Teen Ramirez wins MiLBY as top starter | yankees.com: News

Teen Ramirez wins MiLBY as top starter | yankees.com: News

New York Yankees Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball

New York Yankees Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball

great yankee year....

best record in baseball followed by their 27th world title...
the only team of the decade with a hundred or more wins and a world title the same year...
derek jeter,from reaching base in EVERY post season game..to the S.I.sportsman of the year...he is what it is all about...

close them out andy...

NEW YORK -- Game 6 of the 2009 American League Championship Series will be played, weather permitting, today at 8:20 p.m. ET.

complete postseason coverage PostSeason.tv

This should come as a big relief to baseball fans who watched helplessly as steady rains starting Friday night, and persisting through Saturday night, made this crucial game a victim instead of a sporting event. The postponement of Game 6 was made official at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday when it became apparent that between the previous rainfall and the expectation of heavier rain to come, conditions would not allow this game to be played as scheduled at Yankee Stadium.

The weather forecast for tonight is just fine for New York in October, and more to the point, just fine for baseball in New York in October.

Both managers are sticking with their scheduled Game 6 left-handers -- Andy Pettitte for the Yankees, Joe Saunders for the Angels.

Pettitte is tied for the all-time lead in postseason victories, but he had a 7.88 ERA in three regular-season starts against the Angels this year. Because of the rainout, CC Sabathia would be available to pitch on regular rest in Game 6, but manager Joe Girardi said, "We like the guy going tomorrow. CC has been great. But Andy will pitch tomorrow. ... We're going to stick with Andy."

Saunders has been exceptionally good over the past two months. In his last eight regular-season starts, he was 7-0 with a 2.62 ERA. In his Game 2 start against the Yankees, he gave up only two runs in seven innings.

The rainout could allow the Angels to bring back their ace, John Lackey, on short rest for a Game 7. But when Lackey was asked about that possibility, he responded, "We're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, fellas. We have to win [Game 6] first."

Even before the rainout, it could have been argued that the October climate already had a significant impact on the series. When this ALCS has been played in the cold and damp, the New York Yankees are 2-0. When this series has been played under fair skies in pleasant temperatures, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are 2-1.

AL Championship Series
Gm. 1 NYY 4, LAA 1 Wrap Video
Gm. 2 NYY 4, LAA 3 Wrap Video
Gm. 3 LAA 5, NYY 4 Wrap Video
Gm. 4 NY 10, LAA 1 Wrap Video
Gm. 5 LAA 7, NYY 6 Wrap Video
Gm. 6 LAA@NYY Sun., Oct. 25 8:20 ET
Gm. 7* LAA@NYY Mon., Oct. 26 7:57 ET

*If necessary
All games on FOX

The Yankees would appear to have the built-in advantages in dealing with less-than-ideal meteorological conditions. But the conditions change for everybody. It's a long way from those calm, moderate California nights, to "Oh, no, the forecast is getting worse," when the temperature is falling, the wind chill is falling and the only thing that is rising is the price of a decent parka.

When this series resumes, the question will be whether the Angels' Game 5 victory changed the course of baseball history or just added a night or two in the Bronx to the autumn schedule.

Only 50 percent of the participants will be happy about the eventual outcome, but everyone will be happy to see this series resume and resume in reasonable conditions.

The mood was falling along with the rain as Saturday afternoon turned to Saturday night. The theme music for this one was "Rainin' in My Heart," by Slim Harpo. You always wonder: "What names did the other Harpo children have?" But this is not the time for that.

The only thing worse than a rained-out baseball game is a rained-out postseason baseball game. Especially when a series is down to crunch time, as the 2009 ALCS now is. The Angels staged a remarkable revival in Game 5. But the Yankees are only one victory away from the World Series. Game 6 beckons. And then, it doesn't.

Everyone on hand had the Yankees/Angels Postponement Blues, from their heads down to their shoes. Millions upon millions of people across the length and breadth of the North American continent wanted to see this baseball game played on this Saturday night. Now, with any luck, this baseball game will be played on tonight, starting at its scheduled time of 8:20 p.m.

But there was all this momentum and anticipation building toward this game on this Saturday night. And then, no game.

POSTSEASON POSTPONEMENTS
Since Wild Card era began in 1995
Year Game Matchup
1996 ALCS, Gm. 1 BAL at NYY
WS, Gm. 1 ATL at NYY
2003 ALCS, Gm. 4 NYY at BOS
2004 ALCS, Gm. 3 NYY at BOS
2005 ALCS, Gm. 4 LAA at NYY
2006 ALDS, Gm. 2 DET at NYY
NLCS, Gm. 1 STL at NYM
NLCS, Gm. 5 NYM at STL
2008 WS, Gm. 5* TB at PHI
2009 NLDS, Gm. 3 PHI at COL
2009 ALCS, Gm. 6 LAA at NYY
*- Rain forced the suspension of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. The game was completed two days later.

"It [stinks] to have a rainout right now," said Angels center fielder Torii Hunter. "That's all I can tell you. We just want to play this game. That's all we want to do."

Everybody was looking for a reason for this game to be played as scheduled. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said before the game was postponed that the infielders could expect that any ground ball they fielded would have some water on it. But that was OK, Scioscia said, because the Angels had worked out on Friday morning at Angel Stadium with morning dew on the ground. The Halos had not planned on this moisture, but there it was, as close as they could come to practice for playing in the rain in Southern California.

