Goalie mask contains Yankees legends

For the New York Rangers' Stadium Series games goalie Henrik Lundqvist will wear a mask decorated with some of the best players ever to wear pinstripes. In his two games against the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, he will have a mask featuring Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig. The helmet design also contains some pinstripes. Finishing off the Yankees theme, Lundqvist will wear pinstriped leg and arm pads. The first game against the Devils is today.

 



Spring Training is almost here! What are your thoughts and predictions? Tell me in the comments below.

Yankees sign Tanaka

After a long negotiation, the Yankees have signed Masahiro Tanaka for $155 million over seven years. With the $20 million posting fee, this total paycheck amounts to $175 million. This could be a landmark moment in Yankees history because Tanaka has the potential to be a superstar. He went 24-0 in the regular season with a 1.27 ERA. No one knows how his success will carry over to the major leagues. He has the talent to win awards, but he may collapse and be a high-priced bust. We will see starting in late March.

Upcoming Yankees Players Milestones

The 2014 season is approaching and some Yankees have milestones to set.

Derek Jeter needs three doubles to tie for 35th on the all-time list. He is also moving his way up the top ten hits list, and he needs three hits to tie for eighth. He will also move to 11th on the all-time runs list to tie Tris Speaker after he records five more.

If Alfonso Soriano hits one more homerun, he will tie Duke Snider for 50th on the all-time list. Hopefully he will continue the good form of hitting that he showed at some times last season.

These chases will help make the 2014 season more exciting, especially if the Yankees fall out of contention early in the year.

MLB expands instant replay

In a landmark decision, MLB has decided to expand instant replay to include most calls. Force, tag, and trap plays will now be reviewable starting this season. Managers will have a challenge, and if the call is overturned they will be awarded a second challenge. A call will only be overturned when there is conclusive evidence. Umpires can review calls without a manager's challenge after the sixth inning. This decision has been many years in the making and I am glad that it had finally arrived.

Masahiro Tanaka Update

The January 24 deadline to sign Masahiro Tanaka is fast approaching, and the Yankees appear to be one of the teams with the best chance to sign him. The Dodgers are the other big competitor, although the Angels have a chance as well. The Yankees also have new money as a result of not having to pay Alex Rodriguez this season.  Adding Tanaka would be a huge upgrade to any pitching staff, and the Yankees are no exception as they ranked 18th in MLB team ERA. Their starting pitching staff was also 16th in Quality Start Percentage (a quality start is recorded when a starting pitcher throws more than six innings and gives up three or fewer runs). Tanaka is expected to receive a contract of over $110 million.

Honus Wagner card sells for $657,200

Last week, a T206 Honus Wagner card was sold at auction for the price of $657,200, $6,000
more than the last T206 of the same condition. The card was graded PSA 2, the third lowest mark on the PSA (a grading company) scale. Wagner cards in better condition have sold for over two million dollars. Wagner cards of varying condition typically come to auction once or twice a year.


The card is known as one of the most valuable in history, and holds many auction records. It was manufactured from 1909-1911. Wagner played for the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburg Pirates and is regarded as one of the best players of his era. He continues to be a force to the modern day through his card.

Alex Rodriguez suspended

After appealing a 211 game suspension, Alex Rodriguez has finally been punished. An arbitrator has ruled that the ban will be reduced to 162 games, a full season. This will prevent him from playing until the 2014 season is over. Rodriguez played in 44 games last year, so when he finally comes back, he will be extremely rusty. He will also be old after turning 39 during the 2014 season. The Yankees should be eager to get rid of him and his large salary for a season. This will open some money for the Yankees to spend on starting pitching or other areas of need.

Rodriguez has said that he will appeal the arbitrator's ruling in court. He hopes that a judge will overturn the ruling.

2014 Hall of Fame Vote

This 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame vote has been revealed with some surprising results. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, two former Atlanta Braves pitchers, were inducted along with former White Sox player Frank Thomas. Maddox received 97.2% of the 571 ballots cast. Glavine was second with 91.9% while Thomas was inducted with 83.7%. Craig Biggio missed by two votes, finishing at 74.8%. Many players lost votes from last year due to the quality of the players on the ballot, but three players were inducted for the first time since 1999. I was correct in predicting that Maddux and Glavine would be voted in.

Hall of Fame results will be announced Wednesday

As I wrote about a few months ago, there are quite a few Yankees on the Hall of Fame ballot. But, there is a very good chance that none of the former Yankees will cross the 75% threshold of votes needed to become a Hall of Famer.

The 2014 Hall of Fame results will be announced on Wednesday, January 8. After none of the players were inducted last year, at least one is expected to receive the required votes.

If I had a Hall of Fame ballot I would vote for (in alphabetical order by last name) Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, and Curt Schilling. Frank Thomas and Larry Walker were the honorable mentions.



Jack Curry, an anchor for YES, posted his Hall of Fame ballot on Twitter. It is a simple piece of paper sent through the mail or faxed. It is amazing to see how a basic thing could lead to a important moment in any players' life.

Who would you induct into the Hall of Fame? Leave a comment below.

History of the Yankees in 25 objects Part 7

You can read part 6 here.

Part 7: Contract for sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees



As great as Babe Ruth was with the Yankees, he didn't show much of his potential during his time with the Boston Red Sox, batting .322 in his final season. As soon as he was sold to the Yankees, his production picked up. In 1920, his first season with the Yankees, he hit .376 with 54 home runs, almost double his total from the previous season of 29. In his last two years in Boston he had an OBP of .438 compared to .522 in his first two years playing for the Yankees. He won an MVP award in 1923 while hitting .393 with 41 home runs. Ruth was sold for $25,000 and "other valuable considerations", which eventually amounted to $100,000. The $100,000 in 1920 would translate into about $1,200,000 in today's money. This was a steal for the Yankees that would help them for many years.


What has been your favorite object in the series? Leave a comment suggesting new items for me to cover.