying he wasn't worth 10 Mil.  Couldnt pitch in the AL, didn't have the stuff the for East Coast, and on and on and on.  Pretty sure everyone's going to be praising him all weekend after he turned in the best pitching performance for the Yanks so this year.  Well done sir.  Hope your having a couple extra Sapporo tonight.

Also - this guy needs a nickname.  A couple more starts like this and I may start calling him the Ninja.  Or maybe Super Kuroda?

Finally - I'd just like to point out that local Boston business's are clearly doing everything possible to help the team forget about last year's whole Beer and Chicken thing.  Priceless fat kid with #1 finger in front of fried chicken joint right here.  Keep up the good work in Boston!

Bronx Baseball at Last

At last, the home opener.  A 1:05 game in the Bronx finally signals the start of spring in my book.  The bars under the subway will no doubt be rocking by 11AM.  The smell of hotdogs and street meat will take over by noon.  Foul language, and a sea of Navy Blue and White will take over by 12:30, and as an added bonus, we'll get to see Jorge throw out the first pitch.  Today, is the day the real season begins.  If only David Wells were in the bleachers with Bald Vinny leading the roll call and a couple HIP HIP JORGE chants.

I was fortunate enough to get to 6 or 7 consecutive opening day games growing up.  Thought I was the man for getting yanked from school to go see the Yanks.  Was all like 'Sorry guys, have fun writing cursive letters 1000 times, I'm gonna go get Derek Jeter's autograph and watch this dynasty kick off another season.'  Total second grade boss status.  I'm also  pretty sure they started bolting down the red, white and blue buntings around the stadium because my parents have about 3 of them in the basement back home.  I'll never forget seeing Andy Pettite pitch in the snow.  The stadium is rocking the whole time.  You hardly ever sit down, and the electricity in the air is intense. 

So, fellow cubicle monkeys, working drones, and slaves of Manhattan.  Fire up your back-up internet browser, make sure ESPN GameCast is accessible, and turn your trading floor TVs to the Yankees.  Nobody cares what the market does on Friday from 1-4 anyway.  The Red Sox are 1-5, the sun is shining, the weekend is looming, and there's Yankee Baseball in the Bronx.  All is good in the world.

Swisher Bomb and a Day of Rest : Home Opener Finally

Nick Swisher put a Ruthian charge into a 3-2 pitch last night to give the Yankees the lead for good en route to sweeping the Orioles on the road.  Curtis Granderson hit the ball well and also went deep.  Derek Jeter looks to be in 2009 form,  and just like that, the Yankees are back to 3-3 for the year.

No complaints here.  They grinded out three wins and definitely made Buck Showalter's frown and little more pronounced.  Now they get a much needed day off.  The bullpen gets some much deserved rest after two long nights with extra innings in which they performed miracles.  Hopefully returning to Yankee Stadium wakes up ARod and Texeira a little bit, and the Yanks get a very good opponent in Albert Pujols and the Angels in the home opener, which has finally arrived.

And finally, we're just under 30 hours till baseball in the Bronx.  It's not officially spring in my mind till the bars are open, Billys is pumping house music, and you can't even move in Stans.  The bleacher creatures are probably cracking open their first beer as I write this, and the first rollcall will officially get the home season underway.  As an added bonus, Jorge Posada will be hanging out and throwing the first pitch.  Not like the crowd won't go nuts as soon as he dips out of the dugout.  Hip Hip....Jorge!

Welcome Keith Rivers, Antwaun Molden, Sean Locklear

The Giants made three moves on Wednesday, and all three appear to be smart plays.  The key here is Rivers, the former first rounder.  The Giants gave up a 5th round #32 pick for him.  Don't forget they already have two fourth round picks in the upcoming draft.  This guy can play.  He has had some unfortunate injuries, but I wouldn't give him the 'injury' bug designation just yet.  Overall this could be a great value play and if he can make the transition to the inside, this will be seen as a great move.

The other two come from the Seahawks and Pats.  Locklear will press the Offensive Line for a spot and could see significant time at tackle.  Same situation for Molden, he'll press the starting corners for playing time and could help out on special teams.

The Giants truly believe in every position being a competition.  If you consistently outhustle and outplay your counterpart - you will get playing time.  This is the reason for their success in recent years.  No position should ever be guaranteed.  Complacency amongst starters, whether they are good or bad, breeds .500 seasons, first round playoff exits, and poor draft picks.  All bad things.

So Welcome On Board Keith Rivers, Antwaun Molden, and Sean Locklear - Let's see what you've got.

First Edition : Who Gets Beaned Tonight?

You want to know what sucks in baseball?  Getting hit by a pitch.  Hurts like hell, and you flail around while some pitcher turns around and tries to keep himself from laughing while getting a thumbs up from his shortstop.  Whats worse than all of this?  Being the guy that always gets hit by a pitch.  And thats why Mark Texeira and Alex Rodriguez are up in my first ever Who Gets Hit Beaned Tonight post. 

