Craig Carton's 'Loudmouth' is uncensored, inappropriate and incredibly entertaining

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As a blogger, publicity managers send me a lot of books to review. Instead, they usually end up sitting on my desk for a few weeks before they make their way to my bookshelf, where they collect dust and only move when I make room for more books.

But not "Loudmouth," Craig Carton's first book. Without breaking for food or the bathroom, I pumped out the last 200 pages this morning, my first Saturday alone with his hilarious account of his first 40-plus years in this world.

Honestly, I'm not even a religious listener of his show, but when I have time to tune in I absolutely love it. Just as described in his final chapter, Boomer and Carton hit it off right from the start, and they never even rehearsed to win their coveted gig on WFAN. It goes without being said that I will make more of an effort to listen after enjoying his book so much.

Corner Infielders Conundrum: Who stays, Who goes?

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Adams and Overbay vs. Youkilis and Teixeira. The great debate.

Two months ago if I told you these four corner infielders would be battling for two spots, I would have been laughed at. Now, it's a serious situation the Yankees soon must resolve. Both Youkilis and Teixeira are expected back around the first week of June. AKA, next week.

The typical Yankees reaction? It's a good problem to have. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman are right, it is a good problem. Depth is important, especially when it comes to interleague play; however, what are they going to do about it when it comes down to filling up the lineup card each day?

First, let's hear from Twitter:

@lennysyankees wild stab in the dark: the players making $20 million and $12 million this year will get more playing time.
— Andy C (@23_Andy_C) May 27, 2013

There's no question salaries will be on the minds of Girardi and Cashman when making this decision. Then again, it isn't impossible for the Yankees to go with their guts instead of their wallet. We've seen it before.

@lennysyankees Tex at 1B, Youk at 3B, Adams back up both of those guys and play some as DH against LHP, Overbay traded for fringe prospect
— ZS (@zs190) May 27, 2013

This will likely be what happens as soon as both hobbled vets return. But hopefully it doesn't stay this way for long, and hopefully the Yankees take my advice about Overbay. See my cases for both debates below.

Mo's farewell season

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As soon as reports began to surface of Mo's plans to hang up his cleats after the season a friend asked me if I had any plans on Sept. 26. 

At this point of spring training, most of the media already had thrown the Yankees under the bus. They'd say something like, "Look at all of those home runs they lost by letting Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez get away. They won't make the playoffs without all of that lost power." 

That made Sept. 26 the presumed last date fans would be able to see Mo pitch in the Bronx.

Within a few hours I had my tickets locked up for Mariano Rivera's last hurrah. Six weeks later, those tickets are worth three times as much as I paid.

Jackie Robinson Day in the Bronx

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Robinson Cano, who's named after Jackie Robinson and normally wears No. 24 in honor of Jackie Robinson, hit the Yankees' game-winning three-run homer and fielded the game-ending ground ball induced by the only No. 42 left in baseball, Mariano Rivera, to clinch the Yankees' 4-2 victory on Jackie Robinson Day.

Brian Cole's story is a must-read, and I refuse to summarize it for you

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The hardest stories to write about are ones like Brian Cole's, a tragedy that is so gut-wrenching that it's almost impossible to capture in words. 

The writer also has to best to be respectful in the way he gathers information but realize that even the most difficult details to repeat cannot and should not be left out.

"This is a story that a lot of writers go their whole careers and they don't get anything like this," said Michael McKnight, the author of "The Best Player You Never Saw" in Sports Illustrated's baseball preview issue. "I just hope I did it justice. It's so powerful. Never came across anything like this."

After reading this eight-page masterpiece, I hope the sources who shared the most moving parts of Cole's story are glad they weren't left out because they help give Cole's story the justice it deserves.

I deleted my several attempts to write an abridged version of Cole's story because it just felt wrong to retell it in blog form. Stories like Cole's are why I hope long-form journalism will continue to exist despite the short attention span of my generation.

2013 MLB predictions – from A-Rod's HBP count to Washington's World Series pursuit

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The Angels and Nationals are the two scariest teams on paper heading into 2013, and I just couldn't convince myself to type in any other teams to reach the World Series. Will Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez stifle the thunderous trio of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton? We'll find out in October.

