New Yankee Stadium

Here is a link to Sweeni Murti’s WFAN Yankees’ Blog about the new Stadium, you may have heard about.

http://www.wfan.com/Sweeny-Blog:-New-Yankee-Stadium-Under-Construction/1617160

I’ve been looking for some good pics of the tour that was given to the local press of the ongoing construction of the new Stadium.  So far most of the shots are what you would expect from a giant project that is about 60% completed; lots of steel, heavy machinary, guys in funny yellow hats.  The first couple of shots are artist renderings of the completed project then it jumps into the construction shots. 

I’m digging the more wide open spaces.  No longer will my $8 warm flat beer be left behind on some poor schmo’s torn zubas as I snake my way through the masses.  If thats not progress, then my friends I ask you, what is?  The restaurant in center field and martini bar are definately there to cater to the corporate crowd.  As does the reduction in general seating to make room for more luxury boxes.  Tickets are already scarce for this year and I assume the first season will rival gas prices in value per dollar spent. 

What helps make a sporting event more enjoyable?  Ease of access.  Ask and yee shall receive from answers.com

The new station, which the MTA estimates will cost $45 million, will provide service to all three Metro North lines (Hudson, Harlem and New Haven) via existing track connections that are not normally used for revenue passenger services. Approximately ten trains before and after the games will serve the station and will allow riders to leave from and travel to stations on all three Metro North lines.[9] A shuttle train will also transport fans between the stadium and Grand Central Terminal, potentially helping to reduce traffic on the subway lines used to connect to New Jersey Transit and Long Island Railroad trains at Penn Station.

This, fellow Pinstripe fans, is a great thing.  I work in lower CT and live in Westchester.  To make it to a 7pm start, and leaving time for the necessary imbibing, if I’m driving in I need to leave work shortly after 4pm – if not before.  If its the normal slow going Yankee game, I’m not leaving the stadium till 10:15 and then I get to play the full size pinball game that is attempting to exit the parking lots and get onto the highway and back to Westchester.  Hopefully without my POS overheating while I hear some horrendous Reggetone being blasted out of a ‘98 Civic with body rott, a glad bag for a rear window, and $3,000 rims.  If I’m lucky I’ll be in bed around midnight.  Thats more commuting time then actual sports watching at a 5:3 clip! 

 For the ‘09 season, if I’m lucky enough to scalp…buy, I mean buy tickets… I’ll take the New Haven Line (which allows alcohol in bag form) to 125th then switch over to the new Stadium direct line.  Or course I’m still gonna leave work at 4pm, only now instead of getting there 10 min before first pitch I’ll be able to socialize with the unwashed masses at Stan’s by around 5:30, in my seat – ideally next to the dougout, realistically way in the nose bleeds with the true fans – sufficiently sauced by the 4th inning, and escorted out of the stadium by a strong armed dude in a yellow windbreaker before Joba comes in to lock it down in the 8th. 

 ~jboogz

ChatTastic

Over at the worldwide leader Keith Law, one of my favorite baseball writers, is doing a live chat.  If you can get over there before they start charging admission you will not be dissappointed.  I’m also adding his nonEspn blog to the roll on the right.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=19284

~jboogz

[*edit, About 4 minutes after I posted ESPN dubbed it "Insider Only".  Sorry, but capitalism is still alive and well.]

[**edit, Sorry the chat got locked so quickly.  Since I can't give out my Insider Password here is a link to a pretty comprehensive Q&A with Kieth]-

             http://lioninoil.blogspot.com/2007/06/lio-interviews-espns-keith-law.html

Legends Field redux

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/news/story?id=3245786&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

The New York Yankees will rename their spring training home Steinbrenner Field in honor of the man who has owned the team since 1973. The ballpark has been called Legends Field since it opened in 1996.

So its finally happened.  I thought this wouldn’t go through until the Boss was firing people from the Great Beyond. Hard to think that in the early 90’s there were bumper stickers, tshirts, and signs galore all around 161st Street calling for George’s head.  I think if he were to walk onto the field before a game the standing ovation he would receive now would severerly hinder construction across the street at the new Stadium. 

~jboogz

The Enemy will hate you from birth

             Right back at ya.

