Notablog

The Mets and the Yankees ended the 2008 season on losing notes yesterday; the Mets closed Shea Stadium to make way for the 2009 opening of Citi Field with a devastating loss to the Florida Marlins for the second straight year, preventing them from moving into the playoffs. And the Yanks lost the final game of their season in Fenway Park, having already played the last game at Yankee Stadium ... to make way for a new Yankee Stadium opening next year.

The Yanks' loss last night was in the second game of a doubleheader (due to a rainout on Saturday) with the Red Sox; they had won the first game, giving pitcher Mike Mussina the first 20-game winning season of his career. But it's going to be a quiet postseason in NYC... the first time since the 1994 strike-shortened season that the city will not host October baseball.

I did watch some of the festivities at Shea, however, as the Mets hosted some of the baseball stars of yesteryear. This was a stadium that was, in 1975, home to both the Yankees and the Mets, and the football Giants and the Jets, while Yankee Stadium was being remodeled. This was a stadium that had hosted concerts from the Beatles to the Boss, and even Pope John Paul II. The stadium farewell tribute ended with a final pitch from Hall of Famer Tom Seaver to soon-to-be-Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza. Even Yankee great Yogi Berra showed up (he had managed the team in the early 1970s, taking them to World Series in 1973).

I'd gone to a few games at Shea through the years; while it was not the baseball cathedral that Yankee Stadium was, it still had its charm. I will miss these two stadiums; here's hoping the 2009 season brings the teams two new homes, and two winning seasons (well, okay, in the unlikely event that they face each other in the World Series ... ONE winning season).

Shea Goodbye. Wait 'til next year!

Posted by chris at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

Readers of Notablog know that I am a fanatic when it comes to the New York Yankees. Tonight, the 85-year old Yankee Stadium, "the House that Ruth Built," hosts the final regular season baseball game of its storied history. The Yankees face the Baltimore Orioles in a prime-time ESPN event, a great goodbye to The Stadium.

I am not too thrilled about this move away from one of the hallowed fields of baseball. Back in 2005, I was privileged to tour this "baseball cathedral." It was a day that ranks up there with some of my fondest memories of the place. A Yankee fan since childhood, I first set foot in the Stadium... the old Stadium, long before its mid-70s refurbishing. It was for a Mayor's Trophy game between the Mets and the Yankees and the Stadium was incredibly imposing to my young eyes. But when the Yankees returned to their home turf, after a two-season stint at Shea Stadium (which also closes at the end of this year's baseball season), I started attending many more games, especially in 1978, when the Yankees came back from a 14-game mid-season deficit to win their division against the Boston Red Sox, and then, the American League Pennant and the World Series.

There was a long drought in the Bronx through the 1980s and early 1990s ... but I still root, root, rooted for the home team, though, in truth, it was mostly the Mets who owned NYC baseball and the back of the sports pages during this period. Indeed, I spent most of my adult years rooting for a loser, so unspoiled was I by the decades of remarkable Yankee dominance.

When the team returned to its winning ways in the late '90s, with a new crop of talent, it was a true delight. Alas, this year hasn't been such a delight; after 13 straight years of making it to the postseason, the Yankees are most likely playing the very last baseball game on this field.

ABC World News Tonight tributed the place as part of last Friday's "Person of the Week" segment (you can read or, better still, view that segment here). Charlie Gibson reminds us that it wasn't just a home for baseball; it has hosted "Popes and Presidents," and some of the greatest sports events of the past century, from the 1938 Joe Louis-Max Schmeling boxing match to the 1958 Colts-Giants "all-time greatest" football game.

But, ultimately, it is about baseball. As Gibson said, "With a nod to Wrigley and Fenway, this has been baseball's capital for so many years."

I hope to make it to the "new" Yankee Stadium, with its retro design that harks back to the old beauty I first encountered as a child. But no place will be this place. A Field of Dreams, for sure. And for so many memorable realities.

Farewell, Yankee Stadium.

Update: Take a look at these really nice essays and links from the NY Times and the NY Daily News, dealing with tonight's Stadium finale:

Echoes in the Bronx
Blogging the Bombers
Reggie Jackson Has a Hard Time Leaving
Mike Lupica, Magic of Stadium Bridges Generations (and check out Lupica's piece on Derek Jeter)
A Tribute to the Great Bob Sheppard (Yankee Stadium Announcer)

Update #2, 9/22/2008: Check out these follow-up stories by Bill Madden, Filip Bondy, Mike Lupica, Mark Feinsand, and a couple of NY Times features here and here. Cliche that it is... it was truly a night to remember...

Posted by chris at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Posted to Sports

Yankee fans have little to cheer this year; the team ain't gonna make the postseason, and the Ol' Stadium is being torn down at the end of the season, as a new one opens across the street for the 2009 baseball season.

But last night, Derek Jeter gave fans a reason to cheer. He moved into sole possession of 1st place: the player with the most hits in Yankee Stadium, a record that, arguably will always be held by #2. (I say "arguably" because a case might be made that there is still a record there to be beat: Most home-field hits by a Yankee, which, conceivably, might be broken in the new stadium.) Jeter beat Lou Gehrig's former record of 1,269 hits, and now holds 1,271 hits at the great baseball cathedral in Da Bronx. And just last week, he moved into second place on the all-time Yankee hit list, jumping over Babe Ruth's 2,518 hits, and now standing behind Gehrig, who holds the team record 2,721 hits. Jeter currently has 2,532 hits; if he stays healthy, he may be the one Yankee player who, someday, reaches the 3000 hit plateau.

In any event, thanks, Captain Jeter... for giving us something to cheer about.

Posted by chris at 06:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Posted to Sports

Swimmer Michael Phelps, with a little help from Team USA, takes home his eighth gold medal tonight at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He writes himself into the history books, beating the 1972 7-medal Gold Haul of Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz.

Bravo, Michael! Bravo!

Posted by chris at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Posted to Sports

Thank goodness for DVR... 'cause some of us just keep fighting to stay awake for some of these events that seem to go on and on all night!

Nevertheless, it was an event worth watching, if only because the 2008 All-Star Game took place at Yankee Stadium, the last time any All Star Game will have ever been played on that particular field of dreams. The ol' ballpark in Da Bronx is being replaced in 2009 by a new retro stadium across the street.

It was certainly odd to see Red Sox and Yankees players on the same side, the American League, which happened to win the game in the 15th inning, 4-3. Seeing 49 Hall of Fame ballplayers and all those current stars on the same field was a thrill for sure. Heck, even seeing Yankee Boss George Steinbrenner was poignant.

But, in reality, it was the Stadium itself, that Cathedral of Baseball, that was the biggest All Star on this night. I've not been out to the ballpark in the Bronx for quite a while, but I will always hold dear its history, and my memories of it.

There's still another half of a season to go, and while it looks improbable that the Yankees will give New York another October... I'm still root, root, rooting for the home team.

Go Yanks!

Posted by chris at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Posted to Sports

I was very deeply saddened by the loss of Bobby Murcer, a long-time Yankees player and broadcaster, and all-around-good-guy. Murcer had been battling cancer for quite a while, and his fans, and I count myself among them, were rooting for his return to the broadcast booth. He'd made a brief return after cancer treatments, but he eventually had to leave the YES network; Yankees fans had hoped to see him back at the stadium in time for this week's All-Star Game, which is the last All-Star Game to be played in the old Yankee Stadium. Next year, the new Yankee Stadium opens across the street; after this season, the House that Ruth Built will be no more.

Alas, now Bobby has joined the field of dreams of baseball eternity.

In the New York Daily News, Bill Madden had this to say, reminiscing about how Murcer, who had been traded from the Yanks late in his baseball career, made his way back to the Bronx:

It wasn't until late June of 1979 that [Yankees owner, George] Steinbrenner reunited the 33-year-old Murcer with the Yankees, as the Cubs, who were just looking to dump his $320,000 contract, sent him back to the Bronx for a non-prospect minor-league pitcher named Paul Semall. At the time of the deal, the Yankees, who had lost their closer, [Rich "Goose"] Gossage, to a thumb injury (the result of a shower room fight with teammate Cliff Johnson) were already falling out of the AL East pennant race. Then, on Aug. 2, an off-day, the Yankees and the rest of baseball were shocked by the news that [Yankees catcher and team captain, Thurman] Munson had been killed in the crash of his single-engine private jet as he was practicing landings at the Canton, Ohio, airport.

No one in baseball was closer to Munson than Murcer, who, only the night before, had watched from his car at the end of the runway of a small Chicago airport as Munson took off on his solo flight home to Canton. Four days later, after delivering the eulogy at the Munson funeral in Canton, Murcer, despite having gotten no sleep, implored Yankee manager Billy Martin to let him play in the game that night at the Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles. It would be his finest hour as a Yankee as he honored Munson's memory by driving in all five runs, with a three-run homer and two-run single, in their emotional 5-4 win.

"He loved the game, his fans, his friends, and most of all his family," Murcer had said in the eulogy for Munson. "He is lost, but not gone. He will be missed, but not forgotten."

Now they are both lost.

Mike Lupica tells us of this "prince of the city": "There will be a moment of silence for him Tuesday night, at the All-Star Game. Then one last time they will cheer Bobby Murcer big at Yankee Stadium, the biggest place the kid from Oklahoma ever saw, this time to the heavens."

Posted by chris at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Posted to Remembrance | Sports

I guess we were spoiled back in the 1970s; in 1973, I saw Secretariat, the greatest of them all, in my opinion, take the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Seattle Slew followed in 1977, and Affirmed beat out Alydar in three successive thrilling races to take the Crown in 1978.

But Da' Tara beat Big Brown in his bid to be the first horse to take the Triple Crown in 30 years. Having won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, Big Brown came up short at New York's Belmont.

I sometimes wonder if we'll ever see another Triple Crown winner!

On a much sadder note, it is perhaps ironic that on this day, another great voice of sports broadcasting was silenced: Jim McKay, who passed away at the age of 86. I will always remember his stints at the "Wide World of Sports" and his remarkable reporting from the tragic Munich Olympics. He will be missed by sports fans the world over.

Posted by chris at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Posted to Film / TV / Theater Review | Remembrance | Sports

Today marks the last Opening Day at the Old Yankee Stadium. Next year, a new ballpark opens across the street from the field of dreams. And in another week, Shea Stadium will have its last Opening Day, as the Mets prepare to move into their new ballpark.

Good luck to New York's teams ... and if you haven't been to these ballparks, make a trip in 2008. Take advantage of the stadium tours. Indeed, for me, the Yankee Stadium tour was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Play ball!

Posted by chris at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Posted to Sports

There is a 50% chance for rain in the Big Apple, but it's all sunshine in Giants land today. The Giants parade up the "Canyon of Heroes" begins at 11 a.m. in celebration of their improbable victory over the New England Patriots in Sunday's Super Bowl.

You can watch the action here or on any local TV channel in NYC.

Sometimes, New York Daily News writer Mike Lupica infuriates me (I've been enjoying his political articles more than his sports articles of late!). But when he's good, he's great. Yesterday was one terrific article followed by another today. Lupica writes:

This time the Yankees didn't go out in the first round and the Mets didn't blow a seven-game lead. The Patriots didn't go to 19-0. Boston didn't ring up New York again. The Giants come across the river today and bring the Lombardi Trophy with them. For the first time in a long time the sports capital of the world isn't someplace else.

Some of us would like the good cheer of the Giants to rub off on our local baseball teams.

Good news: Ten days for pitchers and catchers to report to Spring Training. Woo hoo!

For now, however, it's time to have a parade! Go Big Blue!

Posted by chris at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

I don't #%^$*^@ believe it!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Postscript (7:17 a.m., February 04, 2008): Ok, now I'm a little calmer. :) But the Giants achieved one of the greatest upsets in NFL Super Bowl history, stunning the Perfect Patriots, who were vying for a 19-0 season, beating them with 35 seconds left on the clock, 17-14. As New Yorkers chanted "18 and 1"... the Giants won the game, led by Most Valuable Player, Quarterback Eli Manning (who follows his MVP brother Peyton, who took the Colts to a Super Bowl victory last year).

Congratulations to Big Blue!!!

Posted by chris at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

Song of the Day: Blue Bossa is a jazz standard composed by jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham. It's a lilting bossa nova that has been recorded by many artists, including jazz greats Joe Pass and J. J. Johnson, super pianist McCoy Tyner, and Kenny Dorham himself (audio clips at those links). And watch a YouTube video performance by Zack Kim. Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm cheering on Big Blue: Go Giants!

Posted by chris at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

Okay, okay, so they play in Joisey. But they still wear that NY on their helmuts, and the New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl. WTF!?! I can't believe it that Little Manning is taking his team to Arizona.

Wow.

To face those unbeaten New England Patriots. Ugh.

Well, for the second year in a row, a Manning makes the Super Bowl, and Eli tries to follow his brother Peyton to victory. Well, at least the temperatures will be higher than the ones the Giants had to deal with in Lambeau Field, against the Green Bay Packers. A nice 23-20 sudden death overtime victory for Big Blue. Congratulations!

Posted by chris at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

Many Yankee fans thought for sure that beloved Don Mattingly would become the new manager of the New York Yankees. It turns out that Donnie Baseball is not to be in the Bronx, and former Yankees catcher Joe Girardi (who was also a former NL Manager of the Year, when he managed the Florida Marlins in 2006) is slated to be the new manager in the post-Torre era.

Word has it that the "front office" guys didn't want another manager like Joe Torre, with a quieter disposition, which rules out Mattingly. In his previous stint with the Marlins, Girardi showed a bit of 'kick-ass,' but that 'kick ass' quality got him into a bit of trouble with the owners. Hmmm... not sure if that is a good thing with the Steinbrenner family, but I'm already looking forward to Spring Training.

Meanwhile, Joe Torre might be going to the west coast to manage the LA Dodgers... and Mattingly might join him as hitting coach.

Posted by chris at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Sports

Congratulations to Red Sox Nation for their second World Series championship in the new century. Looks like the beginning of the last century ...

