My first homemade meme

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?

Who do the Yankees want to face in the playoffs?

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 power their way over Tigers

Mark Teixeira's second three-run homer in as many games fueled the Yankees' second victory in a row, and the game wasn't as close as the scoreboard indicated. Russell Martin and Alex Rodriguez each added homers in the win, while a Yankees fan threw back the ball ex-Yankee Austin Jackson deposited in the bleachers.

As always, I hope when I go to today's game it is just like yesterday or a true pitchers' duel. I'm in the city right now, and it looks like it will be a beautiful day.

Scoreboard Says:
Yankees 10, Tigers 6
Win: A.J. Burnett
Loss: Brad Penny
Save: Mariano Rivera

A Dozen it is:
The Yankees banged out 12 hits against the Tigers, seven of which off Penny.

Granderson does it all in Opening Day win

A week ago, Curtis Granderson had a 50-50 chance to play on Opening Day. Grandy didn’t just play, though; he started and ended the game with terrific catches in center, and hit a game-winning solo shot in the seventh.

Baseball is back. Boy am I glad.

Scoreboard Says:
Yankees 6, Tigers 3
Win: Joba Chamberlain
Loss: Phil Coke
Save: Mariano Rivera

Perfect ‘Pen:
Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and  Mo mowed down nine straight Tigers following CC Sabathia’s quality start. In a battle of two of the top bullpens in baseball, the Yankees’ prevailed.

Tigers-Yankees Series Preview: Rain!

New year, new format. Let’s go!

On the Hill:
Thursday: Justin Verlander vs. CC Sabathia
Saturday: Brad Penny vs. A.J. Burnett
Sunday: Max Scherzer vs. Phil Hughes

Players to Watch:
Miguel Cabrera: If he’s sober, he’s dangerous with a bat (and I guess when he isn’t sober too).

Alex Rodriguez: He had the best spring training of any Yankee by far. But six homers and 15 RBIs in 49 at-bats in Florida/Arizona doesn’t guarantee success in New York with 40 degree weather.

Baseball’s best bullpens: Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers

Last night the Yankees paired the best closer of all time with the best closer in baseball last year. Only one other team has a comparable one-two punch: the Red Sox.

I’d also add the Tigers to this best bullpen in the game discussion with their addition of Joaquin Benoit, who posted a 1.34 ERA for the Rays last season.

Yankees	Red Sox	Tigers
Mariano Rivera	Jonathan Papelbon	Jose Valverde
Rafael Soriano	Daniel Bard	Joaquin Benoit
David Robertson	Dan Wheeler	Joel Zumaya
Pedro Feliciano	Hideki Okajima	Daniel Schlereth
Joba Chamberlain	Bobby Jenks	Ryan Perry

Did you hear what the Tigers are doing next year? And what they’re not doing?

The Tigers had two interesting news items about ex-Yankees yesterday.

1. They are planning on using Phil Coke as a starter next year.
2. They are not going to re-sign Johnny Damon.

On Coke:
This move should upset Yankees fans. The Yankees shouldn’t have given up their top lefty reliever in a trade for Curtis Granderson last offseason. Coke posted another solid line for the Tigers and will be tested as a starter next year. Don’t get me wrong, Boone Logan had a fine year as well. But with Damaso Marte on the DL now and most of the year, the Yankees could’ve used a better second lefty than Royce Ring (who isn’t guaranteed to be on the postseason roster).

On The Idiot:
Last month I thought I caught Damon hinting at wishing he were still a Yank. A week later he came out saying he loved Detroit, but doesn’t know whether he’ll be back with them next year. Will he be a Yankee next year? I don’t think so. The bridges have been burned.

What was going through Eric Cooper’s mind when Gonzalez threw behind Jeter?

I’ll be honest, when I was at the game last night it was hard for me to pick up on the altercations that went on between the managers and home plate umpire Eric Cooper. But now that I’ve seen replays and read the stories, I’ve reached a few conclusions.

