Yankees lose bullpen coach

Mike Harkey, the Yankees' bullpen coach since 2008, has gone to the Diamondbacks to be their pitching coach. This creates a vacancy for the Yankees. Some candidates are Scott Aldred, the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitching coach, and Gary Tuck, who has done many jobs around the league. I expect someone to be hired in the next few weeks since the Yankees have many other pressing matters to attend to.

Yankees on the 2014 Hall of Fame Ballot

The ballot for the election to the Hall of Fame for 2014 has been released. There are many Yankees who will be up for induction: Mike Mussina, Armando Benitez, Kenny Rogers, J. T. Snow, and Roger Clemens. Of these players, only Mussina and Clemens have a chance to be inducted. Mussina is on his first ballot while Clemens is on his second.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers.

100th post

This is my 100th post. It has been great to see my blog grow from back when I started it to where it is now. I have been able to cover a wide variety of subjects, from history to trades to the World Series. In April the MLB season will start again and I will be able to cover the beginning of the season. Please keep reading and commenting.

Brian McCann to Yankees

Today, Brian McCann signed a deal that will make him a Yankees for the next five years. This a great addition to a team that at times was looking for catching help after Russell Martin left. Last year Chris Stewart failed to provide offense and the Yankees struggled. While McCann only hit .257 last year, his 20 homeruns will give the Yankees' offense some power. He is one of the first major signings of the Yankees' off-season.

Yankees Spring Training

Yankees pitchers and catchers will report on February 14, Valentine's Day. The rest of the team will report five days later, on February 19. The team will then have another few days to practice before the first game against Florida State University on February 25. This will be followed the next day by the first major league spring training game against the Pittsburg Pirates. This is all leading up to Tuesday, April 1 when the Yankees open their season against the Astros.

History of the Yankees in 25 objects Part 5

Today, we move to the fifth part of the series.

Number 5: Bill Mazeroski's Jersey from Game 7 of the 1960 World Series



In 1960, the Yankees played the Pirates in a thrilling World Series that went to seven games. In the seventh game, Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off homerun to win the series for the Pirates. This is regarded as one of the best homeruns of all time, as it was extremely timely. The series featured many amazing players such as Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Roberto Clemente.  This is a part of Yankees history, representing a time where the Yankees got close to the championship but could not quite reach it.

The next post will be later this week.

You can find part four here.

History of the Yankees in 25 objects Part 4

Today is part 4.

Number 4: Roger Maris' 61st home run bat and ball



On October 1,1961 Roger Maris hit his sixty-first home run to break Babe Ruth's record of sixty that had stood since 1927. This record stood until 1998, when Mark McGwire broke it. This was a landmark for Maris because Babe Ruth was one of baseball's greatest players. The bat and ball now reside in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. As you can see, the bat was made by Louisville Slugger. Maris later had his number retired by the Yankees. In his career he hit 275 homeruns with a .260 average and 850 RBI. He was voted MVP twice, in 1960 and in 1961.

Later this week will be part 5.

You can find Part 3 of my series here. 

History of the Yankees in 25 objects Part 3

Today is part 3.

Number 3: Photograph from September 11, 2009



On September 11, 2009, Derek Jeter broke the Yankees all-time hit record with a single off Chris Tillman of the Orioles. This record had previously belonged to Lou Gehrig, who had amassed 2,721 hits in his career. Derek Jeter broke the record and now has 3,316 hits. Jeter is getting closer all the time to the all-time hits record. He is one of the greatest players in history and holds many Yankees record. This photograph commemorates a great moment in Yankees history.

You can read part 2 of the series here.

2013 MVP

The MVP votes are in and Robinson Cano has finished fifth. Miguel Cabrera won MVP with 385 points and Cano finished with 150. Mike Trout was second with 282 points, Chris Davis was third with 232 points, and Josh Donaldson came in fourth with 222 points. Cano had an amazing year and was definitely the Yankees' MVP.

History of the Yankees in 25 objects Part 2

Today is part 2 of the history of the Yankees.

Number 2: Program from the 1923 World Series

This program is from the 1923 World Series. The Yankees won the series in six games for their first world championship. This series featured great players like Babe Ruth, Herb Pennock, and Dave Bancroft. As you can see, the program depicts Giants manager John McGraw and Yankees manager Miller Huggins. This program's placement of the two managers tells us that this program was from the Polo Grounds, not Yankee Stadium. The home manager was on the left. This program is a part of Yankees history. It shows how far design has advanced from a simpler era in the early 20th century to now.

You can find Part 1 of my series here.

Part 3 of my series will come tomorrow or later this week.

History of the Yankees in 25 Objects Part 1

In this series of posts I will talk about the history of the Yankees in 25 objects. This will cover a wide range of objects from bats to baseballs to photographs. Today is part one.

Number 1: Seat from the old Yankee Stadium

This is a true part of Yankee history.  The old Yankee Stadium was there for many victories, pennants, and World Series Championships. It saw some of the best players and teams in MLB history. It also held 82,000 people at its peak in 1927 and 56,936 people when it closed. Most of the important events in Yankees history were held there. 

I think that one of the best parts of the chair is the Yankees logo on the side. It is simple, but stands out among the other parts of the chair, which are mostly blue.

Later this week, I will have part two of this series.

Robinson Cano wins Silver Slugger

Robinson Cano has won his fifth Silver Slugger award. He was the only Yankees player to win it this year. He was elected as the best second baseman in the American League. This came after a season with a .314 batting average, 27 home runs, and 101 RBI. This is a great accolade for Cano.

Yankees resign Derek Jeter

After a long injury filled season with many trips to the DL and bad play while on the field, Derek Jeter has been resigned to a one-year, 12 million dollar contract. Jeter could have opted out of his contract to become a free-agent or might have accepted his 2014 option of 9.5 million dollars. Jeter, who will be forty by next season, will try to regain his career form.

I personally think that this is a horrible signing by the Yankees. It is almost totally based on nostalgia rather than performance. With the Yankees trying to save money in order to build a team, they would have been better off letting Jeter opt out of his contract or taking his option for less money. An old shortstop with injuries should not have been paid even 6 million dollars, much less 12. Even if Jeter had accepted his option, the Yankees still would have saved 2.5 million dollars to offer to free-agents. But, time will tell whether this deal turns out badly for the Yankees.