Perhaps the Bosox will try to deal a death blow to their hated rivals, the New York Yankees, by making Alex Rodriguez an offer he can't refuse. Apparently, nearly a quarter of a billion dollars wasn't enough to keep A-Rod in the Bronx ... so a Big Bronx Cheer to this talented free agent and probable 2007 MVP.

Don't let the clubhouse door hit you on the way out.

Posted by chris at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Posted to Sports

Changes happening... some permanent... let me note a few:

o Deborah Kerr, whom I loved in such movies as "The King and I," "An Affair to Remember," and "Quo Vadis," passed away on Tuesday, October 16, 2007.

o Joey Bishop, whose humor made me chuckle in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2007; he was the last surviving member of Hollywood's famed "Rat Pack."

o Laissez Faire Books is closing its doors after 36 years in business. I will always be enormously thankful to LFB for carrying my various books and monographs through the years. My very best wishes to everybody connected to LFB for providing liberty lovers with one of the most important sources of libertarian literature in the world.

o And, finally, I note the passing of the Joe Torre Era of Yankees Baseball. I still think that the Yankees greatest weakness is their starting pitching (and their long relief), not their manager. It's the pitching (or lack thereof) that has led to early exits from the postseason for several years running now. The organization is going a long way toward correcting its pitching weakness by re-investing in a long-depleted farm system. The rebuilding may take a few years, but I'm confident it will be for the best. Losing Manager Joe Torre, however, is not for the best, and I will miss his steady hand and stabilizing influence. Thanks, Joe, for a great run!

Posted by chris at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Blog / Personal Business | Film / TV / Theater Review | Politics (Theory, History, Now) | Remembrance | Sports

Holy Cow, indeed! After a miserable start to the season, the Yanks came roaring back and have clinched the Wild Card in the American League. Post-season starts next week! Stay tuned!

Posted by chris at 06:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | Posted to Sports

Over the past two days, two of the most memorable personalities of my youth passed away. Yesterday, I found out about the passing of Merv Griffin, who is known best today as the producer of long-running game shows, such as Wheel of Fortune and, my favorite, Jeopardy. But my fondest memory of the affable Griffin is as the syndicated television talk show host who always gave us great entertainment, like that night back in the late 1970s when Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme scatted their way through "Lady Be Good" and other jazz standards.

This afternoon, I heard about the loss of the great Hall of Fame Yankee shortstop, Phil Rizzuto. I wasn't around when Rizzuto played shortstop for the Yankees, but his voice was a staple on radio and television for those of us who followed the Yankees from the 1960s through the 1990s. Nothing was more hilarious than listening to his color commentary during a game. His classic stories, his shout-out "happy birthday" wishes to various fans, his love of the cannoli provided us with a diet of gut-busting riotous moments on any given summer night (check out the book, O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto, for some of Rizzuto's 'poetry').

I'll miss Merv and the Scooter. Rest in peace.

Posted by chris at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Film / TV / Theater Review | Remembrance | Sports

Congratulations to "Rags to Riches" ... first Filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years!

Posted by chris at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Posted to Sports

Spring Training is here, and that means that as the Yankees take Legends Field in Florida, Soap Opera takes Center Stage!

The media has been all over the changing relationship between Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter. A couple of days ago, A-Rod told reporters:

"Let's make a contract. . . . You don’t ask about Derek anymore, and I promise I’ll stop lying to you. Rodriguez went on to admit that he and Jeter were not the buddies they once were, while stressing that they function well as teammates. "We were best of friends about 10, 13 or 14 years ago, and we still get along well," Rodriguez said. "We have a good working relationship. I cheer very hard for him, and he cheers hard for me, and, more importantly, we’re both trying to win a world championship. We’ll leave it right there. . . . People are just assuming that things are a lot worse than what they are," Rodriguez said. "They’re not. But obviously, it's not as good as it used to be, when we were blood brothers. . . . You go from sleeping over at somebody's house five days a week and now you don't sleep over," Rodriguez said. "It's not that big of a deal."

Well, uh, A-Rod also got, uh, married. That could have helped to change his, uh, sleeping habits, no?

Oy vey. I could run with this one. (Biting tongue... trying hard not to say anything outrageous...)

So, Captain Jeter responded the day after:

"On the field and in the clubhouse, our relationship is fine," Jeter said before the workout. "Away from the field, people want to keep tabs on how many times we go out to eat. That has no bearing on what we're trying to do on the field. . . . I don't have a rift with Alex," Jeter said. "We go out there, we work together. This is our fourth year together. It's annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is. They see us on the field. If one person gives another one a look, it's a story. If we're at opposite ends of the bench, people say it's a story." Jeter, whose romantic life has turned up in the pages of gossip magazines, values his privacy. He said he considers his friendship with Rodriguez a private matter. "I understand my job is public," Jeter said. "But your private life is your private life. Once you open that door, it never stops. I don't feel it's necessary to talk about things that don't have to do with baseball. It doesn't have an impact on anything."