When Enrique Gonzalez threw behind Derek Jeter in the eighth inning, it was as obvious as it gets. It came right after Jim Leyland was ejected for arguing why Chad Gaudin should’ve been tossed for hitting Miguel Cabrera. So why didn’t Cooper run Gonzalez out of the game? I think because he didn’t throw out Gaudin, he was scared he would’ve been ridiculed for throwing out a Tiger but not a Yankee (to answer the question in the post title).

You’re also probably thinking, why didn’t Joe Girardi come out of the dugout to talk to Cooper about ejecting Gonzalez like Leyland did for Gaudin? Because the Yankees were winning. It wouldn’t have done any good. In my history watching Girardi, he tends to pick fights with umps when his team is behind (rightfully so, in my opinion).

Bean balls are, and always have been, a part of this game. It’s probably my least favorite part of the sport, but it’s not going away. When warnings are issued, both catchers have to factor that into their pitch selections, especially when working with a wild pitcher.

What I dislike most about bean balls are the way umpires deal with them. They’re inconsistent. Some have short leashes, and others are too scared to make the right call (like Cooper last night).

Let me digress quickly. Umpires also have inconsistent strike zones. Some like low pitches, some like high. Some are tight, some give the veterans pitchers off the black. Ask any major leaguer and they’ll agree with me.

I remember when I played on my American Legion team last summer and I was asked by my coach, an ex-pitcher in the majors, to intentionally throw at a player if the other team threw at one of our players.

Thankfully, I never was put in a situation where I was told to throw at a batter, but, it’s real, as my coach would say. And I don’t doubt him for a second.

If it were up to me to revise the current ejection and suspension policies for this, mine would be a lot harsher.

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As I wrote this post, the Yankees dismantled the Tigers in the series finale, 11-5, to take the series.

Sometimes, the picture says it all

I’ve learned a picture is worth a thousand words. The one above is no exception, as it sums up my night at Yankee Stadium beautifully. It only left out one thing.

The Kafafian Group knows how to party!

I was invited to attend last night’s Tigers-Yankees game by Jeff Marsico, a bank consultant in The Kafafian Group who follows my blog, and it was a no-brainer for me to accept. After all, I had never enjoyed the luxury of a party suite at Yankee Stadium.

Jeff and I met around 6 p.m. at Gate 4, and we hit it off from the moment we shook hands. He introduced me to his boss and his co-workers, who were all extremely pleasant to meet and be around, and then we made it to the suite.

Complete with a table of hot dogs, pizza, chicken, popcorn an open bar and, of course, name tags, the suite was a success!

The only thing I’ve left out was the game, which I guess was OK too.

The first inning featured back-to-back homers from Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano, both of which were hit directly at our seats, and warnings issued to both teams.

In the second inning … just kidding. Not that it wasn’t exciting, but I’m not going to bore you through what you’ve probably already heard by now.

My memory of last night won’t be the game — even though six homers were hit and my team won — it will be the conversations I had with the new friends I made.

Despite most leaving a little early, they were the ones who made the night, not the stars on the field.

And how about a little icing on the cake?

Mmm. Good.

Thanks again, Jeff! For more pictures from last night, check out my blog’s Facebook page!

Yankees snap skid with clean win

The Yankees evened their series with the Tigers with a smooth, 6-2, victory last night. With an unusual lineup, Brett Gardner thrived in the leadoff spot and Nick Swisher drove in a pair from the five-hole.

Best of All: CC Sabathia earned his league-leading 16th win with seven strong innings. The big lefty struck out nine and walked three.

It was nice to see Robinson Cano connect for his first homer of the month and 22nd of the year. This probably isn’t a surprise to you based on the way he’s hitting lately, but Curtis Granderson homered again, his 12th.

Worst of All: Mark Teixeira was the only Yankee without a hit, as he posted an ugly 0-for-5 line with three strikeouts.

Coming Up: The third game of the series is tonight. Same time, same place, except I’ll be in attendance. Check back around game time for live updates from Yankee Stadium!

Damon hints at wishing he were a Yankee

Although I didn’t agree with the majority of John Harper’s column in today’s Daily News, I do think he shared some information that shows Johnny Damon second-guessing his (and Scott Boras’) negotiation tactics in December. Let’s get right to it:

…when he was asked if he would like to have the chance to go back to December and do things differently in regard to negotiations, Damon seemed to be looking for a way not to answer the question.

