THE ART OF ART DITMAR

Speaking to my friend David about Art Ditmar, you'd think he was the shining light and driving force behind the New York Yankees in the late 50's, early 60's. He wasn't, but he was a pretty good pitcher with a couple tough breaks while on the Bombers. The first break was being overshadowed by an already talented rotations during his years in pinstripes. The second was losing 2 World Series starts in terrible fashion, yet, Art Ditmar did what every great New York Yankee does in their career; He tried to compete and tried to win, every time. That's all you could ask for and that's why David loved Art Ditmar so much.

Art Ditmar was a right handed pitcher and quite good, for a short amount of time. More importantly, he was quite consistent which makes for a heck of a pitcher, especially when you are in a rotation that consisted of greats like Whitey Ford, Don Larsen, Bob Turley, Ralph Terry and Bobby Shantz. Yes, Art Ditmar was in rotations with those guys and because of it, he didn’t get to pitch a lot during his stay in New York. He did however get 15 wins, a career high for him back in 1960.

(In Photo: Ditmar, left, Casey Stengel, Bobby Shantz, right)

Ditmar had 3 pitches, his fastball, slider and curveball. His fastball was by far the best of the 3 pitches. During his span with the Yanks, Ditmar won 47 games. Those years were from 1957 to 1961. During that 5 year span, Ditmar was apart of 1 World Championship team, and that happened in 1958 against the Milwaukee Braves. As far as American League pennants are concerned, the Yankees won in 1957, 1958, 1960. In the 1960 World Series though, Art Ditmar started and lost both Game 1 and Game 5 for the Yankees. Those 2 games he put an absolutely horrible display only pitching 1/3 of an inning in Game 1 and 1 1/3 in Game 5. Horrendous doesn’t even begin to describe it. The story goes like this, Casey Stengel wanted Ditmar to start Game 1 instead of Whitey Ford because he thought Whitey would be a better matchup in Yankee Stadium. Read it HERE. We all know what happened, the Yankees lost that World Series to the Pirates 4 games to 3.

Ditmar played 9 years in the Major leagues. During that time, he first played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954 and compiled an American League record high 22 losses. After that season, he went to the Yankees and then to the Athletics again, this time to the Kansas City Athletics from 1961 and 1962. His career numbers are 72-77 with a 3.98 ERA and 552 strikeouts.

The most interesting tid-bit I found out about Art Ditmar is something that really isn't about Ditmar at all. It's about Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. Back in 1954, Art was with Philadelphia Athletics and he defeated the Yankees 8-6 in the last game at Shibe Park in Philly. This was before the team moved to Kansas City. the nugget comes here; In that game, Yogi Berra played his first and only game at third base and Mickey Mantle played shortstop for the Yankees. That's right...Mickey Mantle.

So, while Art Ditmar doesn't have an outstanding career in pinstripes, he sure has a unique one. And while there are thousands of Yankees players over the years, everyone has a favorite or one they loved to watch play. I guess that one for David, was Art Ditmar... and that's alright by me.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY TIME IS TICKING FOR JORGE

The DH job was Jorge Posada’s if he wanted it. I remember when it went down. It was the winter and we all had a whiff that Posada’s days as the Yankees catcher were over. Russell Martin was signed and the rise of Jesus was coming. There was no other place for Jorge Posada but the Designated Hitter role and when Laura Posada tweeted it, it was all but confirmed.

Now, on June 2^nd, everyone is questioning if even that role is where Jorge should be. Joe Girardi tries to fool the media all day long. The latest is his quote about Jorge hitting against lefties where he said the following:

“ It’s not that I’m going to completely take Jorgie away from every at bat against left handers. I can’t say that I won’t, but I can’t say I necessarily will.”

Translation.

“Out of respect for Jorge, I’m not giving you an answer, but there’s no way in hell I’m putting him in.”

Let’s face it, Jorge Posada has not faced a lefty since May 7^th when the Yankees faced Texas and Derek Holland. I’d say Joe Girardi knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s not going to put Posada in against lefties…that’s it.

I disagree with this Joe and I’ll tell you why. I say you need to put Jorge in against lefties and the reason is simple…closure. Look, Jorge Posada is on the decline, no question, but like I’ve written so often, confidence is key in baseball and wouldn’t you rather work out all the kinks and scenerios with Jorge now and know what you have exhausted them all by the All-Star break? I say bat Jorge against lefties and righties, keep him in there for 5 or 10 games, get him into a rhytmn and then look at that small batch sample and make a determination after that. You can’t keep putting him in and then pulling him out and kill the dude’s rhythm. That goes back to those dark days of Posada-gate. The poor guy was fed up. I was fed up. We were seeing this champion dying in front of our eyes, and it was not right.

Look, my scenario will work, for many reasons, you give Posada a final full shot at DH before you make changes and in the meantime you can rest your outfielders, throwing Andruw Jones and Chris Dickerson in on occasion to give Swish, Grandy and Gardy a breather. This way Jones still gets at bats and keeps moving and Dickerson can dazzle them in the outfield.

And yes, there will be days that Alex and Derek will need a day off from the field and you want to put them in the DH spot, but I say run this test first, see what happens and if we’re going to give Alex a day off we just give him a full day off, not a DH day. You know what I mean?

