A couple of years ago, half paying attention to the ESPN Sunday Night Game of the Week, I noticed that the announcer John Miller kept referring to Mariano Rivera, the peerless closer of the New York Yankees, as “the great Rivera.” I don’t think he meant the words to be capitalized, as though we were …
The Yankees became the first team in major league history to hit three grand slam home runs in one game. Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson each went yard with the bags packed in a 22-9 Yankee victory over the Oakland Athletics, a game which saw the Yankees trailing by a score of 7-1 …
On Wednesday, Ginny and I and Cara headed out for the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where Cara will soon begin her freshman year. Thinking to combine some tourism with one of the last acts of basic parenthood (everything after this gets placed in the supplemental category), we headed first for Cleveland, where we saw …
In an astonishing, Jack Armstrongish day, the peerless Derek Jeter reached the milestone of 3000 career hits by slugging a third-inning home run off hard-throwing right hander David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeter marked the day by going 5 for 5, with the hits including the homer, a double, and three singles, the …
David Brooks of The New York Times and Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated are both good writers and astute commentators who almost never work the same topic. And they might not think that they were doing so earlier this week. But I do, and it’s my blog. First, let’s hear from Brooks. “You could easily …
Words of wisdom show up in the oddest places. Watching the Yankee game Friday, announcer Michael Kay was talking about a conversation he had with the manager of the Red Sox, Terry Francona, whose team has started the season a lamentable 0 and 6. According to Kay, Francona was saying that no, the team wan’t …
In Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins, Raven fullback Le’Ron McClain pretty clearly spit in the face of Miami linebacker Channing Crowder–an infraction of the rules, and probably a serious health code violation as well. After the game, a furious Crowder expressed his anger that none of the officials saw the …
The NFL Network, which Cablevision does not allow me to see, recently rated the top 100 players in NFL history. I’m not going to repeat the entire list–you can click here if you wish to see it–but here are my observations on the selections: I would not have listed Jerry Rice as Number One. He’s …
Down 5-1, the Rangers looking capable and confident, C.J. Wilson pitching the game of his life, the Yankees strike. Gardner beats out a slow roller with a head-first slide. Jeter doubles, scoring Gardner. Score is 5-2. Rangers change pitchers. Swisher walks. Teixiera walks. Rangers change pitchers. On the first pitch, Rodriguez smashes a grounder to …