“Do I wish things would have gone differently?” he said. “I don't know. I definitely think things happen for a reason.”

I think we’d all have a better idea of Damon’s beliefs if we had the audio for this interview, as Moshe Mandel has proved sometimes reporters can take things out of context.

But, if Harper isn’t embellishing his interview point, it sounds a lot like Damon really was looking to avoid this question. I’ve been interviewed before, and repeating the question is a basic tactic for stalling to think of a dishonest answer.

Even more evidence of a dishonest response is resorting to a cliché. They’re easy to think up. And that’s what Damon did.

Although he’s stated publicly he likes it in Detroit, I bet he wishes he could hit a few more homers in his home ballpark. Don’t you think?

Yankees lose tight one to Tigers, A-Rod & Swish exit early

It was not a positive way to start the week for the Yankees, as they lost a heartbreaker to the Tigers, 3-1, as well as their All-Star third baseman and right fielder.

Best of All: Not much here. The run they scored in the ninth was gift-wrapped by Detroit closer Jose Valverde. He walked four in the inning but escaped when Derek Jeter grounded into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Oh! Excuse me, Curtis Granderson gave you a reason to smile. He had three of the Yankees’ six hits, including a single in the ninth and a double off lefty, ex-Yank Phil Coke in the seventh.

Worst of All: Where did the Yankee bats go? They were a couple outs away from getting shut out twice in a row.

Javier Vazquez worked his way out of a lot of trouble, but had to leave after four innings because of a high pitch count.

Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher left the game early and both are day-to-day.

Coming Up: There is a great matchup in the Bronx Tuesday night with two tall flamethrowers dueling. Justin Verlander vs. CC Sabathia.

Tigers-Yankees series preview

Johnny Damon and Austin Jackson make their season debuts in Yankee Stadium tonight, as the Tigers are in town for a four-game series.

For a check-in on all the ex-Yankees, check out my post earlier today for a complete update.

Head to Head:
The Yankees lost three out of four to the Tigers back in May and this week marks their final matchup of the season.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Tigers starters	Yankees starters
Mon., 7:05 p.m.	Max Scherzer (7-9, 4.03)	J. Vazquez (9-8, 4.90)
Tues., 7:05 p.m.	J. Verlander (13-7, 3.72)	CC Sabathia (15-5, 3.14)
Wed., 7:05 p.m.	J. Bonderman (6-8, 5.16)	D. Moseley (2-2, 4.41)
Thurs., 1:05 p.m.	Rick Porcello (5-10, 5.53)	Phil Hughes (14-5, 3.94)

Lineup Note: Both catchers are in the lineup tonight, leaving Lance Berkman on the bench.

Prediction:
The Yankees will win three out of four to even the season series. Tonight’s matchup will be tough, but I give the edge to the Yanks in the next three.

Verlander outduels CC to take series

The Tigers (20-15) shut out the Yankees (22-12) once again, 6-0, as Justin Verlander and the bullpen sent the Bronx Bombers back to New York with just their second lost series.

Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees collected just four hits on the 50-degree, wet day. CC Sabathia allowed one run in the second, two in the fourth and three in the sixth, while Verlander posted zeroes through 6 2/3 innings. Joel Zumaya and Eddie Bonine combined to shut down the Yankees the rest of the way.

Jorge Posada was the only Yankee with a multi-hit game, but he, along with every other Yankee, never made it past second base. Pitching prospect Ivan Nova made his major league debut in relief of Sabathia, pitching two scoreless innings. Yankees-Tigers box score.

Thoughts:
Uh oh. Where’d the offense go? I didn’t think the team would miss Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson that much because of how great their pitching has been, but maybe they do. Or, maybe they just didn’t like the cold, mucky weather in Detroit.

Line of the Day:
Alex Rodriguez: 0-for-4. He’s down to .272/.361/.440. At some point, he’s going to go on a tear. The question is when.

Up Next:
Home sweet home at last. The Yankees will start their seven-game homestand with the first-place Twins over the weekend. (It was this same series last year when the Yanks had three walk-off wins in a row.)