Asked to characterize his relationship with A-Rod, Jeter said further:

"How would I characterize it? I would characterize it as it doesn't make a difference," Jeter said. "I have a lot of relationships that have changed over 10 years. What we do away from the field, how much time we spend together, it makes no difference."

So, there you have it! Spring is in the air! Pretty soon we'll all be talking about the game, I hope!

Posted by chris at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Posted to Sports

Song of the Day: If You Go Away, words and music by Jacques Brel (English translation by Rod McKuen), speaks of a "summer day" ... which is precisely what I'd like right now. There's not too much to complain about this winter in New York City, as it has been milder than usual. However, we are expecting a bit of snow, ice, and rain tonight. Ugh. But hey, only 14 days till pitchers and catchers report to the Yankee Spring Training Camp! In any event, this is a terrific song that has been recorded by artists such as Damita Jo, Frank Sinatra, and Dusty Springfield (audio clips at those links). I first heard this song when my sister-in-law, Joanne Barry, performed it at Gil Hodges' Grand Slam Cocktail Lounge.

Posted by chris at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | Posted to Music | Sports

Readers of Notablog know that I'm a huge New York Yankees fan and a big Derek Jeter fan, and let me just say that, with regard to yesterday's balloting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award, in which Jeter came in second, I'd like to give the Baseball Writers a BIG BRONX CHEER!

This year, Jeter won the Hank Aaron Award, the Silver Slugger Award, and the Gold Glove. And yet, it was Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins who took home MVP honors.

Now, I am not saying that Morneau isn't a fine player; but I don't see how anybody votes for Morneau as the MVP when the Twins line-up also includes the terrifically talented 2006 AL batting champion Joe Mauer.

In a season during which so many Yankee players were injured (e.g., Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui) or relatively ineffective (e.g., Alex Rodriguez), Jeter remained Mr. Consistency: one of baseball's fiercest clutch hitters, who hit .381 with runners in scoring position. Take Jeter out of that Yankee line-up and I don't believe the team makes the playoffs. He was that valuable to their success this year.

While Mike Lupica of the NY Daily News thinks the vote was "most logical," I tell ya, Jeter Wuz Robbed!.

Wait 'til next year!

Update: I have already been questioned by a few people with regard to the comparative statistics for Morneau and Jeter. Okay, okay, let's talk numbers:

Morneau beats Jeter in only three categories: RBIs (Morneau has 130 to Jeter's 97); Home Runs (Morneau has 34 to Jeter's 14), and the batting average with runners-in-scoring-position stat (Morneau .375 to Jeter's .343).

So let's talk about every other category: Jeter beats Morneau in runs scored (118 to 97); hits (214 to 190); doubles (39 to 37); triples (3 to 1); walks (69 to 53); steals (34 to 3); batting average (.343 to .321); on-base percentage (.417 to .375); runners-in-scoring-position with two outs (.369 to .303) and batting average "close and late" (.325 to .299).

And, again, Jeter did it in a line-up that was struck by injuries to key offensive players (Sheffield, Matsui, Cano, and others for limited times) and awful inconsistency from regular players, like A-Rod. His fielding was also consistent, earning him a Gold Glove, and he brings to the table all the "intangibles" that make him one of the greatest Yankees of his generation.

'Nuff said.

Posted by chris at 05:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Sports

There's a long, long way to go, but yesterday the postseason started off with a bang for Yankee fans. The Yanks took the opener of their division series against the Detroit Tigers, 8-4. MVP candidate Derek Jeter was terrific, going 5 for 5, with a solo homer, and some sparkling defensive plays as well. Whatever path these Yankees take this October, I still marvel at the record-setting production of this great Yankee ballplayer.

Go Jeter. Go Yanks.

Posted by chris at 06:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | Posted to Sports

The Mets have won the National League East for the first time in 18 years. And the Yanks have taken the American League East for the ninth straight year. (And after a 25-game hitting streak, Captain Clutch is an MVP candidate as well!) There is melodrama, for sure, but one thing is clear: New York, New York is a baseball town, heading for what many of us hope will be a memorable October.

And the fans agree: The Yanks and Mets will both set attendance records this year.

Pass the Cracker Jacks.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 06:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | Posted to Sports

Okay. Please put your rationality to the side. We're talking baseball fanaticism here. And the utility of good luck charms. And the disutility of curses!

Last summer, I expressed jitters with regard to the newly proposed Yankee Stadium, which will sit across the street from the current Cathedral of Baseball. On Wednesday, August 16th, the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new stadium was held. The stadium is scheduled to make its public debut on Opening Day, 2009.

