Yankees 4 Red Sox 2

For those of you predicting a 162-0 season, your dreams have been shattered by the Yankees. The Red Sox weren't really awful this game, but they weren't exceptional in any part of the game either. They got a reasonable number of baserunners, but hit into 3 double plays and went 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. The pitching wasn't exceptional, but 4 runs is hardly an insurmountable explosion of offense.

Jacoby Ellsbury gave them nothing from the leadoff spot going 0 for 4 and hitting into a double play. Shane Victorino contributed a single going 1 for 4 on the day. He had an impressive outfield assist catching Brett Gardner trying to stretch a single into a double. He got greedy in the first inning and tried to score from second on a wild pitch with two outs, but got tagged out in a close play at the plate. Dustin Pedroia went 0 for 2, but worked the only two walks Yankees pitching gave up this game. Mike Napoli went 1 for 4 with a single. Jonny Gomes went 1 for 4 with a double in the 9th against Mariano Rivera to make things interesting. Will Middlebrooks collected his first two hits of the season with two singles and an RBI. Middlebrooks had a chance representing the tying run in the 9th, but grounded out to only score the one run. Jackie Bradley went 1 for 4 with an RBI double in the 7th. He also hit into a double play to end the 2nd inning. Backup catcher David Ross went 1 for 3. He showed some impressive defensive skills gunning down Nunez and Gardner trying to steal second. Jose Iglesias is making it tougher and tougher to send him back to Pawtucket when Stephen Drew gets back, going 2 for 3 and raising his average to .583 on the season. He showed some nice speed with a bunt single that caught the Yankees off guard. He also hit into an unfortunate double play. 3 double plays and 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position was just too much for this team to overcome despite doing a good job of getting men on base.
BATTING GRADE: C-

Ryan Dempster did ok in his Red Sox debut. His performance was pretty close to what we saw out of Lester on opening day, but he unfortunately didn't get the run support that Lester did and took the loss here. 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8K isn't exactly what you're hoping for, but the game was definitely still winnable.
STARTING PITCHING GRADE: C+

Other than getting the hold, Junichi Tazawa had an identical stat line to his first performance. 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches. Last time he was the beneficiary of a double play. This time he benefited from Ross gunning down Nunez trying to steal second. Another solid performance for his one inning of work. Clayton Mortensen looked a little shaky in his first appearance of the year. He gave up a home run to Cervelli to lead off the 7th inning and provided the Yankees with some insurance. He followed up by giving up a hit to Gardner, which would have been a double without a great throw from Victorino to get the outfield assist. After that he settled down and retired the next 5 batters he faced. The bullpen kept the game within reach in their three innings of work, but they had some help from excellent plays from Ross and Victorino.
BULLPEN GRADE: C

Red Sox vs Yankees Preview

The Red Sox couldn't have asked for a better start to the season. I don't want to get ahead of myself, because the Yankees are basically a AAA team right now, but with how bad things have been over the two last years it's not to have positive stories coming from them.

Tonight we get Dempster vs Pettitte. I was not thrilled with the Dempster signing. He seems like a guy that can be decent in the NL, but can't handle AL lineups. Time will tell, but with how bad the Yankees likeup is right now I actually think he is going to have a very strong start tonight.

Pettitte in the past has been a Red Sox killer, but he is very over the hill. I think this is yet another guy the Red Sox won't let go deep into the game, and like I have said I trust the Red Sox bullpen overall a lot more than the Yankees.

Red Sox 7-3
Player of the Game: Dempster/Pedroia
Game starts at 7:05pm

Red Sox Grades

This game was very similar to opening day. Buchholz went two more innings than Lester, Kuroda packed it in after 1 1/3 innings because he got hurt, Aceves gave up a 3-run bomb late to make it interesting and Daniel Nava was the DH in place of Jonny Gomes; other than that I had deja vu.

