Bronx Sports Roundup: Red Hot Gardner, New Fordham Baseball Coach, and More

Yankees' Gardner the Great

Yankee speedster Brett Gardner has been on an absolute tear since the All Star break, and River Avenue Blues breaks it all down. He's batting over .500 since the Midsummer classic. Since the start of the 2010 season Gardner been one of the most productive players in all of the majors, with only a handful of players besting his production since then. There's even been talk of sliding him into the leadoff spot, moving Yankee captain Derek Jeter down in the order. Watch some of the gritty outfielder's best moments:


New Coach For Fordham U's Baseball Team

The Yankees, Unobstructed — May 9

The Yankees have won seven of nine to start May, but not all is swell.

Three games into a stretch of 17 without a day off, the Yankees are already looking worn. Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson recently joined Chan Ho Park on the disabled list, and Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Alfredo Aceves and Mariano Rivera have all been dealing with minor injuries.

The 17 games includes 12 against above .500 teams — the other five games are against the Red Sox (they're still below .500, isn't that fun).

On the bright side of things, the Yankees won two of three against Boston over the weekend.

On the even brighter side (this is pyramidal), the Yankees look like farm-system geniuses right now:

• Brett Gardner has the fourth highest average in the American League (.348).
• Francisco Cervelli filled in for Jorge Posada and looked like a young catcher-version of Tony Gwynn.
• Phil Hughes has been the best pitcher on the team (other than Mariano, of course).
• Even Joba has settled comfortably into his setup role.

On the darkest side (see, pyramidal), Yankee youngster David Robertson has continued to suffer through the worst stretch of his career. Robertson has given up runs in four of his last five appearances, and his ERA has ballooned to 12.91. It's gotten ugly, and it's all my fault.

NOTE: Make sure to check back every weekend for The Yankees, Unobstructed, BNN's weekly Yankees opinion column.

For more of Graham Kates' sports writing, check out his True/Slant blog "Coaches in the Crosshairs" (http://trueslant.com/grahamkates).

The Yankees, Unobstructed, April 11

I might like Nick Johnson a little too much.

"I think you've got a man-crush on Nick Johnson," my girlfriend recently said to me.

She's right.

The dude has turned walking into an absolute artform. Going into today's game, Johnson had just two hits on the season . . . and an on-base percentage (OBP) of .360. That's kinda outrageous. Two hits and six walks. It's just great to see a batter make pitchers pitch.

But there's more to Nick Johnson than his patience at the plate. The man is a walking, talking baseball-playing analogue. A cross between Babe Ruth and Private Pyle (from "Full Metal Jacket"). Seriously, look at that:

It's uncanny.

All this talk about man-crushes and doppelgangers is making me uncomfortable. How about something completely unrelated to Johnson.

Is it cool seeing speedy Yankees or what?

Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner are fun to watch. When they get on base — and at least this past week, that's been easy for them to do — they invariably distract pitchers. The two have combined for seven runs and five stolen bases. They both have OBPs of over .400. Not bad for two guys at the bottom of the lineup.

Whoa, I almost forgot to include what has become the obligatory Joba Chamberlain update.

I'm telling you, Joba's going to have competition

It started during last year's postseason. Young David Robertson was absolutely brilliant. He was the only Yankee pitcher not named Mariano to show up consistency during the '09 playoff run. Robertson hasn't allowed a run in 8.1 straight innings — through seven appearances — since Oct. 2, last year.

Going back even further, Robertson has given up only one earned run since Aug. 30.

It looks like Joba has the job right now, and in many ways he's earned it merely by putting up with the constant tinkering of his roles. But he has to watch his back.

NOTE: Make sure to check back every weekend for The Yankees, Unobstructed, BNN's weekly Yankees opinion column.

For more of Graham Kates' sports writing, check out his True/Slant blog "Coaches in the Crosshairs" (http://trueslant.com/grahamkates).

The Yankees, Unobstructed- September 25

What to watch for - Yankess-Red Sox 2009: Episode 58

No, you're not suffering from déjà vu. This really is happening again. So, here's what/who to watch for:

A sweep: With a sweep, the Yankees would clinch the division. They would then celebrate right in front of the Red Sox.

As always Joba Chamberlain: He's been awful lately, and this weekend will have a "playoff atmosphere," as the announcers like to say. If he mucks it up tomorrow, Chamberlain could give away his starting spot to the surprising Chad Gaudin — owner of three straight solid starts and a respectable 11/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Jon Lester: Forget about Josh Beckett (until the playoffs), Lester, tonight's starter against Joba Chamberlain is the man to fear in Boston. Since the beginning of August, Lester has pitched nine consecutive quality starts.