Well, I still got them jitters. It's just not going to be the same. That's not the field on which Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle played. Despite its "retro" look, the "mystique" of the new venue is just not going to be the same. Call me a mysitc! I don't care!

Some friends remind me that Madison Square Garden wasn't always in its current place and that things change all the time. Puhlease. Don't even compare the two. And right now, nobody would flip out if the Knicks found a new home or even ... a new team!

Anyway, Boss George Steinbrenner has been itching for this stadium for a couple of decades. And everybody is happy that he's staying in Da Bronx (though, rightfully, not so happy that so many tax dollars are going for "infrastructure" development), rather than moving the team to New Jersey. (Yeah, the Joisey Yanks... like THAT would ever fly!)

It was, of course, careful planning that led to the selection of August 16th as the date of the groundbreaking. That was the date, in 1921, that the groundbreaking for the original Yankee Stadium took place. And that was the date, in 1948, that Babe Ruth passed away.

And it might yet be the day that Babe Ruth rolled over in his grave. Indeed, Yankee fan that I am, I do hope the Yanks continue their winning ways, or people will be talking about the Curse of the Bambino again... only this time, it will be one that infects the Yankees, rather than that team from Boston.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | Posted to Sports

Tom Stone continues to post draft chapters on his all-time baseball teams. Yesterday, he posted on his selections for the Yankees All-Time Team, and I largely agree with all his choices.

If Alex Rodriguez ever comes into his own at third base, he might give players like Graig Nettles a run for the money, but Lord... the jury is still out. (I used to have debates all the time with a friend, who used to be a fan of Clete Boyer, and who insisted Boyer was better than Nettles. But I keep thinking of Nettles flying through the air and that's enough for me.)

My only possible divergence from Tom is in terms of the Extra Spot on the roster. I know Dave Winfield had good numbers, but I can't shake that impression of him as "Mr. May"... whereas when a guy like Thurmon Munson was in the World Series, he was a real clutch hitter.

In any event, it's a very enjoyable discussion for Yankee fans... check it out!

Posted by chris at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Sports

Notablog readers don't need to be reminded that Derek Jeter is one of my favorite Yankees of all time.

Well, the Yanks are currently losing to the Kansas City Royals, 7-5; the game is in rain delay. But this much is official: Derek Jeter started the evening with 1,999 career hits, and he collected two more, putting his total at 2,001. That makes Jeter only the eighth Yankee in the team's illustrious history to collect 2000 or more hits.

Congratulations to the Yankee Captain!

And Go Yanks!

Update: Uh, yeah, the Yanks did end up losing that game, 7-6.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | Posted to Sports

Today, I publish a Notablog exclusive: An interview of me conducted by Jason Dixon. The interview was conducted in late 2005-early 2006, but is finally seeing the light of day here at Notablog.

Check it out:

An Interview Conducted by Jason Dixon

Comments welcome. Also noted at L&P.

Posted by chris at 07:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | Posted to Austrian Economics | Blog / Personal Business | Culture | Dialectics | Film / TV / Theater Review | Foreign Policy | Music | Politics (Theory, History, Now) | Rand Studies | Remembrance | Sexuality | Sports

Yesterday, the Yanks took the ninth consecutive Opening Day in Da Bronx. And they did it with "Captain Clout."

Go Yanks!

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | Posted to Sports

The New York Mets won their opener, 3-2, hosting the biggest Opening Day sellout crowd in their history at Shea Stadium, with 3B David Wright hitting an opposite field home run.

And then, last night, the New York Yankees rocked pitcher Barry Zito and the Oakland As with a 15-2 opening day victory. A-Rod had a grand slam home run, Johnny Damon went 3 for 7 in his Yankee debut, Hideki Matsui tacked on a HR too, and The Captain had 2 RBIs, 2 hits, and scored 2 runs.

That's not all the news: I caught a few moments of the San Diego Padres-San Francisco Giants game on ESPN as well. Former Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in his first at-bat as a Padres player; he led his team to a 6-1 victory over the Giants. Barry Bonds, under suspicion of rampant steroid use over the last few years, was greeted with quite a few boos; at one point a fan threw a syringe in his direction. Bonds should expect that and more in the coming weeks, as he moves toward eclipsing Babe Ruth's and Hank Aaron's career home run stats.

One game down, 161 games to go.

Oh, and that reminds me: Check out fellow blogger Tom Stone's post on his baseball book project here. I have had some really good baseball chats with Tom, who runs Episteme Links. His Philosopher Stone blog started up last month.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | Posted to Sports

The World Champion Chicago White Sox opened the 2006 baseball season with a win last night.

Today, weather permitting, the New York Mets open their season at Shea Stadium, and the Yankees open their season on the road, in Oakland.

I'm still busy with journal editing, but you can rest assured I'll be watching the Yanks, starting 10 p.m. tonight.