Inaugural

Welcome to Dueling Pinstripes.  The aim of this blog is analysis, discussion, and overall nitpicking of all things MLB.  More specifically the Yanks [thats my area] and Los Metinos [my esteemed collegue].  We welcome comments, but keep them on topic and nonpersonnal.

I’d like to start by ignoring the whole Capital Hill mess for now, its dominated the baseball landscape for far too long.  Pitchers and catchers report on Thur and its about time we shifted to the action between the lines.   

Now, time for some Yankee spring training thoughts.

If spring training shapes up like it normally does with only 1B open and 1-2 utility/sitiuational positions open, which it should, a handful of at bats in March should not overshadow a solid contributor from years past – see Phelps, Josh over Andy Philips.  I know, I know, Andy Philips is a below average Major Leaguer, but Josh Phelps lit it up in Spring against kids who currently end all their sentences with “Pull up to the next window please” and after Phelps cooled off – who would have guessed! – Andy finally got to start 61 games.  Granted this was only after Dougie got blindsided by his exsquad, who apparently didn’t hear he gave the clinching ball from ‘04 back and proceded to try and shake it loose from his cranium.  In those 61 games he was able to hit .292 with 2 HR and 25RBI and 27R [in all honesty my fat arse could score 27 in that lineup].  Respek.  He handled his business and actually was coming along well enough holding his own at the dish and contributing with the glove.  Right until he got a new tatoo of Rawlings on his hand.  So, how could Andy have done for the year if Phelps didn’t hit .400 in March then stunk it up for his next 36 starts? I guess we’ll never know.  But since both guys now play for other teams in the other league I guess the point is moot.

The Yankees have invited Morgan Ensberg to compete for starts with Giambi, Duncan, and Betemit.  I think we can safely say the JG should not be allowed to wear a glove at this point of his career.  I can’t for the life of me understand why the Yankees are only bringing Righties to play first.  I guess who ever gets the job is just keeping it warm for when Mark Teixeira hits the market next year. 

Last year Duncan was a nice story when the Yankees needed someone to inject some youth into what was quickly a season spiraling out of control, swatting a couple of homers in his first few games.  His inability to adjust to the breaking ball was quickly noted and opposing pitchers new that if it broke at all he was going to miss it.  But, boy leave it in the middle and he can smack it with the best of them.  Rec leagues all over America  filled with this type of player. 

Giambi might have something left in the tank.  But who knows?  Is he going to be good for 100 BB this year if he stays healthy, which has been his calling card every season he’s started 100+ games going back to 1999?  I doubt it.  Their will not be enough ABs to go around between him, Matsui, and Damon for him to reach that plateu.  Throw in the usual day off that is going to be needed for the every day guys to make it through the season  (My prediction for the year is that you will Jeter as a DH more this year than any other year in his career, write it down) and I think he’ll get about 300 ABs, with the other 250+/- getting split between; Matsui/Damon depending on who is starting in the field, regular rest for Posada - which should be 1 game aweek, remember he’s gotta catch till he’s 40 now – and scheduled days off but still batting for all the other regulars.

I’ll skip Betemit for now and move onto non-Roster invitee [how horrible is that moniker?] Morgan Ensberg.  I wonder if he’ll be used as a super utility guy since he’s has all of one career start at 1B.  And in that one start he made one error and had a fielding % below .900.  Albert Pujols he is most definately not.  Ensberg does average almost 4 pitches per plate appearance so atleast his philosphy is in line with the Yankees grind’em down ways.  But his tours through the NL have not included the pitchers he’ll face in the AL East slugfest.  I doubt his OBP will approach his past couple of seasons and fully expect it to be somewhere near .350.   His three year avg against righties is quite frighening at .249 and again, thats against the NL. 

Our final contestant on Name that Starting Firstbaseman is Wilson Betemit.  He’s got a lot of the same short comings of Ensberg at the plate over the last four years, but he did play almost 70 innings last year at first and did not make an error.  Plus he’s a switch hitter, but I guess if you swing and miss alot it doesn’t matter that you can do it from both sides of the plate. 

In a short couple of hours mitts will be popping, seeds will be spit, and rampant speculation about every throwing session will begin.  Let’s just hope everyone makes it through healthy and ready to start to the season. 

We’ll go over the bullpen slots in the next post. Until then.

~jbooz