The Red Sox batting was pretty similar to opening day. They spent the majority of the game working through the Yankees bullpen. Lots of small ball and run manufacturing from the top and bottom of the lineup. Jacoby Ellsbury seems to have regained his near MVP form and is playing like a man with a big payday coming up. His two out, two run single in the 3rd created some nice separation to make it 6-0. Shane Victorino looked good again with a 2 for 5 night and an RBI. Jose Iglesias continues to impress going 2 for 4 with a double. If he keeps up this pace the Red Sox may have some awkward decisions to make when Stephen Drew is healthy again. Daniel Nava had a great game going 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Jackie Bradley Jr. got his first big league hit and an RBI in the process and eventually scored two runs. Pedroia and Salty both had respectable 2 for 5 games with an RBI each. Pedroia squandered a nice opportunity to blow the game open early when he hit into a double play in a 1-out, based loaded situation after Kuroda left the game. The only disappointing part of the lineup so far has been Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks managed another walk, but is still looking for his first hit of the season. Napoli managed to grab a single for his first hit in a Red Sox uniform, but otherwise he's been a black hole. Neither of them has been atrocious, and it's only been two games, but with the rest of the lineup feasting on Yankee pitching it's strange to see their lack of production.
HITTING GRADE: B+

Buchholz looked good. 7IP/6H/1ER/2BB/4K is just the sort of stat line you'd like to see out of Clay. This Yankees lineup is really lacking some offensive bite, but he still took care of business and put up a quality start. He kept his pitch count low, worked out of jams when he needed to and the solo shot to Travis Hafner in the 4th with a 6 run lead is certainly forgivable.
STARTING PITCHING GRADE: A

Because Buchholz went deeper in this game the bullpen was left responsible for holding onto a 6 run lead with just the 8th and 9th to play. Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves split the 8th inning. Miller nailed Ben Francisco and then got Robinson Cano to line out to center. Some people thought that Miller might have been retaliating for the two batters the Kuroda hit in the 2nd inning. I hope this isn't the case. Kuroda was hurt and had to be pulled from the game, I'm pretty sure there was no ill intent there and no need for retaliation. Miller has yet to allow a hit, but has put 3 men on in his combined 1 inning of work and has an ERA of 9.00. He a flamethrower, but still seems to be working through some control issues. Aceves took over and allowed a single and a 3-run homer in this 2/3 IP. It doesn't look good, but with a 6 run lead Aceves may have been pitching for contact to keep the game moving at a brisk pace. With a newly created save situation, Joel Hanrahan was given the ball for the 9th. He continues to look great out there and crushed any hope of a Yankees rally.
RELIEF PITCHING GRADE: C+

Red Sox 7, Yankees 4

The Red Sox are making hay when the sun shines, taking advantage of the injury ridden Yankees, and starting their season 2-0 for the first time since 1999. The Yankees lost starter Hiroki Kuroda in the 2nd when a ball hit his finger. The Red Sox capitalized as Kuroda struggled, then went to work on the Yankees bullpen.

Clay Buchholz scythed his way through the JV Yankee lineup, needing only 96 pitches in 7 innings of work. The one blemish on his outing was a Travis Hafner solo homerun. Buchholz typically struggles against the Yankees and in April. It's April, and these players were technically the Yankees, so good for him.

It was a game the Red Sox should have won. Which is good news for two reasons:

#1. The Red Sox are back to being a team that is supposed to win games.

#3. The Red Sox are winning games they should win. They didn't do that often enough last year, or in 2011.

Are they the best team in baseball or their division? Impossible to tell after 2 games against a hodgepodge Yankee roster. Are they taking care of the business that should be taken care of? So far, yes. That's an improvement. It's refreshing.

Not so refreshing was the fact that Alfredo Aceves allowed a 3 run bomb by Vernon Wells that made the late innings interesting. This worries me because Aceves wasn't reliable at all last year.

In the 9th, Joel Hanrahan was on the opposite end of the spectrum. He looked very sharp, hitting 96 and 97 on the radar gun, with movement.

Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his ROY/MVP/HOF campaign with an RBI single in the 3rd. His first Major League hit.

Jose Iglesias went 2 for 4, and is hitting the softest .556 in history.

The Red Sox knocked in 5 runs with 2-outs. That's my favorite stat of the night. That's the difference between winning 7-4 and losing 4-2 right there, just a few 2-out at-bats.

Ryan Dempster faces Andy Pettitte tonight. With that matchup and Jaromir Jagr coming to the Bruins, I feel like it's 1999 again. I'm going to check my smartphone for the Y2K bug.

-The Captain

Red Sox @ Yankees Preview

I hate the day off after Opening Day. I find it so annoying. It's like "Here are you really excited for baseball, well too bad wait another day". Plus, with a win like the Sox had on Monday you'd like to see them get on the field the next day and carry that momentum.