Kevin Youkilis: As long as Sunday's game doesn't go until sundown, Youkilis will play the whole series. Youkilis sports an on-base percentage above .400, and slugs .542.

Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira: Still battling for the right to come in 2nd in the MVP voting.

Brett Gardner: You know he's going to steal — but if he happens to get on base and Jason Varitek is catching for the Red Sox, it will be like giving the speedy youngster free bases.

Mariano Rivera: He's let five men on base in his last 2.2 innings of work. Normal for other pitchers, not so much for Mo.

Jonathan Papelbon: In 7 innings against the Yankees this year, Papelbon has surrendered 0 runs and just three hits. Yikes!

Also check out....

The Hispanic Baseball Festival: The first event ever organized by the brand new 161 St. Business Improvement District, the Hispanic Baseball Festival will feature an appearance by Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. Sunday, from 10-4, at the Lou Gehrig Plaza (across the street from the Court Building).


NOTE: Make sure to check back on Fridays for The Yankees, Unobstructed, BNN's weekly Yankees opinion column.

For more of Graham Kates' sports writing, check out his True/Slant blog "Coaches in the Crosshairs" (http://trueslant.com/grahamkates).

The Yankees, Unobstructed June 19

Mediocrity Awards

Watching the Yankees everyday is a lot like eating Burger King's infamous meat'normous breakfast sandwich (pictured on right). Sure, before you dive in, what sits before you is a beautiful and spectacular monument to the wonders of joyful gluttony. But by the fourth inning, as the offense stalls and the starting pitching tires, you begin to fatigue. That sandwich, once alluring, with its three full slices of crispy bacon, two slices of smokey ham, sluggers, ace pitchers, and a sizzling sausage patty between two omelet eggs, two slices of American cheese and a toasted specialty bun, has begun to feel gross and look gratuitous.

Despite their copious "talent", the Yankees have gone on yet another mediocrity binge. As the Yankee blog WasWatching.com pointed out yesterday, the Yankees have gone 13-12 in their last 25 games, including losing two of three to the historically awful Washington Nationals.

At a time like this, we can sit and stare at the Yankees incredibly disappointing team stats for the last month. We can talk about their unreliable starting pitching and their base-running errors. We can even talk about Joe Girardi's in-game decision making. But what I find best soothes my soul when there's little good to say about the Yankees, is to hand out fake awards. So, without further adieu....


Speculatee of the Month: Tie - Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, Yankee Stadium

You're covering the Yankees and it's a slow day. Quick, what do you do? Easy: "Joba could recover his fastball if...." Or, "Wang needs to set up regular meetings with Dr. Leo Marvin..." Or, "the barometric pressure inside the new Stadium is irregular on days when President Obama...."

Most Thankful For: Mark Teixera

Tex's numbers for the last thirty days - 20 runs (tied-2nd on team), 11 doubles (first), 9 home runs (first), 25 rbis (first), .424 on-base percentage (first), .709 slugging (first by a mile), .340 (second). Also, Texeira has not committed a single error in the last month. He has also saved other people's errors (note Jeter and Cano have combined for just one during this span).

Second Most Thankful For: At least they're not these guys

Last weekend's Subway Series was a battle of ne'er-do-wells. In game one, neither team wanted to win, but the Mets proved more adept at handing even the least deserving of opponents a victory.

Most secretly productive: Brett Gardner

The man can score runs. In fact, he has eleven runs and eight steals, while getting just 48 at-bats in the last month. Much of that production, however, is due to his frequent pinch-running.

Most likely to make me cry: Hideki Matsui

Godzilla's decline has been precipitous. While Hideki has not lost his power (in the last month he's hit six round-trippers), he has lost all semblance of speed. Any time Matsui makes contact and the ball fails to leave the park, he has to run. Watching this once solid outfielder struggle with each step he takes down the first-base line is tough enough. But when he's chugging from first to third, it's like watching the first five minutes of "Up." Just try and choke back the waterworks.

Most disturbing facial hair: Brian Bruney

Anyone who watched last fall's Vice-Presidential Debate knows Scranton is a hard-scrabble town, so perhaps Bruney was just trying to fit in when he grew that 1980s face-mop while rehabbing. I've been looking for a good picture of it, if anyone finds one, let me know.

NOTE: Make sure to check back every Wednesday for Pinstripe Politics, your source for that gray area where the Yankees and society converge. Also, check in with the BNN on Fridays for The Yankees, Unobstructed, our weekly Yankee opinion column.

For more of Graham Kates' sports writing, check out his True/Slant blog "Coaches in the Crosshairs" (www.trueslant.com/grahamkates).