GO YANKS!

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | Posted to Sports

Congrats to Apolo Anton Ohno on winning the Gold Medal in the thrilling 500-meter short-track speedskating race last night.

Tonight, the Closing Ceremonies of the XX Winter Olympics.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | Posted to Sports

Readers may have noticed that I'm doing a lot of singing and music-listening on the blog over the past couple of weeks. I just haven't had as much time to blog, even though there have been quite a few issues I'd like to write about. The upcoming Journal of Ayn Rand Studies Spring issue has been taking up a lot of my time during the day, and will continue to occupy me through the month of March. In the evening, I've been catching up on my reading, and enjoying the XX Winter Olympics (which has compelled me to tape a few of the TV series I watch on a regular basis ... so I'm behind on a number of programs...).

I have really enjoyed the skiing and the aerials, ice hockey, speed skating, snowboarding, and figure skating too (though I was rather disappointed that Sasha Cohen failed to get the gold). Last night, the figure skaters treated us to the Exhibition Gala; I have to say that I was most impressed with, and moved by, the interpretive piece performed by Johnny Weir to Frank Sinatra's rendition of "My Way." If ever there were a song perfect for a specific figure skater, this was it. Too much grace is sacrificed during the competitions in the quest to achieve technical points. Weir was among those who reminded us of just how graceful and beautiful this sport can be.

I'll have some things to say about current events in the coming days and weeks.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | Posted to Blog / Personal Business | Rand Studies | Sports

With a dismal forecast by the Groundhog, and the biggest snowfall in New York City history, with temperatures entering the 60s today, and dropping back down to the 20s tonight, we're not quite sure what season it is. But yesterday, pitchers and catchers reported to Yankees Spring Training Camp. And that's good enough for me on my birthday (which is today!).

Welcome back, Yanks! Only 13 days, 3 hours, and 45 minutes to the first Spring Training Exhibition Game!

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | Posted to Blog / Personal Business | Sports

Song of the Day: Nessun Dorma, an aria composed by Giacomo Puccini, with librettists Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, for the opera, "Turandot," has been sung by many great tenors. Listen to an audio clip from Luciano Pavarotti, who performed the piece for the XX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Posted by chris at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

Song of the Day: Spank, words and music by Ronald L. Smith, was recorded by Jimmy "Bo" Horne. It was one of a multitude of classic dance tracks mixed to perfection during the XX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Torino, Italy last night. Leave it to my Italian paisans to stage a "Parade of Nations" as if it were one huge disco party. And many of the featured songs can be found on my list of favorites, including today's pick, a huge dance hit from 1979. Listen to audio clips of the irresistible original version and a remixed version as well.

Posted by chris at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

Song of the Day: All Blues, composed by Miles Davis, is from one of my favorite jazz albums of all time: "Kind of Blue." After "Blue Suede Shoes" and a Big Blue loss, I'll be in Blue for a few days. This classic features such players as Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, and the great Bill Evans, who contributed much to the modal approach to jazz featured on this recording. Listen to audio clips here and here.

Posted by chris at 07:08 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

I am only a casual football fan; my passion remains baseball, and I'm counting the days to February 14, 2006. Yes, it's Valentine's Day. But it's also when pitchers and catchers report to Yankee Spring Training Camp.

As football goes, I grew up when the Giants and the Jets actually played in New York City. They were (and still are) called the New York Giants and the New York Jets... and yet, they play in New Jersey, and are on the verge of creating a new sports complex in the Garden State, where they will both continue to play.

But I still find myself rooting for Big Blue and Gang Green. I know that's sacrilegious; you're supposed to be a fan of one or the other. Like I said: I'm a casual fan.

In any event, my hopes for the Jets were dashed when poor Chad Pennington had another season-ending injury in 2005. But I still do like the future prospects for young Eli Manning (who just turned 25), Quarterback for the Giants, and I'm hoping for a Giant Sunday as the NFC East Division champs begin their playoff quest.

Go Giants!

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | Posted to Sports

The whole freaking world is falling apart, I know. The Iraqi elections have emboldened a religious element with ties to Iran. Iran has a President who spouts anti-Semitic garbage, boasts about nuclear ambitions, and bans Western music. The Transit Worker's Union has staged a damn strike as buses and subways ground to a halt in New York City. I'm having to get up at 4 a.m. just to help my sister get off to work. At least the courts struck down that Intelligent Design nonsense in Pennsylvania.

But if you were expecting predictable commentary about all the above, fuhgedaboudit.

All that matters to me this morning is that the New York Yankees have Followed Their Damon.

He's not the best fielding center fielder, but he is Johnny Damon, and this signing of the now-former Boston Red Sox leadoff hitter must surely be creating havoc in Beantown, among those who see the Yanks as the Evil Empire.