Ok, enough of by random bitching. Tonight we get Buccholz vs Kuroda. Buchholz has been terrible against the Yankees in his career going 2-5 with a 7.19 ERA, and went 0-2 with a 15.26 ERA in two starts against New York last year. Yea, so there aren't a ton of positives there. Buchholz did go 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA in six spring starts, so hopefully he is building towards something. The reason I am hopeful tonight is that this is not a normal Yankees lineup, hell is looks a lot more like something the Astros would be throwing out there.

Kuroda on the other hand has been real good against the Sox. Kuroda went 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five starts against the Red Sox last season, going 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in three in New York. He is a hell of a pitcher, and the Red Sox are going to have a tough time with him tonight. One guy that does light him up is Pedroia who is 6 for 14 with a homer in his career against Hiroki Kuroda.

I think it's going to be a real close game tonight. If the Yankees had their full lineup I'd probably pick against the Sox, but I think the difference tonight will be the Red Sox bullpen.

Red Sox win 5-4
Player of the Game: Pedroia
Game starts at 7:05pm

Red Sox Lineup:
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Daniel Nava DH
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Mike Napoli 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Shane Victorino RF
Jackie Bradley LF
Jose Iglesias SS

Captain's Thoughts: Red Sox Opening Day

Here are some thoughts after the Red Sox beat the Yankees in Game 1 of 162 yesterday.

-Notice there was no flyover. That's because of sequestration. Fun fact.

-The 2nd inning epitomized the difference between the 2013 Red Sox and the 2012 Red Sox. In that inning we saw speed, effort, patience, and most of all hunger. Jackie Bradley Jr. beating out the throw to 2nd allowed that inning to turn into a crooked number frame, instead of just a 1 run inning. This team had no hunger in 2012, which is why they lost despite having so much talent. This 2013 team has less talent, but hopefully more hunger.

-This was felt more like Spring Training game than a typical Red Sox/Yankees game. There were many unfamiliar faces. There was no Jeter, no Ortiz, no A-Rod, and no beard on Youkilis.

-The Souvenir Store is already accepting orders for Jackie Bradley Jr. t-shirts. But let's not overlook the performance of the two stars in the lineup, Pedroia and Ellsbury. Pedroia was 2 for 6 with an RBI. Ellsbury was 3 for 6 with a triple and 2 RBI. Especially with Ortiz out, these two will be responsible for carrying the offensive burden.

-The Red Sox saw 190 pitches from Yankees pitchers. They only did that five times in 9 inning games last year (stole this note from WEEI). Jackie Bradley Jr. saw 26 of those pitches. Such levels of patience were absent in 2012, but were a hallmark of Red Sox Baseball from 2002 to 2007.

-Jon Lester sucks in the 4th inning. In 2012 Lester had a 6.75 ERA in the 4th, and opponents had a .906 OPS against him. Yesterday both his earned runs were allowed in the 4th, and the Yankees were close to inflicting much more damage than that.

-The bullpen looks deep, with lots of options, and lots of guys who can throw hard.

There are 161 games left so let's not go nuts. The Red Sox are only 68 wins shy of matching their total from last year, so let's be cheerful. It's too early to formulate any concrete conclusions. So let's speculate. This team is more interesting to watch. They're much more likable. They are getting 100% from their talent.

Clay Buchholz pitches tomorrow. He has always struggled in the Spring months of the season. Hopefully he pitches like it's summer.

-The Captain

Cano Ditches Boras For Jay-Z

Seems very rare that you see Boras lose a client, and he has to be pissed since Cano is in for a huge payday. I am not sure if this is a smart move by Cano, since Boras always seems to get his guys top dollar, but I do think it's good news for the Yankees and their hope of resigning Cano. Jay-Z is a New York guy, and I think he would want him to stay there.

Reading into this further I guess Jay-Z really wants to become a full time agent. First in baseball, then eventually football an basketball. My guess is that baseball is the easiest since there is no cap. It will be really interesting to see what Cano gets, he is one of the best players in the game and one would think with the money we have seen thrown around this sport he is going to get an enormous deal.

