Irrational Nostalgia already lives in the new Stadium!

C'mon people - you didn't think the late 90's Yankee nostalgia would die with the old Stadium, did you?

Today, there was a symbolic "dirt moving" ceremony from the old Yankee Stadium to the new Stadium. In a shocking development, stars from the 1998 Yankees were there to move the dirt.

No, this is not a bad joke, it is actually the only news coming out of Yankee Stadium these days.

Check out the quality journalism by Yankees.com writer Anthony DiComo. Riveting stuff, I know.

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Curt Schilling's inane babble hits an all-time low

This will serve as an open letter to Curtis Montague Schilling.

Dear Curtis,

Today, you opened your big mouth (), something that sports fans everywhere have become accustomed to. However, this time the idiocy that came out was worse than ever. Let me get this question out of the way immediately - why do you think that Jets fans are the same thing as Yankee fans? Lets go to the quote:

“The Yankees suck this year and (New Yorkers are) bitter and mad and they’re making excuses over that and now they got Tom (Brady) going down, so New York’s excited,” said Schilling while appearing on Boston’s WEEI radio network Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate, but when you crawl to the top of the pile you will have people trying to knock you down."

What an odd leap of faith you took there, Curtis Montague. You assume that because the Jets play with an "NY" on their helmet, and the Yankees play with an "NY" on their baseball caps, the fan base is one and the same? In case you forgot, there is another football team in NY called the Giants. You remember them, right? They are the team that made the record 18-1 famous and shocked the world by beating your butt-boy Tom Brady's Patriots in the Super Bowl last season. As a matter of fact, in a non-scientific poll that I took recently, there is a strong correlation between being a Yankee fan and being a GIANTS fan.**

I may be coming off a little bit "bitter and mad" here, but really, I'm just confused. Tom Brady goes, down with a knee injury, New York papers create catchy headlines about the injury and how it relates to the Jets and suddenly Yankee fans are bitter and mad? Don't you have a team to be playing for blogging about?

To conclude, I have to admit that I agree that a lot of Yankee fans are bitter and mad right now. When considering your asinine statements and the fourth place position in the AL East Standings, that is understandable. As a matter of fact, I started this blog to make fun of a lot of these "Yankee fans" you speak of who hold on to their nostalgic feelings from the 90's dynasty. I just don't understand how you connected that to Tom Brady's injury. Sadly, I may never know the answer to that question.

Sincerely,

Ross
NYYStadiumInsider.com

P.S Did kids in school make fun of you because your middle name was Montague? Isn't that a town in Long Island?

** I took no such poll, but I know a few people who are Giants fans and Yankee fans.

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A final trip to "The Cathedral" in the Bronx

By this time, it is well known that the title of this blog may not have been the most accurate during the 2008 season. When the Yankees raised ticket prices by 47% before the season, the tickets went from a financial stretch to absolutely unaffordable. The conscious decision was made to sell the tickets for face value, while holding onto ownership of the account to retain the dream of having tickets when the new Stadium opens.

That brought us to last night, August 15, 2008. Fellow contributor to this blog and younger brother Nick joined me (along with our girlfriends) to make one final trip to Yankee Stadium before it is destroyed. Between Nick heading back to college and the insane ticket prices for the final 18 games, this would most likely be the final game we ever attended together at the current Stadium, after hundreds in our life. As a documented detractor of those nostalgic for the glory years of the 1990's and a known supporter of a new Stadium being built, I felt a bit hypocritical plodding through last night pining for older times. At the same time, the Stadium was a sort of stomping ground for my brother and I from the time we were kids.

In the 1980's during my youngest years, my father took me to games on a regular basis. During the 1990's I did the same for Nick. From the age of 13 or 14, when Nick was 8 or 9, we would head up to the Stadium during the summer and fall months in time for the gates to open. We would take in batting practice, get autographs, wander around. While other kids were playing in backyards, we were exploring the depths of the most historic sports franchise on a regular basis. We saw some historic things in those days. Perfect games, ALCS clinchers, postseason heroics. The most important thing was that the Stadium was fun. The fans and employees were friendly and positive. Everything was expensive as in any other Stadium, but not completely unaffordable. It was a place that a teenager and a young boy could go to.