The Yankees, well, I believe in them more than most do. Many pundits don't give them a fighting chance because of all the home runs lost in the offseason and their aging core, but many have forgotten about one of the most balanced pitching staffs in the majors. Yes, I'm talking about the Yankees.

BUT, I just can't pick them to win the East after watching the Blue Jays win the offseason by a landslide; R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes and old friend Melky Cabrera are just a few of their prized pickups. Look for the Blue Birds to bolster their bullpen at the break and fly away with the division title...

Anyway, let's get down to it.

Results for my 2012 MLB predictions

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Perhaps even more entertaining than making preseason predictions is revisiting them after the season and grading myself.

Last year's highlights include accurately predicting the NL Central and Mark Teixeira's stolen base count, while epically failing on my prediction for Brett Gardner's runs total. But hey, I hit .327 (16/49) so I'm ecstatic. See full results below.

Vernon Wells: A symbolic 2013 Yankee

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Vernon Wells has been on the Yankees' radar for a long time. Now according to multiple reports, the injury-plagued Yankees are on the verge of signing the outfielder.

It's hard not to categorize it as a desperation move. But on second thought, I can't think of a player that fits in more with the 2013 Yankees than Wells.

Mariano Rivera hints at coaching in retirement announcement

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It was no secret that Mariano Rivera was going to announce this morning that he will retire after the season. Even the TV guide knew.

But he did reveal something else in his joke-filled press conference: he plans to stay involved with baseball. 

He didn't make any commitments or even say the word "coach" but he did say: "I love to work with the minor leaguers." 

A-Rod unlikely to return to Yankees: Daily News

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When Tiger Woods got in trouble with his wife and all of his injuries were building up, questions about his future in golf became a hot topic. I boldly predicted he would never win another major. So far I've been right, but judging by his win at Torrey Pines last week I'm not too confident.

But now with this morning's Daily News report that Alex Rodriguez isn't likely to return to the Yankees, the same question with Tiger has arisen. Time for another bold prediction.

Coinciding with the report, I say A-Rod will never put on the Pinstripes again. 

Now, for some eye-openers from the report:

According to numerous baseball sources, the hip surgery Rodriguez is now recovering from will likely derail his playing career, leaving him in such a diminished role that he may consider a settlement or an outright retirement. He still has five years and $114 million left on his contract.

Whoa. That would save the Yankees a pretty penny. 

“I don’t know why he would want to go through the pain of rehabbing and trying to play up to the caliber of player he was, and come back to a game where nobody wants him,” said a baseball official.

This source is right about A-Rod being unwanted, but for $114 million and potentially even more with incentives...

Now the question is in your court. Will A-Rod ever return to the Yankees? 

Stan Musial

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I published this on my Facebook first, naturally, because this isn't just meant for baseball fans. It's for everybody.

Read this tribute of Stan Musial. Then read some of the tributes in the comments section. I promise that you will feel uplifted and probably a little teary-eyed because he no longer graces the earth with his presence. I also hope reading all of these stories makes you want to be a little more like Stan.

If I could pick one athlete, past or present, to meet, I'd choose Stan (by a longshot), knowing I'd become a better human being.

The George Vecsey biography of Stan was the best baseball book I ever read. I highly recommend reading that as well, baseball fan or not.

Make sure to read the Posnanski one in the comments too, but here's my favorite excerpt: "Stan knew his signature gave people joy so he signed everything. He was simple like that. Pure class."

Please share this post or the linked article because I think it will help make the world a better place.

My blog's belated fourth birthday celebration (and update)

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A few nights ago, an old friend had to remind me that it was this blog’s fourth birthday.

A few years ago, I would have excitedly written the anniversary post the night before and scheduled it for the morning.

Yikes, how things have changed.

A few months ago, I had just started working in the New York Daily News’ online sports department. 

A few weeks ago, I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life. And now I’m working for a company that pretty much only runs headlines on Facebook marketing campaigns.

Wow, things have really changed.

Would Yankees fans ‘YOUK’?

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Alex Rodriguez’s impending hip surgery leaves a hole for the Yankees at third base and aging captain Derek Jeter, who is rehabbing from ankle surgery these days, increases the need for defense on the left side of the infield to even more dire levels.

The Yankees must switch their search from a big bat or young arm to an adept glove, and that was reportedly Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s mission* before the A-Rod surgery announcement on Monday.