I'm Hovering Around Cautiously Optimistic

Baseball has such a long season that it's a common pitfall to be overly optimistic or pessimistic about one game or a series. 162 games is nearly double the 82 game hockey/basketball season and 10 times the 16 game football season. More than any other sport, baseball is a grind. The limited playoff spots keep most teams battling deep into September to extend their seasons. The Red Sox have played one game, but it still gives me reason for optimism.

Jackie Bradley Jr looked about as good as you possibly can without recording a hit. He made a great catch in left, playing out of his usual position in center field. He worked 3 walks, for me that shows a lot of restraint and composure for a kid who just made the jump from AA Portland to Fenway Park. The temptation to be overly aggressive in your first big league game and your whole family watching in the stands must have been tremendous. Even his outs managed to be productive as he recorded an RBI. There were some other bright spots as well.

Jon Lester wasn't a dominant ace with a statline of 5 IP 2 ER 5 H 2 BB 7 K. He wasn't getting out of innings quickly and got up to 96 pitches after just 5 innings before handing the game over to the bullpen. Still, he kept them to 2 runs and put the Red Sox in a position to win. It was a solid performance and I'll take it.
STARTING PITCHING GRADE: B-
He kept them in the game, but fell short of a quality start and let his pitch count climb too high.

With a scheduled off day today John Farrell used his bullpen liberally. Ultimately he used 5 pitchers for the remaining 4 innings. Koji Uehara took down the 6th inning in impressive fashion in his first game in a Red Sox uniform, retiring all 3 batters with just 5 pitches. Andrew Miller and Andrew Bailey split the 7th inning with Miller mixing two walks with two strikeouts before having Bailey coming in to finish the job with a third strikeout. Junichi Tazawa gave up 1 hit in his inning of work in the 8th inning. This caused some people to speculate that Tazawa may be given the role as 8th inning set up man role that most had assumed would belong to Andrew Bailey. New closer Joel Hanrahan did well in the 9th in a non-save situation. A very good showing for the bullpen outside of those two walks issued by Miller.
BULLPEN GRADE: A-
Eating 4 innings and giving up zero runs and one hit is a good day. The only cause for concern was Andrew Miller's 2 free passes in the 7th.


Jacoby Ellsbury looked great going 3 for 6 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Jose Iglesias has gotten lost in the shuffle with Ciriaco's emergence last year and the hype surrounding Xander Bogaerts in the minors, but he had a great day yesterday going 3 for 5 with an RBI. The fact that Iglesias' hits were all just well placed ground ball singles gives me some cause for concern, but we'll see. Shane Victorino looked good in his Red Sox debut recording 3 RBIs on 2 hits. Salty looked good going 1 for 2 with 3 walks. Jonny Gomes had a good day going 2 for 4 with a walk also. Dustin Pedroia recorded a solid 2 for 6 day with and RBI. The only real let downs were the middle of the order power hitters Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks. They went a combined 0 for 9 with Middlebrooks drawing a walk.
HITTING GRADE: A-
Putting up 8 runs in a game started by CC Sabathia sounds pretty good, but CC looked like a guy recovering from off season surgery and his velocity was noticeably down from his career norms. Joba Chamberlain also looked terrible. They did a nice job manufacturing runs without any home runs and no help from the middle of the lineup.

The Yankees might be in serious trouble this season. Their lineup has no teeth without guys like Texiera and the ace of their pitching staff looked very shaky out their on the mound. The AL East could be wide open this year.

8 Red Sox, 2 Yankees

It's funny, Jackie Bradley didn't get a hit opening day but his impact was definitely felt. As a center fielder that was asked to play left for Boston he made some really good defensive plays and then walked 3 times (the most impressive was when Sabathia had him 0-2) and scored twice and had 1 RBI. He isn't my favorite prospect for sure, but he could be a real solid player for this Red Sox team (definitely better than Gomes).

Shane Victorino also had a good Sox opener driving in 3 on 2 hits. It's funny if you told me before the game that our 4-5 hitters would go 0-9 and CC Sabathia is on the mound, I would have thought the game would be a lot closer. However, that wasn't the case as 1,2,3, and 8,9 hitters all chipped in.

Sabathia didn't pitch his best. He went 5 innings, let up 4 earned runs and walked 4.

As for Jon Lester, he only pitched 5 innings and let up 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 7. I will take that any day from Jon Lester for sure.

The Red Sox are undefeated and on their way to the World Series.

Another prediction I have is that Tazawa will be our closer by the end of the year. The kid's a stud reliever.