But tonight, the outlook is for baseball with no more rain rationalizations needed. The jury is still out on which team will prevail here, but this much is clear:

The weather is more complex in New York than it is in Anaheim. And the situation with this series isn't getting any simpler, either. We will see shortly which club can best roll with the changes.

Have we mentioned that today's forecast is really, really good? There will be sunshine and moderate temperatures during the day, and the overnight forecast includes a zero percent chance of precipitation. Hey, Ernie, let's play two! All right, two wouldn't be needed if the Yankees win Game 6, but you'd like to see these two teams playing some baseball in the sunshine. As a matter of fact, right now, you'd like to see these two teams playing some baseball, period.

Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

francisco cervelli

glad to see him in the majors....youth be served..

2009 roster

Active Roster for 2009 season

Active Roster
Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
63 Jonathan Albaladejo R/R 6-5 260 10/30/82
38 Brian Bruney R/R 6-3 235 02/17/82
34 A.J. Burnett R/R 6-4 230 01/03/77
62 Joba Chamberlain R/R 6-2 230 09/23/85
48 Phil Coke L/L 6-1 210 07/19/82
43 Damaso Marte L/L 6-2 215 02/14/75
46 Andy Pettitte L/L 6-5 225 06/15/72
36 Edwar Ramirez R/R 6-3 165 03/28/81
42 Mariano Rivera R/R 6-2 185 11/29/69
52 CC Sabathia L/L 6-7 290 07/21/80
41 Jose Veras R/R 6-5 235 10/20/80
40 Chien-Ming Wang R/R 6-3 230 03/31/80

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
26 Jose Molina R/R 6-2 235 06/03/75
20 Jorge Posada S/R 6-2 215 08/17/71

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB
24 Robinson Cano L/R 6-0 205 10/22/82
2 Derek Jeter R/R 6-3 195 06/26/74
19 Ramiro Pena S/R 5-11 165 07/18/85
12 Cody Ransom R/R 6-2 190 02/17/76
25 Mark Teixeira S/R 6-3 220 04/11/80

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB
53 Melky Cabrera S/L 5-11 200 08/11/84
18 Johnny Damon L/L 6-2 205 11/05/73
11 Brett Gardner L/L 5-10 185 08/24/83
22 Xavier Nady R/R 6-1 185 11/14/78
33 Nick Swisher S/L 5-11 210 11/25/80

Designated Hitters B/T Ht Wt DOB
55 Hideki Matsui L/R 6-2 210 06/12/74

johnny blanchard passes away....Rest In Peace

The former Minneapolis Central High School star played in five World Series with the New York Yankees.

Johnny Blanchard could have stayed in his hometown and played professional basketball with the Minneapolis Lakers, but his passion for baseball led him to the New York Yankees.

Blanchard, a 1951 graduate of Minneapolis Central High School, appeared in five World Series and won two championship rings as a member of the Bronx Bombers. A highlight of his career was hitting two home runs in the 1961 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees won the series in five games.

Blanchard's professional career spanned 516 games in the major leagues. In addition to the Yankees, he played with the Kansas City Athletics, the Milwaukee Braves and the Atlanta Braves. He had a career batting average of .239, with 67 home runs and 285 hits.

He played 694 games in the minor leagues, where he had a batting average of .282 and 122 home runs.

"The biggest thrill was putting on that uniform and taking the field [at Yankee Stadium]," said his son Tim of Chanhassen.

Blanchard was to be at the new Yankee Stadium on Opening Day in April, but he died of a heart attack early Wednesday at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. The Wayzata resident was 76.

Blanchard's high school sweetheart and wife, Nancy, said "it was quite a day" when he signed a contract with the Yankees for $20,000 in 1951. He spent four years in the minor leagues and served in the Army during the Korean War before getting called up to the Yankees in 1955. He appeared in one game that season before permanently joining the roster in 1959.

Blanchard, an outfielder turned catcher, played alongside Yankee greats such as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris. His best year was 1961, when he had a batting average of .305, hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats (a record that still stands) and finished second in voting for the Fall Classic's MVP.

In the off-season, Blanchard was part of a team that practiced against the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers. He averaged 18 points per game and the team wanted to sign him to a contract, but the Yankees nixed the deal, Tim said.

After his baseball playing days were over, Blanchard sold machines for railroads and worked in the printing business. He also coached amateur baseball teams in Hamel, and several of his teams made it to state tournaments. He participated in baseball fantasy camps for adults put on by the Yankees and frequently appeared at baseball card shows on the East Coast.

"Baseball was in his blood," his son said. "He loved the card shows. He'd shake people's hand, ask their name and talk with people. He was the king of storytelling; that was his strength."

Blanchard enjoyed golf and was looking forward to seeing the new Yankee Stadium and participating in an old-timers' game this year.

"He lived a life people would dream of living," Tim said.

In addition to his wife and son Tim, Blanchard is survived by two other sons, Paul, the head baseball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, and Johnny of Minnetonka, and six grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Mary of the Lake Church, 105 N. Forestview Lane, Plymouth. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the David Lee Funeral Home, 1220 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata.