All is right with the world

I hate soccer, but the euros have one thing right. Team play for position in certain leagues.

Play poorly and get demoted. MLB should consider the same thing. There are too many teams as it is. The talent is spread too thin.

After inexplicably stealing Game 1 of their series, the Orioles returned to their form and the Yankees returned to theirs.

I'd like to think a catcher is a catcher, just a dude who sits behind the plate and waggles fingers, but the Yankees have consistently pitched better with first Jose Molina, and now Francisco Cervelli. AJ Burnett looked unhittable last night, and there's something about Cervelli's energy that must be contagious.

Jorge Posada is a borderline Hall of Famer, but the results are undeniable. Considering Nick Johnson's inability to do more than strikeout looking, maybe it's time to ease Posada into the DH role. We all know he can still hit. Have him catch two games per week and let Cervelli handle the bulk of the duties. Posada would benefit from rest and so would the pitching staff.

SI cover

Only Derek Jeter has the sense to pretend as if he's not part of the nonsense happening on this week's SI cover. Do photographer's hate their subjects? Do they have some need to find the worst of the photos and pretend it's the best.

SNL had a great sketch about goofy photo shoots. Jack Black was the host. "No one's point at me!"

This photo screams everything it shouldn't scream about three married men and NY's most eligible bachelor - well, again, DJ is doing his best to get away.

There is a little old lady in NJ who is displeased. Losing to the Orioles is an shame of the highest order.

One bad call and kaboom. Wally Bell is awful. It's like opposite day with him. But Hughes survives. Nice.

Back East

Fate conspired to keep me from my coughbelovedcough blog.

But, with fate having gone on to bigger and better things and the Yankees heading back east, I guess this is the time to establish some consistency with my coughbelovedcough blog.

Things I like so far:

Andy Pettitte: Of course, I've always been a fan. But he looks as good as he's ever looked. He's throwing all he pitches and gets outs in every conceivable way. He's the anti-Vasquez.

Curtis Granderson: His troubles against lefties are overblown. His defense is fine and he's a triple waiting to happen every time he leaves the box.

Brett Gardner: Speed never slumps. His success is making the Melky trade tolerable. Sort of. Gardner gets to first and chances are he'll be on second. It's a nice change for the base-to-base Yankees.

Francisco Cervelli: Good energy. He looks genuinely excited to be on the field.

Phil Hughes: He looks like he could throw a no-hitter every time he takes the ball.

Things I dislike:
Joe Girardi: The Yankees win in spite of him

Damaso Marte: The Yankees lose because of him. Wish Phil Coke was still here.

Joe Girardi: Walk him. No pitch to him. No walk him. No pitch to hi ... uh oh.

Joe Girardi: Still with the braces?!

What?! No four hours of baseball?

I read a book. I encourage you to do the same.

Blast from the past

Haven't see a reliever go three innings in a long, long time. Especially three inning of that quality.

I certainly hope some reporter somewhere wrote the following lead: It was a grand way for the Yankees' new centerfielder to make his mark on the greatest rivalry in sports.

I love shitty puns. Get it? "Grand." Because his name is Granderson? Sigh ...

I spent most of the game watching some dink in a bright yellow shirt seat swap his way to the front row behind home plate, waving and gesturing like some ... well, like some moron who thinks he's more important than what's happening on the field.

George Will made me do it

If, as Michael Kay has asked repeatedly, Brett Gardner is the everyday leftfielder, why sit him last night?

Speed doesn't slump. And, while Curtis Granderson is the everyday centerfielder and struggles against lefties, he started against Jon Lester, and lashed a single to right in one of his at-bats.

Righty Marcus Thames, who fits nicely into the work-the-count Yankees, is inferior defensively and prone to strikeouts. And, Gardner got into the game late anyway and picked up a ducksnort single off Hideki Okajima, a tough lefty.

Dave Robertson started the 8th inning because Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 6 against. 1 for 6. We're not talking about some chump on the Royals, we're talking about the guy who is arguably the Sox best hitter and a chronic pain for the Yankees. You have Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen, superior in all ways to Robertson, who came in later that inning anyway and picked up two strikeouts, yet you allow Youkilis to start what could have been a rally for Boston. And you nearly turn over the lineup to force Mariano Rivera to face Victor Martinez and Youkilis in the ninth.

I'll type this many times this season: The Yankees win despite Joe Girardi's decisions.

How do you allow Okajima to face Derek Jeter when you have a righty warming? Even if that righty spent the last two years in Japan and later allowed Robbie Cano to lean into a hanger for a useful insurance run?

Does anyone in baseball throw an easier 95 than Jon Lester? The Sox would have been better off giving him the Beckett money.

Still four hours

But it could be worse.

Let's hear it for umpires who don't grant time out every 10 seconds.

Batters were so desperate they started asking the pitchers instead.

Hoping pitchers and catchers pick up on this just start taking the free strikes.

Joba looks great out of the bullpen.

Perspective

The Yankees are the most underachieving team in baseball.

I went to bed at 11 pm last night, with the Yanks up by 2.

The game was heading into the bottom of the 7th. At 11 pm, I should have been able to watch an entire baseball game. But no, thanks to MLB (an 8:05 start for the national broadcast Opening Day showcase?) and those two teams, I have no idea how long the game went, nor do I know how it went.

One down, 161 to go. And I'm already sick of Michael Kay.

Final thoughts for Opening Day

Some chucklehead is going to question LeBron James' focus, being at a baseball game after his team lost, even though he scored 42 points.

Dr. Dre ... Red Sox fan? Oh no.

And Ken Singleton, it's "duress," not "durest."

And ...

I don't need to know the pitch count.

Situational baseball

A double steal? Of home?

Matty and I used to run that in Little League. Same results too.

Oh, and even though he got the hit the salvaged the inning, fine Brett Gardner for diving into home.

So far, so good

Early observations for the new season:

Michael Kay welcomed us to Baltimore.

Good start for old man Jorge (cheapie) and young man Curtis (not so cheapie).

DirecTV is garbage. Picture's gone fuzzy too often on a clear, nearly perfect night.

Josh Beckett and Nick Swisher must be on the same diet.

The commercials on YES are lower caliber than last year.

How is the Red Sox defense better with Victor Martinex behind the plate?

Granderson's arm is better than I thought.

Let me be the last ...

To welcome the new baseball season.

Hardly seems as if it ends these days. But, unlike most fans of baseball, I'm completely disinterested in the hot stove season, as it is unfortunately called.

As a Yankees fan, it's a lose-lose. Either the Yankees make big acquisitions (last season) and get crucified for ruining baseball and buying championships. Everyone loves a dynasty, a big dog to gun for. Or the Yankees do amazingly foolish things ... Jason Giambi, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Javier Vasquez the first time (meaning giving away so much to get him, then dumping him in full-on panic mode) ... and they get crucified for TRYING to buy championships and still ruining baseball, but being dumb about ruining baseball and not even reaching the goal they obviously should every season. Duh.

So, bring on Sunday, and Opening Day and the real stuff. Much like the vast majority of the Yankees roster, I neither care about Spring Training, nor am I worried about losing my job because I make take a few months or weeks off.

The season is a marathon after all.

Now let's start picking 'em up and putting 'em down.