It is obvious that the Yankee Stadium experience changed over the years. The team won year in and year out and reclaimed the status as top dog in the sports world. As the money-making empire that George Steinbrenner had created grew, tickets became more expensive and more sought after. Even before 9/11, Stadium security had tightened and taken away some of the fun of wandering around the stadium, getting different vantage points. After those terrorist attacks, the atmosphere changed everywhere, and Yankee Stadium was not an exception. Getting into the Stadium became about as fun as going through airport security.

It wasn't just the venue that changed - the people attending the games changed as well. This is all highly subjective and is absolutely generalizing the millions of people who have attended Yankee games in the past 5-8 years. However, from 2008 - 2008 Yankees fans in general devolved from triumphant to spoiled to entitled to nostalgic and have finally settled in with a mix of all of those things topped of with a huge case of bitterness. Experiencing that process first-hand, while attending 30-40 games per year is what inspired the blog NYY Stadium Insider.

While many of the game experience posts on this blog come off sounding "holier than thou", sarcastic and sometimes annoyed, the lasting impression is that going to the ballgame is always an experience and mostly fun. Last night proved that the fun part is largely dependent on the current state of the Yankees and whether or not they win.

Many people had written the Yankees off this week. With only 41 games to play and a 7 game deficit in the standings, this was completely understandable - especially given the impressive run differentials of the teams the Yankees are chasing and the mediocre one they possess. Never giving up hope, I believed the Yankees still had one last run in them. That was until last night.

Last night signified the end of the Yankees post-season streak. Not officially, obviously, but it might as well be. When hitting with runners in scoring position failed them one final time in the bottom of the ninth inning, Yankee Stadium deflated in a way that I have only seen it deflate after a postseason loss. It reminded me of the 1997 loss to Cleveland in the ALDS and the 2007 loss to Cleveland in the ALDS. It was the culmination of never waning optimism resulting in defeat.

I had always imagined a triumphant departure for the "old Yankee Stadium". Before exiting the Stadium, I turned around to look at the familiar surroundings one final time. Sadly, the feeling I had was anything but triumph.

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Please, Mike, no more "aggressive" talk

Look, I have no problem with complimenting the best team in baseball. I don't at all. The Angels are really damn good. But if the Yankees playing the Angels 10 times this season means I have to hear Michael Kay tell me in thousands of different ways that the Angels aggressive play "always put pressure on you" and they "force you to make plays", I'm going to puke. All over Michael Kay actually.

It's not that I disagree with Michael Kay, I just think it's a little absurd to focus on. Yeah, sure, the Angels are aggressive on the base paths. It's very easy to do those things when (their) pitching staff rates in the top five in the AL in quality starts (1st), saves (1st), WHIP (4th), ERA (5th), BAA (5th) and OPS (5th).

The margin of error is much larger when you can get thrown out going first to third and will still remain very much so in the game, without worrying that your pitcher(Ian Kennedy?) will allow more baserunners than outs

The reason it annoys me? Because this is coming from the same doofus who credits Homer Bush and Clay Bellinger with being key parts of the Yankees championships. Even the most nostalgic dynasty lovers realize you could have slotted Ross or me into their roles, and we would have walked away with championship rings.

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2008 Old-Timers Day - 1990's nostalgia-fest!

There is one day each season that I can forgive Yankee fans for being ultra-nostalgic. That day is "Old-Timer's Day" at the Stadium, and it is a little over a week away.

To keep with the underlying theme of this blog, let me list the 1990's Yankee "heroes" that the Yankee fans in attendance will surely be screaming their heads off for:

Wade Boggs - That horse ride was a Yankee moment for the ages. Now he has a full head of hair thanks to Medical Hair Restoration. True Yankee 4 Lyfe

Homer Bush - Simply the best pinch runner ever. Yankee championships with Homer Bush on the roster = 1. Yankee championships with A-Rod on the roster = 0. True Yankee.