Poor Johnny is going to have to go for a haircut and trim his beard; for Yankee fans, however, let's just hope this trimming doesn't trim his stats, Samson-like.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 07:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Culture | Foreign Policy | Sports

Song of the Day: Vogue features the words and music of the remixer and producer Shep Pettibone and pop icon Madonna, who recorded the song. This dance track, bathed in a pop-house beat, captures the once-underground phenomenon of "voguing." In her "rap," Madonna mentions many great stars who "strike a pose ... on the cover of a magazine," including the Yankee Clipper, [Joe] DiMaggio, who was born on this day in 1914. Listen to audio clips of several versions of this song here.

Posted by chris at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

Alex Rodriguez, third baseman for the NY Yankees, edged out Bosox DH David Ortiz to become the 2005 MVP of the American League. Read all about it here.

As I expressed here, I'm somewhat ambivalent about A-Rod's MVP. He had the stats ... but he still has something to prove to me in the postseason. Granted, the MVP award is not about the postseason. But something is missing.

In any event, I don't want to be a killjoy... so congrats, A-Rod. Next year, I'd like to see you put a World Series Ring on your finger too.

Update: Check out Mike Lupica and Sam Borden on all this in the New York Daily News.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

Notablog readers know that Ron Guidry is one of my favorite Yankees of all-time (see here, for example).

I was really sorry to see pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre leave the Bronx, but good news for the Yanks: Guidry has taken the position of Yankee pitching coach. Read all about it here. Of course, it would be really nice if Gator actually has healthy pitchers to coach.

Anyway, congrats to Louisiana Lightning!

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Posted to Sports

Well, it's little consolation for being knocked out of the postseason so quickly, but... the first of the postseason honors are coming in, and my favorite Yankee, shortstop and Captain of the team, Derek Jeter got his second straight Gold Glove today.

Go Derek!

Now I'm waiting for the announcements for MVP (A-Rod is in contention) and Rookie of the Year (Robinson Cano is in contention). We'll see...

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Sports

Song of the Day (b): Chicago (That Toddlin' Town) features the words and music of Fred Fischer, a popular Tin Pan Alley composer. It's my musical tribute to the Chicago White Sox for winning their first World Series Championship since 1917. They swept the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros, and took 11 out of 12 in the postseason. Shoeless Joe? Dirty Black Sox? After the Red Sox, there are no more curses in baseball. Maybe the Chicago Cubs are next! Or maybe these triumphs are only possible for teams named after different kinds of, uh, socks. Either way, listen here to an audio clip of Frank Sinatra singing this timeless tune.

Posted by chris at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Posted to Music | Sports

Yeah, yeah, I'm disappointed in the Yankees' loss last night to the Angels. The "Waitil Next Year!" refrain is starting to make me sound like an old Brooklyn Dodgers' fan.

I could go on and on about why I think the Yankees are coming up short. It's just that I've said it all before, back in the 1980s. And it does feel like the 1980s all over again.

Boss George Steinbrenner should start thinking about what it was that got the Yankees back to their winning ways in the late '90s. He spent a lot of time getting away from his "gotta-win-now" philosophy in the '80s when he turned toward his farm system and nourished the talents of a Derek Jeter, a Jorge Posada, an Andy Pettitte, a Bernie Williams, a Mo Rivera. That core team, peppered with fine acquisitions through trades and free agency, gave New York a great run after a long drought.

Since 2000, Steinbrenner has gone back to the '80s; he has spent too much time spending too much money on A-list All-Stars, some of whom have yet to prove that they can really make it in the postseason. I still get the feeling that it's not a team, not the kind of team that brought New York four World Series Championships in five years from 1996 to 2000.

In any event, baseball fan that I am, I will be watching the playoffs and the World Series. I'm hoping that the Rings go to yet another team named after an important piece of footwear. Like the 2004 World Series Champion Red Sox who hadn't won a title since 1918, the Chicago White Sox are long overdue for one (since they've not won a Championship since 1917).

If these Sox make it to the finish line, can the Chicago Cubs be far behind?

In any event, if the White Sox make it, at least I'll have a few former Yankee pitchers (Contreras and El Duque) to cheer in the Series. And if the Astros beat the Cardinals in the National League to face the White Sox in the Series, it'll be like a New York Yankees' pitchers' reunion, with Clemens and Pettitte on the mound for Houston.

The Yankees could have used some of those former pinstripers this year.

Comments welcome.

Posted by chris at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Sports

The 2005 baseball postseason is set: Of most interest to this New York fan, the Yankees are headed out West to play the Angels. (If the rumors are true, some NY baseball greats might be joining the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim next season; if true, I tip my baseball cap to the Mets' Mike Piazza, All-Star catcher.)

In the meanwhile, it is very difficult to predict what will happen in a short series. With