Opening Day: Red Sox @ Yankees Preview

Opening Day is finally upon us, and it's Yankees vs Red Sox. Yet, it all feels different doesn't it? The Red Sox expectations are the lowest I can remember since the Pedro-era started (unless you're DP) and the Yankees are an old shell of themselves.

Let's first take a quick look at players who aren't playing today...

Granderson
ARod
Jeter
Ortiz
Drew
Teixeira

You add that list to the guys the Red Sox traded away near the end of last year (Gonzo, Crawford, Beckett) and you can see why it all feels different. Still, there are some reasons to be excited if you're a Red Sox fan. First off, the Yankees are feeling your pain and I could argue our future is much, much brighter. The Red Sox have some good young players either playing today (Bradley, Iglesias) or on their way (Bogaerts, Webster, ect).

For the first time in a long time I think the Red Sox actually will beat most people's expectations. I mean there is very little pressure on them, and if you believe Lester will build on his strong spring they could surprise some people.

Actually I think Lester is going to have a great outing today. Look at the Yankees lineup...

Brett Gardner, CF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Ben Francisco, DH
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Jayson Nix, 3B
Francisco Cervelli, C

I mean that is a lineup he should be able to handle. Even though CC is on the hill tonight the Red Sox overall haven't been that bad against him (5.22 ERA last year against Boston).

I am not going to sit here and blow what the Red Sox did this offseason, because there was a lot I didn't like, but I do think the hate has got out of hand and that the future is bright. They will surprise people this year, and it will start today.

Red Sox win 7-4
Player of the Game: Lester/Napoli
Game starts at 1:05pm

Red Sox Lineup:

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jonny Gomes, DH
Jackie Bradley Jr., LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

A-Rod Makes $4 Million More Than Entire Astros Team

A-Rod is making $29 million this year, which is insane, but it find it horrific that the entire Astros team only makes $25 millio. This goes back to the main problem with baseball. Yes, I think there should be a salary cap, but even more than that I think this sport needs a salary minimum. It's a joke that Houston is putting the team they are on the field. What shot do this really have?

Yes, I know we can all point to teams that have been able to make the playoffs with a low payroll, but I think we can all agree that this is beyond sad. There is just no reason to not put more money into their teams.

Jeter's Ankle Giving Out?

Derek Jeter is not in the New York Yankees' lineup for a second straight day after experiencing stiffness in his surgically repaired left ankle.

The Yankees are acting like this is no big deal, but the fact that his ankle is swelling up, and it's the same one he had surgery on has to be concerning. Jeter is not a young man anymore, and when a player gets to his age it's tougher to bounce back (ask Ortiz). If Jeter ends up not being 100% the Yankees are in a deep, deep hole. Teixeira is out for at least a couple months and maybe the year, same goes for A-Rod, and Ganderson is lost for the beginning of the year. Other than Cano there isn't a ton to be scared of in this lineup.

Everyone is making a big deal out of how big of a mess the Red Sox are, but I would argue they are in a lot better shape than the Yankees. The Red Sox have prospects on their way, and they are not buried in bad contracts. I think the Yankees are in serious trouble.

Mark Teixeira Out For Season?

"Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira‘s wrist injury is worse than originally thought. Teixeira on Sunday revealed that instead of just a strained tendon, he has a partially torn tendon sheath (which covers the tendon and keeps it in place)."

I knew it was going to be worse than they thought when it was a wrist injury. It always is when it's a baseball player. Cashman has said there is a 30% chance that he will need season ending surgery, which would be an enormous blow to a team that is already having so many injury problems.

Teixeria, even if it heels on it's own, will be out a couple of months, and then is going to have to gain strength back in that wrist.I don't think even if everything goes right that he will be 100% till the end of July.

Yankees Asking Derrek Lee To Come Out Of Retirement

"The Yankees have asked first baseman Derrek Lee if he would come out of retirement, and join the team as Mark Teixeira's replacement, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has confirmed that the team has reached out to Lee (CBS)."

The Yankees are getting desperate, and it's really only going to get worse. How long can Youk really hold up playing 3rd? What About Jeter?

As of now it is being said that it is very unlikely that Lee comes out of retirement. It is also being reported that the Yankees have reached out to Chipper Jones, but Chipper has said time and again that he is all done and has no interest in playing.

