WHY THE YANKEES WILL BRING MOMENTUM TO BOSTON

(Photo: Getty)

It started out hard in Baltimore. The New York Yankees were never supposed to lose any games in Camden yards. After all, the Orioles are in last place and the ultimate goal is not only beating them, but also beating Buck Showalter. Read WHY BUCK FALLS SHORT if you haven't already.



The point is, the Yankees are a great ball club and the Orioles, while they have talent, were put on a false pedestal by a manager that has never won a championship, but instead, only came close. Flapping lip about the Yankees captain was a "No no" and he should never forget the mistake he made.

Freddy Garcia was great tonight, using 6 different kinds of pitches in his performance tonight. Wow. How does he do it? He's reinvented himself and Lord knows he's sticking around. He pitched 6 innings, gave up 2 hits and 1 run and had 4 strikeouts. Love it.

The offense was simple, Mark Teixeria doubled in Granderson to start off the runs in the game. Then, the dude who's been hot in this series...Nick Swisher. Damn, he's the man. Nick homered in 2 tonight. That's the Yankees 3.



Rafael Soriano looked great in the 7th and a very impressive strikeout to get out of the inning. David Robertson gave up a homer to JJ Hardy but while that was rare, it was 1 mistake and DRob got out of the 8th. That's the first home run he's given up in over a year. Amazing stat.



Overall, the Yankees gave up 2 runs to the Orioles, and yes, the O's were threatening, but the Orioles don't have what the Yankees have... Mariano Rivera.(Photo: Getty)

Mariano Rivera came in a closed the door on the Orioles and looked amazing. Look, if there is one thing you need to know, it's this; Rivera is the greatest closer ever in the history of closers. He's just incredible and I'm in awe every single time he's out there. Tonight was no different.

Read WHY MARIANO RIVERA DESERVES AN HBO DOC. he does, bottom line.



Final Score: Yankees 3 - Orioles 2.



Off to Boston where the Yankees have to take a stand... a stand for first place. Momentum brings confidence...here we go!



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WHY BUCK FALLS SHORT

Buck Showalter. You know the name because you have either admired him in the past or because you remember him bashing Derek Jeter and the Yankees at the beginning of the season. Read it HERE. That was a confident Buck, a different Buck….a winning Buck. Once upon a time, Buck Showalter turned overlooked teams into postseason contenders in a short amount of time, but is this fairytale over? Buck is credited with being a strategic manager who often outsmarts other teams, but what has he done that made him so appealing to the Orioles?

After joining the Yankee coaching staff in 1990, Buck was named manager two years later. By 1994 the Yankees finished first in the American League East despite a short season thanks to the players strike. In 1995 the Yankees finally make the playoffs as the Wild card, which was their first appearance since 1981. Buck left the Yankees in 1996 when they coincidentally won the World Series and repeated their victory in four of the next five seasons.Right after Buck left the Yankees, he was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1996 in preparation for when the team would actually compete in 1998. Buck’s first year in Arizona was disappointing as the team finished 65-97, but his off-season acquisitions of Randy Johnson, Todd Stottlemyre and Steve Finley helped the team win the National League West division title in 1999. After ending his second season on a high note, the 2000 season was disappointing and resulted in the Diamondbacks firing Buck. Once again, the Diamondbacks would go on to win the 2001 World Series, one year after being let go.

Clearly, Buck has been instrumental in forming winning teams even though he has not been around to reap the rewards. It is not surprising why the Orioles offered him the job after firing Dave Trembly last year. The Orioles have since reloaded their team to make them more competitive but what has he done since? If you look at the stats, he hasn’t done anything. Last year at this time the Orioles record was 44-81 and this year they are 49-77. The year has not been the typical re-build for Buck that he is used to, after making a splash in the free-agent pool and building up a talented young pitching rotation, the team has still gone “bust.”



Justin Duchscherer: After being persued by several teams during the offseason (including the Yankees), he signed with Baltimore for a one year deal. Since then, he has spent the entire season on the disabled list with a strained left hip, and was released earlier this month.



Brian Matusz: Just one of the young pitchers with high expectations for the year, Matusz has had a rollercoaster of a year with a 1-6 record and an 8.92ERA.

Jeremy Guthrie: A 5-16 record with a 4.55 ERA. He has also been battling with shoulder problems.

Brad Bergesen: Was sent down for the 4th time in the past two years to work on his mechanics and durability.



Chris Tillman: Also sent down to the AAA affiliate after poor outings.

Pitching has been the major issue of the Orioles all season, and despite call-ups and demotions to the minor leagues the Orioles have not been able to solve their pitching problems.