Rainout would benefit rotation, Swisher

If the Yankees have to play today, it won’t be the worst thing in the world. But an extra day to keep the rotation in line and give some banged up games rest would be more beneficial to the team.

Right now, the Yankees have no definitive starter lined up for Sunday’s finale against the Twins, as CC Sabathia is expected to go today, A.J. Burnett on Friday and Andy Pettitte on Saturday, leaving Javier Vazquez left to go on three days rest (you can thank Mother Nature on Tuesday for screwing things up).

Joe Girardi mentioned Sergio Mitre as a candidate to step up. I’d prefer pitching prospect Ivan Nova make the start, as Moshe Mandel of The Yankee U suggests. Nova has been with the team since Monday but hasn’t pitched. The right-hander earned the promotion with a strong start in Scranton.

Nick Swisher left Wednesday night’s win a couple innings early with what Girardi called mild tightness in his left biceps. He’s no guarantee to start today, but would probably be good to go on Friday at home after a full day’s rest.

If the weather holds up, it doesn’t look like they’ll get this one in today. But if they do, you’ll see a battle of hard-throwing aces: Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander.

Hughes delivers gem in 8-0 victory

There are no words to describe how good Phil Hughes has been this year. (I’ll try and come up with a few tomorrow.)

Hughes pitched seven shutout innings and the Yankees (22-11) broke the game open in the ninth to win 8-0 and split the doubleheader with the Tigers (19-15).

Quick ‘Cap:
After getting shut out for the first time all year in the afternoon, Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees on the board with a single in the first inning after Brett Gardner singled and stole second.

After the Yanks made it 2-0 in the third, Hughes worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth with a strikeout and an infield flyout. The AL ERA leader finished with eight strikeouts in his third straight seven-inning performance.

In the ninth, the Yanks exploded for six runs (four charged to ex-Yankee Phil Coke) on three singles, a double, a hit by pitch and a walk. Mark Teixeira continued his hot month with three RBIs and Gardner contributed three hits to his .337 batting average.

Mariano Rivera was in line for a save — bridged beautifully by Joba Chamberlain — until the Yanks rallied, but Mo came on anyway to get some work. After all, he hadn’t pitched yet this month. And when he came in, he was same old Mo. Yankees-Tigers box score.

Thoughts:
Hughes was huge. Yankee pitching today: 17 IP, 2 ER. Yankee starters today: 14 IP, 2 ER. Unreal.

Line of the Night:
Hughes: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K. His ERA is now 1.38.

Up Next:
The Yankees look to even the series with their ace, CC Sabathia, on the mound. The game is set for 1:05 p.m.

Vazquez brings confidence, Yanks forget bats

Javier Vazquez exceeded expectations in his first start since May 1, but the normally reliable Yankee offense was shut out for the first time this season in a 2-0 loss to the Tigers.

Quick ‘Cap:
Vazquez exchanged zeroes with Tigers starter Rick Porcello through five, but allowed four hits and two runs in the sixth inning. He got out of a tight jam on a double play, but Pocello had all the run support he needed. The Tigers bullpen was great once again to hold on to the victory.

Today’s goat was Ramiro Pena, who flied out to center with the bases loaded and two out in the second and struck out with men on first and second and two out in the fourth. In the seventh, he grounded into an inning-ending double play. Yankees-Tigers box score.

Thoughts:
This game defines losing the battle, but winning the war. The fact that Vazquez proved he isn’t completely worthless is winning the war. He’ll be needed the rest of the year, especially if Andy Pettitte can’t stay healthy, and a brilliant performance like today is exactly what he needed to restore his confidence.

So far, my prediction of the series has held true. Now, the Yankees just need to win the next two with Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia toeing the rubber. (Doesn’t sound too hard.)

Line of the Day:
Vazquez: L, 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K.

Up Next:
The Yankees play the nightcap of the doubleheader at 7 p.m. with Hughes on the mound squaring off against Jeremy Bonderman.

Let’s play two! Yankees & Tigers will tomorrow

Tonight’s game has been postponed due to rain. Tomorrow the Yankees and Tigers will play a day-night doubleheader, with Javier Vazquez starting the 1 p.m. showdown and Phil Hughes taking the ESPN-aired nightcap.