David Cone - I will say nothing negative about him. He was the glue that held the dynasty together. If I was there, I would give him a 15 minute standing ovation. Then I would ask him what he was thinking in the booth when he said that Ian Kennedy got jerked off and that Giambi was humpin'.

Tony Fernandez - He was a gateway Yankee. A link between the crappy and the great. I feel like he won't get a great reaction from the nostalgia-crowd. He had the nerve to play St. Jeter's position before him. There is something anti-Yankee about that. Now that I think about it, he may get booed.

Joe Girardi - Another example of Clutchy McClutch. Gritty, clutch triple in 1996 is in still at the forefront of every Yankee nostalgia freak's mind.

Jimmy Key - See Tony Fernandez. Left too early to be truly beloved by the types of fans that this day caters to.

Graeme Lloyd - Lloyd!!!! Never gave up a run for the Yankees in the playoffs. Pitching wins championships, people. I'll give him some props for getting it done when it mattered most.

Tino Martinez - Another key dynasty member. What most people forget about this Clutchy McClutch is that he had a sub - .700 OPS in his postseason career. Crowd will go wild, start Tino chant, scorboard operator will play nostalgic Tino at bat music (I can't put my finger on the name of the song right now, but you all know the song I am talking about). Fun for all

Ramiro Mendoza - Another guy who's legend is greater than his career as a whole. However, I won't fault anyone for giving him a good hand. He was a quality bullpen arm during the dynasty years, and we all know that pitching wins championships. His postseason numbers were very good, and in the mind of Yankee fans, only the postseason matter.

Jeff Nelson - Last year, the Yankees signed him to a one-day contract, so he could retire a Yankee. If that isn't a true Yankee, I don't know what is. I won't lie, he had some big moments for the Yankees, and I have fond memories. Pitching pitching pitching. He's no Buddy Groom, that's for sure!

Luis Sojo - Gritty, gutty, sucky, game-winning hit in the 2000 World Series. Hilarious that the people who sponsor his page on baseball-reference mention his "clutch" hitting, while directly below, his postseason OPS is right there for the viewing. That .601 OPS in his postseason career is the Yankee nostalgia freak's definition of clutch.

Darryl Strawberry - When he went after Armando Benitez in 1998, his true Yankee status was sealed. This guy is living large when he is off the crack. He does Spring Training with the Mets and Old-Timer's Day with the Yankees. He's a true Yank-met.

Hold on a second. Did I just finish that list without mentioning the grittiest, clutch-est Yankee ever? The legendary Scott ".245/.278/.418 in the postseason, but every bit of those numbers were clutch" Brosius. He was at the game last year, but I guess he couldn't make it this year.

Also conspicuously missing is Paul O'Neill. Apparently this is a good time of year for golf in Ohio. Another one of my favorite Yankees of all-time (its all about his grit and water-cooler bashing, not his career OPS+ of 120 or his .828 OPS in his postseason career).

Don't worry, Yankee fans - you will get to see these Yankee legends:

Jim Abbott
Pat Kelly
Al Leiter
Kevin Maas
Buck Showalter

Also, Ricky Henderson will be making his first Yankee Old-Timer's day appearance. Where's Neon Deion when you need him?!

I'm not making this up. Full list here. Good news - upon further review, that is only a partial list, so you folks may well get your Scotty Bro!

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Derek Jeter is already getting the Bernie Williams treatment from the fans...

Another magic moment in the Bronx tonight:

The Yankees went into the bottom of the sixth inning with a comfortable 8-3 lead. Derek Jeter led off the inning and slapped a "Jeterian" homerun into the bleachers in right field.