The Orioles made noticeable improvements to their lineup in the off-season acquiring big names Mark Reynolds and Vladimir Guerrero. While Guerrero still has respectable numbers with a .276BA, his 44 RBI total is not what the Orioles expected. Mark Reynolds is still the same hitter from last year, with “all or nothing results” as he still holds a high strikeout rate (147 so far), and a low batting average (.219) but he is still hitting homeruns, he has hit 27 this season. In addition to a struggling pitching rotation, the Orioles also struggle with scoring runs and are ranked 18th in the league, which is also not a typical Buck Showalter stat.

Buck Showalter has had success in the American League, but this is the American League East, and it is a whole new ballgame. Is Buck a talented manager? Yes, but with numbers like these he won’t be able to compete with the big dogs, and he could find himself walking in Dave Trembly’s shoes. Where is all the trash talk now, Buck?

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer / Associate Editor







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WHY GARCIA PROVES TRADE DEADLINE DOESN'T MATTER

(Photo: Getty)
The Yankees won 3 of 4 against the Baltimore Orioles, but more importantly, they beat Buck. That makes me happy. Don't look now but Freddy Garcia is 10-7. 10 wins for a guy that was on the free agent junk heap last winter and nothing could make me happier for him; 6 innings pitched, he gave up 5 hits and 2 runs and he struck out 6 and walked 5.

In a week of wild trade rumors and possible Yankee moves, it's ironic that old man Freddy Garcia, whose starting job was in jeopardy if the Yankees got another starter at the deadline, blocked out all the talked and blabber and pitched his heart out. You proved your point Garcia, we appreciate you.(Photo:Getty)
The offense highlights today were simple, Brett Gardner had a triple in the 4th inning and cleared the bases. Then Curtis Granderson knocked him home with a groundout RBI. That was it, wonderful job considering the Orioles scored one in the 3rd and one in the 6th.

The best part for me is Buck Showalter may be a well respected man and manager, but the bottom line is, you don't talk trash about our captain to try and motivate your O's team and expect to not get the crap kicked out of you. Just to recap, remember when Showalter took a shot at Jeet and said this in an interview?

"The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout. Our guys are thinking, 'Wow, he's screaming at Derek Jeter.' Well, he's always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets -- and yes, he [ticks] me off."

That worked for your team's motivation, right Buck? Blah. (Photo: New York Times)
Yes, it's true, in the back of my mind I thought about that quote when Jeter got hit in the middle finger today and was pulled from the game. X-Rays were negative, thank god. He's day to day, but seriously, it all came back to that childish quote.

Final Score: Yankees 4 - Orioles 2.

Next up, the Chicago White Sox... Let's Go Yankees.

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WHY BUCK NEEDS TO SHUT UP

Really Buck? This is how you feel you need to motivate your team? Taking shots at Derek Jeter? Derek Jeter, whom you helped groom for the big leagues way back when! Buck, SHAME ON YOU!

For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about need to just check out THIS and THIS.In a nutshell, Buck Showalter ripped into Derek Jeter for his exaggerated moves when pitches are just off the plate. He's quoted as saying:

"The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout. Our guys are thinking, 'Wow, he's screaming at Derek Jeter.' Well, he's always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets -- and yes, he [ticks] me off."

Whatever Buck, it's called baseball.

Look, I get it…showing your young team that no one is untouchable in baseball, even the great Derek Jeter. You're psyching them up. I see where you're going. It’s like the old line in Rocky IV when Apollo’s former manager screams at Rocky in the corner after cutting the invincible Drago: “See he’s not a machine!” But Buck, Jeter? You have to be kidding me?

Buck, I need to ask you this: What are you hoping this accomplishes? You are claiming Derek Jeter “jumps” back from pitches inside, so we are talking about the same Derek Jeter who probably gets hit in the hands by inside pitches more then any player and NEVER says a word? The man who just goes up to the plate and takes that same inside pitch next at bat and delivers it into right field? That Derek? OK Buck, now I need to ask, What the Buck?

So many players in baseball respect Derek Jeter, even your players. I actually think your strategy of going after Derek Jeter will backfire against you and your team. In case you haven’t noticed Buck, Jeter is not only an Ambassador to the great New York Yankees, but an Ambassador to all of Major League Baseball. Didn't a report come out this week basically saying the world still buys Derek Jeter Jerseys more than any other athlete? Read it HERE. The man has done nothing to you and you go after him? I'm not getting this.

All you've done is motivated Jeter and the Yankees even more and you've made your team look like a bunch of fools. Major League Baseball and fans around the country have been laughing at the Orioles for over a decade now and I think those laughs are only going to get more contagious by this Men's Journal piece.

Well done Buck, well done!

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer



By the way Check out the latest comedy from Bronx Goblin HERE and HERE.

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