*Disclosure: This linked news article is from the New York Daily News, my current employer. But this blog entry represents my opinion, not necessarily that of my employer.

But one factor Cashman must be conscious of as he pursues a talented infielder that is often overlooked is team chemistry. 

My first homemade meme

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Depending on your Internet tendencies, you may or may not have heard of a "meme" (pronounced meem). These memes are typically generated by slapping some humorous text to match a humorous image. Kinda.

It's easier to just show you rather than trying to explain. So, I present the first meme I created by using one of the many meme generators available online.

I guess you could replace Miguel Cabrera with anybody in the majors at this point, but I think it's worth stressing that the Yankees are really going to start regretting the decision to take on the most expensive player contract in all of sports.

In 2010, Alex Rodriguez completed a stretch of 13 consecutive seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs. In his last two years combined, he barely reached those two plateaus (34 HR, 119 RBI).

Staying on the field has been a problem for A-Rod during this two-year slide. Prior to 2011, his outstanding durability was one of his trademarks, and that certainly helped him secure his lucrative 10-year deal.

Is it time for a position-switch for A-Rod? Should the Yankees make him a primary DH next year and use him at third sparingly?

To sum up tonight's win...

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IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ CERVELLI IBANEZ
— Lenny Neslin (@lenNYsYankees) October 3, 2012

(Watch it here.)

Who do the Yankees want to face in the playoffs?

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After the 160th game of the regular season, we now know the four five American League teams headed for the playoffs. But we have no idea who's playing whom. Yet.

If searching for exciting sports betting information (sponsored), the playoffs are on the horizon and predicting the outcomes could be fun. But first, the matchups need to get settled in these last two games. Here are the competitors:

Yankees

Orioles

Tigers

Rangers

Athletics

If the playoffs ended today (before tonight's action), the A's and O's would play in the wild card game and the Yankees would play the winner. That would leave the Rangers and Tigers for the other ALDS matchup.

Judging by the season's head-to-head matchups, the Yankees would prefer to face the Tigers. But there's a little more to it, I think.

Yankees, contenders race for postseason [Globe]

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OK, we're getting down to the wire now. There's one week left in the season, and all five playoff spots in the American League are up for grabs, and the National League still has one opening left to complete the playoff puzzle. Check out my latest, and perhaps last, feature for the Globe breaking down the races.

By the way, MLB.com has a nice graphic on the postseason picture updated daily to keep for reference. It projects all of the matchups and includes dates and television information.

Sometimes, even Derek Jeter messes up

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I have seen many credible writers write that Derek Jeter always says the right thing. Until a couple days ago, the writers were dead on. Media trained? Of course. He gives smart answers, and then dodges anything that he think might create a stir. You can't break the "Jeter Aura."

But when I saw Rick Reilly's Q&A with Jeter a couple days ago, one back-and-forth popped out at me.

Me (Reilly): Peyton Manning changed teams this season after 14 seasons with one team. Could you see yourself doing that?
Jeter: Well, if I wanted to keep playing, yes. It's a business. People forget that.

Talk about candor. He's 100 percent correct.

But, in this case it was the wrong answer. I didn't have time to blog about it when I first saw it, but I'm glad I didn't. The Daily News followed up on the small gaffe, and Jeter came back with the right answer. (Yes, I'll purposely link to that site as much as I can now because of my new job.)

A dream come true

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When I started this Yankees blog as a clueless freshman at Quinnipiac, I hoped it would take me to the show. I wanted to cover the Yankees professionally.

For my first couple of years, it almost felt like I was one of the beats – posting multiple times each day – but without clubhouse access, of course.

Well, I'm not their next beat writer, and I'm not sure if I even want to do that anymore. But I will be covering the Yankees, along with all of the other New York sports teams, as an online sports editor/producer for the New York Daily News.

I graduated four months ago, and I couldn't be happier with my first full-time job in the real world.

Mike Francesa falls asleep during interview on WFAN

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This, my friends, is why radio shows are now televised.

The polarizing sports talk radio host Mike Francesa nodded off while interviewing WFAN's Yankees beat reporter Sweeny Murti today. Make sure you watch him wake up at 0:53 (or see the GIF below).

If only, if only, Francesa had stayed asleep through Murti's response. "Mike? Mike? You there?"