After he finished his trip around the bases, the crowd broke into a "De-rek Je-ter" chant. For a solid minute. True story. He just hit a homerun that made the game 9-3 and the crowd was chanting his name, pleading for a curtain call, as if he had just had another Clutchy McClutch moment.

Lets pretend it was Alex Rodriguez who hit that homerun. I'm sure there would be accusatory grumbles throughout the Stadium about stat-padding.

Remember at the end of his career when the fans knew Bernie Williams was done? They (I) started chanting his name every time he did anything good, trying to honor him any way possible.

Sadly, Jeter is getting the Bernie Williams treatment already. Yankee fans have now taken to being nostalgic before a player's career is even close to being over. Weird breed of fan these Yankees draw nowadays.

I could spend 20 minutes of my life ripping the video of this incident, but I think everyone knows I'm not making this stuff up.

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Lookout, Tubby - you may have some competition for the post game spread!

Came across this article from the NY Post today hinting that David Wells wants to return to the Yankees for round III.

team spokesman Team owner Hank Steinbrenner had this to say:

"I've thought about it," Steinbrenner told The Post. "I saw him on TV, and I did think about it when I was watching."

In true NY Post tabloid fever fashion, there were no direct quotes from Boomer about the possibility of returning to the NY Yankees, but just returning to baseball in general:

"I'm in shape, I'd just have to fine-tune a couple of things," Wells said. "I'd need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good."

The article also mentions that the 10 year anniversary of Wells' perfect game is fast approaching, at which time I ran into the bathroom, threw on some anti-aging cream and then put some headphones in and blasted Eve 6's Inside Out.

But seriously, if the Yankees could sign Roger Clemens to a RIDICULOUS contract in 2007, surely they can sign David Wells to an incentive laden deal in 2008, when they don't have a 4th or 5th starter who can get past the 5th inning or earn a win.

We need innings right now and he has a rubber arm. All we need is a 5th starter. Maybe he can do it?

PECOTA thinks he can be right around replacement level.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/wellsda01.php

What do you think??

C'mon some of you 1990's Yankee nostalgics must be out there and agree with me! This is so unlike me, but I just want a guy who can give some innings and not walk the ballpark. Boomer is that guy.

I know one person who wants no part of Boomer returning to the Yankee clubhouse:



Even though Boomer is on a diet due to his diabetes, he is still a threat to Tubby's alpha-male status as clubhouse eating champion.

Editors note: After reading some anecdotes similar to mine about the egomaniacal beat blogger on the NoMaas.org discussion boards, I have decided to return to the low-road and bring back the fat jokes. They never go out of style.

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What makes you "the typical Yankee fan"

A couple of weeks ago, I touched on the "typical Yankee fan" (I'll spare everyone that creepy picture of the guy with the cigar).

Now, let me relay what I feel are the key aspects that make you "that guy".
(I am going to try to keep these timely).

1) You have already booed A-Rod this season - c'mon guys, that is so 2005
2) You booed LaTroy Hawkins for wearing "Paulie's" #21
3) You think that the reason the Yankees have been losing in the playoffs all of these years is because they didn't have "clutch" players like Scott Brosius (career OPS + of 94)
4) You honestly believe that a player who is a "homegrown" Yankee will help the team win more than a free agent or someone acquired via trade
5) You were still chanting "we want Bernie" last year
6) You have ever, in your life, uttered the words "Fire Torre" (in a serious manner). I didn't have a problem with people who wanted Torre replaced as the manager of the Yankees ( I was one of them), but certain people said "Fire Torre" in a certain way that made them the typical Yankee fan. Maybe this doesn't translate well on a blog.
7) Hank Steinbrenner is your hero
8) You wanted the Yankees to trade for Johan Santana in the offseason
9) You were at the game the other night and you booed Phil Hughes
10) Peter Abraham is your idol.