After Russ Martin accused lowly Baltimore Oriole Robert Andino of stealing signs from second base last night, there were some choice words between the two.  Since Buck Showalter knows he has no chance of maintaining a grip on first place beyond the third week in April, he wants to stay relevant.  That said, my money is on someone getting drilled tonight, and I'm going with Tex, Arod, and Martin as my three main targets.  For some reason, I get the feeling that the first two are prime targets for opposing pitchers.  Big guys who hit a lot of home runs, but are probably not going to charge the mound and are definitely going to dance around a bit and make you laugh.  Martin - well he just stirred the pot, so maybe he gets one in the leg.

Now this may not happen.  I could be completely wrong.  If I am, these two picks carry on to the next time there's some heat between teams.  Only time will tell.

For the record, I was taught how to steal signs in Little League.  Left arm to the bag - offspeed is coming.  Right arm - Expect the heat.  Pretty sure that's universal.  Maybe a little more complex at the big league level, but it DEFINITELY is going on.

Ozzie Guillen Head Scratcher

Ozzie Guillen.  Boy oh Boy.  Barrel full of laughs this guy.  In all honesty I have no idea what he was thinking, and I’m not sure he knows either.  Fidel Castro?  If that’s not the name of your starting left fielder you should probably never mention it in conversation.  Not in America, Not in front of any Kennedys, and definitely not in South Florida.  Unless maybe you work for the CIA, or are blaming him for not getting your hands on the finest cigars, that’s just not a name you bring up.

Such a dopey move.  I thought the stopped cutting people up with chain saws in motel bathrooms ala Scarface a while ago, but with some of the protestors signs I saw out there, Ozzie might want to think about changing his name or laying low for a little while.  Oh wait, he can’t - He’s the coach of a Major League Baseball team.  Sucks to be Ozzie right now.  I’m sure the Cuban American fans, in that 'heart of Miami', shiny new fishbowl are going to be thrilled the day he comes back from his suspension.

My biggest question is: how is Ozzie actually one of the 30 or so old men on earth who have the privilege to toss on a uniform and coach baseball?  Unless this guy is Jekyll and Hyde from the podium to the dugout, I just don’t see it. 

Jeets Does What Captains Do

After the lifeless 0-3 start, which I personally think looks worse on paper than in reality after a couple of cookies simply didn't crumble the Yankees way, Captain Derek Jeter himself was in great form going 4-4 and also taking one for the team by laying down a sac bunt.  Vintage DJ right there.  Team is down to start the season?  I'll just go 4-4.  Make it look easy while I'm doing it.  In my mind, there's just no way a guy like Derek Jeter is letting the Yankees start 0-4.  Not on his watch.  That's something Jason Varitek would let happen.  Anyway, just like that, win 1 is in the books.  Nova was a bulldog out there and we only have 113 to go before we start breaking our own records.

Some Yanks are off to slow starts with the bats, hitting the ball hard but right at people.  Tonight that could change with a Major League rookie taking the hill for the O's.  Freddy will get his first chance after patiently waiting and I'm going to go out on a limb and bet he's lights out.  Russ Martin accused Robert Andino of stealing signs off second.  Lets see if this heats up tonight as well.

On another note, how much does Buck Showalter HATE losing to the Yankees?  Guy just sits there seething. He really couldn't make it more obvious he doesn't want to manage against the Yanks just knowing the YES guys are chatting it up about him in the booth after his thick comments about other peoples ballparks or something.

Only Bubba

 

Only a guy who buttons up every button on a golf polo.  Only a guy who hasn't cut his hair in probably 3 years.  Only a guy who swings a pink driver and makes it look good.  Only a guy who rocks overalls in a music video with his buddies to raise money for charity.  Only a lefty like Bubba Watson could hit a 155 yard wedge and acknowledge that he's 'actually pretty good at hooking it' so why not grip it and rip it.  It's just the Masters. 

This could go on and on.  The man who has never taken a lesson pulled off one of the most remarkable shots in Masters history, a shot that 90% of golfers spend time trying not to hit.  Seeing Bubba toss on a green jacket and congratulate Patrick Cantley as the low amateur was the icing on a great Sunday.  Credit to Oosthuizen for pulling what might go down as a top 5 shot in masters history, but one that will fall short to Bubba's hook wedge for the shot of the tournament. Still unsure how the tree monkeys on that second playoff hole tossed Louis' ball back into perfect site of the green, but that no longer matters.

I'm happy for this guy.  Ordinary dude, new dad, Masters Champion. Nice little Sunday. Even took the time to thank some twitter followers personally.   He's been under the radar all season (see approach shot at Doral) and he hits the ball a country mile.  The game is there, the character is there, and something tells me he's not done.  I'm just hoping he makes a couple more funny videos.

Now I'm off to practice my hook.