I seriously believe that the Yankees could end up with a very similar to the Red Sox. It's really odd to think that the Orioles, Rays, and  Blue Jays could be the top 3 teams in the East, it's like every thing has been flipped.

Mariano Rivera To Retire After This Season

Can you blame him? Everyone on the team is either getting injured or being linked to steroids. This year is sure to be a really long year for the Yankees as they might be right with the Red Sox at the bottom of the AL East looking up at the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

Mariano Rivera is one of the few Yankees I respect, that's not saying I like him, I just respect him. he perfected a craft off of one pitch and was the best of all time doing it.

he has one more year to build on his 608 saves that he has accrued over the years.

On another topic, can it please stop fucking snowing? This is ridiculous. I'm tired of this nonsense.

More Bad News For Yankees (UPDATED)

As teams warmup for the WBC there was a big injury for Team USA as Teixeira strained his right wrist while swinging off a tee Tuesday. He said he heard a "pop" and then a lot of pain. X-rays were negative and an MRI exam revealed a strain on the outside of Teixeira's right forearm, near his wrist. He has left the team and headed back to New York to meet with some specialists. Eric Hosmer will take his place for Team USA.

Right now they are saying this injury could be anywhere between 8-14 days, but anything with the wrist would scare me if I was a Yankees fan. The Yankees are already dealing with so many injury and problems. Between the steroid allegations, and injuries to Jeter, Rivera, A-Rod, on and off with Youk, Granderson, Hughes, it's getting to the point where you're starting to wonder what the hell their lineup will even look like by Opening Day.

Age and bad contract will catch up with this team, as it did the Red Sox. The difference being the Red Sox were at least able to ship a lot of their out to the Dodgers. I don't think the Yankees can do the same. 


***UPDATE***

"Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced Wednesday that first baseman Mark Teixeira has been diagnosed with a strained right wrist, suffered while warming up to play for Team USA Tuesday. Girardi told reporters that Teixeira will be out 8 to 10 weeks due to the injury, meaning he will likely miss at least the first month of the regular season (CBS)."

This is fucking awesome. HAHAHA

Cano, A-Rod, Braun, Granderson To Be Suspended For Steroids?

Anonymous Source: Cano, Granderson, A-Rod and Braun will all be suspended for failing PED test this season.
— Joe Bisceglie (@joebisceglie) 

Not the greatest source in the world, but this was the same guy that said Melky Cabrera would be suspended 50 games for steroids a month before it happened. Obviously this would be a crushing blow to the Yankees, and would really kill the image of Braun in the public eye. We are obviously a far way away from confirming this, but it's something to keep an eye on. It also has to be noted that Cano was linked to steroids back in September, but that report ended up being bogus, so it's be interesting to see if this has any legs.

Curtis Ganderson Breaks Arm

Not a good start to the Yankees season as Curtis Granderson suffered a fractured right forearm Sunday after being hit by a pitch in his first at-bat in a spring training game and will be out until at least the first week of May.

I really don't think the Yankees are going to be very good this year. A-Rod is done, Youk isn't very good anymore and will probably get hurt, Jeter is old as dirt, Rivera is old as dirt, and I just think its all going to catch up to them.

The Granderson injury isn't anything to get overly worried about if your a Yankees fan, since it's such a long season, but it just has the feel that this won't be the last major injury for them. 

Now Onto A-Rod

A Rod is the center of this whole Miami HGH scandal and it looks like this going to hit hard against his legacy to the point where the Yankees are looking to void his contract.

A Rod has always been a lightning rod of controversy, much deserved, but if these reports are in fact true. How can you blame the Yankees? He has been oft injured, his career is plummeting at a record pace and even when he was on HGH he sucked. He is a head ache, he can't stay on the field and last year he was flat out mediocre. A Rod is a great example of a player that doesn't deserve to ever be voted into the Hall of Fame, he had all the talent in the world, yet, he took it for granted and now this is happening. It makes me think about how his career numbers would actually be if he was clean the whole time.

A Rod doesn't help himself with his self aggrandizing douchy qualities that he has and like I said in the previous post, he makes himself bigger than the team and sport constantly. If I were him, I would honestly contemplate retiring and stay out of the media for a good 2 years. It's America, we have the memory of a goldfish, by that point we will all forget this and remember the good, rather than the bad.