UPDATE (5/3/08 10:00 AM) - I can't believe I left out 11) You yell "take ya hat off" as soon as the PA announcer talks about rising and honoring America for God Bless America. We get it, you think we should honor our country. Everyone does it in their own way - it isn't your job to make everyone in the stadium take their hat off. Take a chill pill, dude.
(This list can go on and on. Please add more in the comments section)

I run into these people all of the time at games, on the internet, in the workplace, etc etc. I'm sure many of these people are smart, funny, friendly, etc etc. However, when they step into Yankee Stadium, the become that cigar guy.

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The #21 debate, irrational Yankee fans, and how I became an elitist

In the news today comes word that LaTroy Hawkins has bowed to the fans' wishes and will stop honoring Roberto Clemente and switch to #22. Of course, this only became an issue when fans began to boo Hawkins for wearing "Paul O'Neill's" #21.

What seems to be getting buried in this story is that Hawkins has stopped wearing the number due to the urging of Yankee veteran leaders such as Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.

"I figure if it's important enough for Jeter and Mariano and some other veterans to ask me about it, it's not worth it to keep wearing the number," Hawkins said.

My first reaction to reading this quote was anger at the supposed veteran leaders on the team. I have long been against the late 90's Yankee nostalgia of the fans (as you have read many times on this blog), and now it appears that our heroes who are left over from those teams are displaying the same irrational nostalgic feelings.

Then I thought a little more and realized that Mo and Jete very well could have told LaTroy:

"LaTroy, you are an awesome dude and don't deserve to be booed. These fans in NY are mostly idiots. Just switch your number, strike out Manny tomorrow night in a big spot, and the fans will love you forever - they are that fickle and stupid".

Then I came to the striking realization that I have somehow become an elitist Yankee fan. I really never wanted this to happen, but I am afraid it has. Attending so many games as a season ticket holder and witnessing the booing of A-Rod, the ridiculous things people say at the games and now the booing of LaTroy Hawkins have done the trick. I guess a lot of this can be attributed to maturing as an adult and reading more sophisticated baseball materials than the typical beat writer/columnist drivel.

I'm not going to apologize for the way I am. Instead, I encourage all of the Yankee fans reading this blog to drop your inky newspaper and read some objective baseball materials every now and again. For starters, if you are an internet guy, check out The Hardball Times and Baseball Prospectus and branch out from there. If you like to have a book in your hands, check out Bill James' Handbook or Baseball Prospectus (the book version). Just stop basing every baseball feeling you have on nostalgia and what you read by some idiot columnist who cans "controversial" articles designed to rile you up.

Oh yea, one last thing - "Take ya hat off". (edit: just realized this is an inside joke and I have never blogged about it. If you want to know what I am talking about, go to a Yankee game and listen to the crowd right before the recorded version of "God Bless America" starts playing. Classic.



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C'mon Yankees, you used to be so much more hardcore

There is absolutely no way that today's conditions were worse than these:





A younger, pre-juice Pettitte was as effective as ever in the snow.

Love the conversation between Sterling, Kay and Giuliani about the West Side Stadium. They were all really stumping for it. Good to see that the Stadium stayed in the Bronx.

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Just say YES to Bob Lorenz

If you have been watching the tediously boring Yankee Spring Training games of late, you will have noticed that YES post game anchor Bob Lorenz has been in the booth. He was in the booth with Michael Kay doing color for the VT game and lately has been in the booth with Kenny "LOOK OUT" Singleton as Spring Training has been winding down.

I'm not sure if this is some sort of experiment, or if they just couldn't get anyone else, but Lorenz has a great voice for a color guy and really offers a contrast from the similarly generic sounding O'Neill/Cone/Flaherty/Leiter. His experience doing the post game shows on YES allows him to know ALL he needs to know about the current (and past) state of the Yankees.

Therefore, this Yankee blogger is taking a stand and calling out for YES to ditch some of the nostalgia and bring in a color guy that brings something different to the table - give Bob Lorenz a chance during the regular season and let Nancy Newman handle the studio.