Great, one more day to anticipate the worst for Vazquez. At least we’ll only have to think about his showing for a few hours since Hughes will surely impress under the national spotlight.

Plus, now ESPN’s feature on Mariano Rivera will be on the front burner.

Damon’s homer the difference in Game 1

SheFanJane put it best on Twitter:

“There are days when I want to spank Cashman.”

That was Jane Heller’s reaction to Johnny Damon’s fifth-inning solo shot off Sergio Mitre. Damon’s new team, the Tigers, hung on for a 5-4 victory over the Yankees on Monday night.

Quick ‘Cap:
Down 5-2 in the eighth, the Yankees mounted a two-run rally that culminated with Derek Jeter leaving the tying run on third and winning run on first after Magglio Ordonez caught a sinking liner on a slide.

Mark Teixeira continued his hot May with a two-run shot in the third to bring the score to 3-2. After Damon’s homer, Boone Logan came in for the seventh and allowed an RBI triple to third left fielder Brennan Boesch, who finished with thee RBIs.

Joba Chamberlain looked like the 2007 Joba, striking out the side in the eighth with a high-90s fastball and a nasty slider. However, Jose Valverde was just as nasty in the ninth to strike out the Yankees 2-3-4 hitters in order. Yankees-Tigers box score.

Thoughts:
As of right now, I agree with Mrs. Heller. Brian Cashman deserves to be spanked for giving away Damon and Austin Jackson. However, the season isn’t over yet. Curtis Granderson is helpless on the DL. I’ll evaluate Cashman’s moves at the end of the season.

As I was telling my dad, if A-Jax returns to reality and hits .300 for the season and Granderson has a great September and October, NOBODY will remember May.

Line of the Night:
Nick Swisher: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Up Next:
Javier Vazquez will make the most important start of his year. Another shelling and he’s out, I say.

Yankees-Tigers series preview, Nova promoted

The Yankees enter their first four-game series of the year a half-game behind the Rays for the division lead. Playing at Detroit, the Yankees will see a few old friends dressed up as Tigers, namely, outfielders Johnny Damon, Austin Jackson (league-leader in hitting) and reliever Phil Coke.

The Tigers are 9-3 at Comerica Park and are opening a nine-game homestand tonight. Monday and Wednesday’s affairs will be aired nationally on ESPN.

The Yankees have to be feeling good, winning six of their last seven despite losing Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson to the DL. Winning is easy when you have five guys hitting over .360.

The only thing bothersome is Andy Pettitte missing this week’s start after leaving Wednesday’s game after 77 pitches.

The latest news out of Yankee camp is the promotion of Ivan Nova to the big leagues. He replaces Romulo Sanchez, who through 3 2/3 brilliant shutout innings last night against the Red Sox. As The Post reports, Nova will be a long reliever.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	Yankees starters	Tigers starters
Mon., 7:05 p.m.	Sergio Mitre (0-0, 2.79)	Dontrelle Willis (1-1, 3.99)
Tues., 7:05 p.m.	J. Vazquez (1-3, 9.78)	Rick Porcello (2-3, 7.50)
Wed., 7:05 p.m.	Phil Hughes (4-0, 1.69)	J. Bonderman (1-1, 7.14)
Thurs., 1:05 p.m.	CC Sabathia (4-1, 3.04)	J. Verlander (3-2, 4.50)

Players to Watch:
Yankees: Javier Vazquez. Tuesday’s start may be the last straw. One more wretched start and I predict he’ll be placed on the disabled list. As Brian Cashman said, don’t expect a brilliant showing Tuesday night, but just putting the Yankees in a position to win. It’ll be imperative the Yankees get him some early run support off Rick Porcello.

Tigers: Miguel Cabrera. He’s the hottest player on either team, hitting .478 so far in May. He’s the league-leader in RBIs (33) and he’s always had success against the Bronx Bombers.

Prediction:
A realistic pace of wins has to set in soon. There’s no way the Yankees are going to win the 113 games they’re projected to win at this rate. With Sergio Mitre and Vazquez starting in the series, I expect a split.