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Alex Rodriguez - True Yankee For Life

Nothing funny, or witty, or informative to say here, just want to link you to this awesome article on what it took for A-Rod to be back in Pinstripes:

A sextet of big-market teams were quietly lining up to bid for Alex Rodriguez in early November. Meetings were scheduled with both Los Angeles teams, the Dodgers and Angels, and according to people close to Rodriguez, the Mets, Red Sox, Giants and Tigers all were showing interest, as well. But A-Rod desperately wanted to remain a Yankee.

"Mentally, I never did see myself going anywhere else,'' Rodriguez said in a recent interview with SI.com.

"New York brings out the best in you. And the worst,'' Rodriguez said the other day. "You have to be able to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself I didn't want to go to a place and hide and have my weaknesses be swept away. New York has made me a better man. And it's made me a better baseball player.

"I love New York. My family loves New York. I love the Yankee family,'' he added. "I finally had gotten to a situation where I was feeling comfortable with everything there is to New York -- from the players to the coaches to the fans. My relationship with the fans has come full circle.''

After A-Rod opted out of his original record $252-million contract, he still wasn't thinking much about the six teams that were chasing him. He mostly worried that his chance to remain a Yankee was gone, and that he was again being portrayed as a money-hungry mercenary. "I'm getting buried in the press. Everybody's saying I'm greedy. The MVP will mean nothing,'' A-Rod would tell friends at that time. To the surprise of some, he didn't have the unyielding gut it would take to carry out the entire opt-out strategy.

"Proving my loyalty to the Yankees was very important to me,'' Rodriguez said to SI.com.

"I really think God put me here for a reason,'' he said to SI.com. "And I've been through a lot. My family loves New York. My daughter loves it. She loves her apartment, loves Central Park. That's the family side, which is very important to me. The other side is professionally. I just don't think there's anything more special than putting the uniform on and playing for the Yankees."

We would like to declare:



No more late 90's Yankee nostalgia people. The A-Rod era has officially begun, with many championships to follow!

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What to look for in '08 and breaking down the schedule - April - June (Part 1 of 2)

Yankees 2008 Schedule

Some random things to look out for in 2008:

Jeter starting his decline?

The knee injury really sapped him at the end of last season. Lets hope he works out hard this offseason (banging Jessica Alba type chicks doesn't count Derek) and can continue at the peak of his game for a couple of more seasons

Jorge regressing to the mean?

Lets face it, his BABIP has been astronomically high the past couple of season (.389 in '07, while his career BABIP is .320). The good luck is bound to wear off sometime, right? The age is going to have to show eventually right? Lets hope not!

Will Mariano earn his keep?

I think we can ALL agree that Mariano's 3 year 45 million dollar deal was a bit absurd. The Yankee bullpen will be more reliant than EVER on a dominant Mo, so he better be ready to pitch like he is 28 instead of 38.

When will we hear the first boos for A-Rod since he became the 300 million dollar man?

I say April 2nd in the second game of the season when he strikes out in the bottom of the 8th with the Yankees down by a run and the tying run on second. Did I mention he hit a walk-off game-winning HR in the first game of the season?

Will Joba make a smooth transition to the rotation? Will innings pitched restrictions limit his impact on the team?

We all know he was unstoppable as the 8th inning bridge to Mo (except for when midges are present). In the minors his stuff was lethal even late in games and he had four nasty pitches. Will he retain the stamina and the stuff in the bigs? Cashman has already confirmed that there will be Joba rules II this year. We'll just have to see what effect they have on the team over the course of the season.

Will the Joe Torre haters be correct in their thinking that Torre was sapping the life out of the bullpen and will Girardi have the magic touch?

I can't pretend to know the answer to that question, but his early insistence that he will unlock the potential in Kyle Farnsworthless has me a bit concerned

This can go on all day, but one final thing to look out for this season - will we see a comeback from Bernaby Williams?

The late 90's nostalists out there are already starting the We Want Bernie, clap clap clap clap clap chants. I leave you with this picture recently posted on Peter Abraham's blog of a public appearance that Bernie was at:


Now, let me ask you, is that Bernie Williams standing next to Chi Chi Rodriguez or is it the new Yankee Stadium? Damn, Bernie has really let himself go. I think that about quells and rumors of Bernie ever stepping into the batters box again!

On to the schedule breakdown:

March -

1 @ home vs. Blue Jays

Ross Says: Interesting that they are starting at home in March. Maybe Bernie will make that comeback after all and wear his ski mask again (bonus points if ANYONE can find a picture of the snowstorm at the stadium on April 9, 1996 where Pettitte pitched and Bernie wore the ski mask under the hat. I can't find it anywhere on the interwebs).

April

18 of 28 games on the road
EVERY game will be freezing cold temperatures except for maybe the final 2 games at home against Detroit
5 of the 19 season meetings with the Red Sox

Ross Says: April looks to be brutal - they get the Red Sox and Indians on the freezing cold road (the good news is that the midges don't like the cold so that hellhole Cleveland should be bearable as long as their isn't a blizzard). The only games that look to be comfortable for the Yankees or any fans are the 2 measly games in Tampa Bay the 2nd week of the season. two thirds of the games on the road. This is gonna be rough. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees get off to another "cold" start. The only good news is that they only have the one day off right after the home opener and then they play on 19 straight days. That should get them in their groove quicker.

May

16 of 28 games at home
6 home games vs. Seattle
The Mets come to the Stadium in the middle of the month

Ross Says: Also look out for Johan Santana's homecoming when the Yankees visit the Twins at the end of March. Phil has something to say about that: . The good news is that the Yankees play something like 9 or 10 games against Baltimore between April and May. That team has no hope, especially if the rumors about Bedard being traded are true. The Yanks should beat down on them.

June

KC, HOU, CIN, PIT - some bad teams on the schedule
random 3 game road trip to Oakland squeezed between KC and Houston
3 game home set against SD

Ross Says: The Yankees better not label SD coming to town as "premium games". That is about their most interesting interleague matchup outside of going to Houston. Maybe a juiceless Rocket will suit back up for the Astros and make things interesting?

Check back for part 2 breaking down the 2nd half of the schedule. Please leave any comments you may have under this post or at the NYY Stadium Insider Message Boards.

Pettite's return may have to wait... Washout Wednesday

Well, it looks like nostalgic Yankee fans are going to have to wait a little longer than they bargained for to see their 90's hero Andy Pettite return to the stadium mound.

The forecast for Wednesday is gloomy at best:

Primary low pressure crosses the Great Lakes into Ontario on
Wednesday...with the parent shortwave carving out a deep closed low over
the Great Lakes is it phases with another shortwave over northern
Ontario. Rain could become heavy at times on Wednesday as deep layer SW flow
(with 50-knots southerly 800 mb jet) transports deep moisture with precipitable water
around an inch into the area. NAM forecasts small amounts of elevated
instability...so have continued with chance of afternoon thunder.
As per swody2...0-6km shear values of 25-40 knots would be sufficient
for organized thunderstorms...but extent of destabilization is highly uncertain.


Meanwhile...a secondary low developing over the middle Atlantic region
Wednesday afternoon should pass near or just S of Long Island late Wednesday
evening...bringing an end to steady precipitation overnight. Slower
trends over the past few model cycles favor a solution no faster than
a blend between the faster GFS and slower NAM with the progression
of this feature.

Forecast taken from National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussion

To put that into layman's terms, it is going to rain tomorrow - ALL DAY.

Don't count on seeing any baseball in the Bronx until Thursday at 7:05 PM which will most likely feature Andy's return.

Game 1 of our 2007 experience!

Opening day would be fun. But seriously... Carl Pavano or Andy Petitte? ... You take your choice. I'd take the latter.

You can be certain the typically nostalgic Yankees fans will give it's 90s hero a wild ovation. Somehow I feel like this is appropriately my first game of the season.... I'll check in on Wednesday before, during, and or after.