Look, there’s no question, Jorgie’s in a bad place but only Jorgie can get out of it and if you don’t play him, we will watch this leader shrivel up. To me, it’s disrespectful, it’s unfortunate and it’s unfair. Girardi needs to stop analyzing the binder and start going with his gut. To me, sometimes managing that way gets positive results and keeps morale high in the clubhouse. High morale brings happiness and eventually hits and great plays. I believe that. Stop being a robot Joe, start thinking about what these guys mean to the Yankees, before it’s too late.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY CASHMAN'S ON THE PROWL

“I’m not getting calls. We have the farm system and money, but no calls.”

–Brian Cashman

Analyze that statement for a moment and tell me what you take away from it. I’ll tell you what I take away from it. The Yankees have money and the Yankees have a few youngsters we’re willing to unload, we just need to find the right guy to get by the trade deadline. That soundbite from Cashman was meant to be a negative to the press. It was meant to take us off the trail. "I'm not getting calls." We're the Yankees, we don't take calls, we make calls. Something's fishy. The reality is, you cannot sit back and think the Yankees won’t make any moves... trust me, they will.

You know how I feel about Brian Cashman, he’s a liar. He lies to us…and I like that about him. I would rather not know what he’s up to, I just want the surprised. Yes, It’s true, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but trust me, something is coming. What? Who knows, but anyone who tells you that Cash isn’t talking to the Mariners about King Felix doesn’t understand "the Game." No, I don't mean the rapper. I mean, "the Game" that Cashman plays brilliantly. It’s the game where Cashman says one thing but does the other. “Yes, I know I said (this player or that player) was untouchable" or "I know I said (this player or that player) was not available, but guess what, he is.” That’s "the Game" Cashman plays, and you know why? Because every player is available at a price. Every single one of them.

Now, I’m not going to suggest to you that without a doubt King Felix will be a New York Yankee by this trade deadline, I am not so sure he is. My point is, Cashman's talking to the Mariners and if it’s not this year, it may be next year. He’s on the prowl, whether it be Felix or someone else, trust me.

In the meantime, there are a few minor moves that have been made. The Yankees picked up a former Yankee you probably don’t even remember... and the last name is Texeira. Kanekoa Texeira was a Yankee but he was taken from us in the Rule 5 draft by the Mariners last year. When Seattle put him on waivers, the Royals picked him up. Then the Royals put him on waivers and we picked him up. Stats for Teixeira are like this: 4.66 ERA, 33K’s in 67 innings. Not great but the upside is he is a ground ball pitcher and a righty. We could use him. I’d love a lefty but you get what you can get. Plus, the Yankees will look him over and see if he’s worth keeping around.

(photo: AP)

The Yanks also released Brian Anderson, remember him? He was an outfielder on the White Sox that turned into a pitcher and the Yanks wanted to give him a look. That didn’t last long.

The Yankees also signed Randy Flores to a minor league deal. Flores was originally drafted by the Yankees and was traded to the Rangers in 2001. Last year he was part of the Twins organization.

So things are starting to perkulate Ladies and Gentlemen. Don’t be shocked when Cash makes a splash, groundwork is being laid, moves will be made. Hmmm... I’m a poet…I did not know it.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY I’LL NEVER FORGET KERRY WOOD

I had always been a Kerry Wood fan. Any pitcher that can fan 20 is a gamer in my book. To me, He and Mark Prior, while they were hammered with injury after injury were so money with the Cubs, when they were healthy. So while I was looking through my Bleeding Yankee Blue archives, I could help but stop and reminisce about the good times of Kerry Wood in the Yankees bullpen. It made me smile thinking about it.

I just remember that we wanted to see Wood in the game any chance we could. Not only was he dominant, he was healthy and off the field, his happiness flowed through the bullpen and clubhouse. I remember pitchers like Joba Chamberlain were in awe of him, complimenting him as getting all the bullpen pitchers into a rthyhm. Read that great piece HERE. It was a great marriage even though it was brief.

I remember when the Yankees picked him up at the deadline. It was he, Austin Kearns, and Lance Berkman. While Kearns fell out of favor for me with his terrible stint in the Bronx. Berkman too was larger than life for me and it’s always cool to see veterans that you like in baseball who have worn certain uniforms for so long, the Cubs (Wood) and the Astros (Berkman) to then suddenly see them in pinstripes. It basically means the Yankees think they were good enough to contribute in some way. Some players can’t hack it. Wood could and he did it with grace. Berkman handled it the best he could, I think he was dealing with the shock that Houston was willing to part with him and he was dealing with abandonment issues. Frankly, the reality is, he rose above it and did what he could to contribute. He’s over it now, not sure if you've checked in on Berkman but he's batting .336 right now and he’s kicking ass in St. Louis. I'd say, good for him.

But, back to Kerry Wood. He’s over in Chicago again, his home town and he’s happy and that’s all you ask for these guys. When they come over the the Bronx, some want to latch on, some need it as a stepping stone. The Yankees needed them for a championship. It didn’t happen, but it’s not the fault of Wood or Berkman, it’s just life in baseball.

So, if you get a chance,watch a Cubs game or a Cardinals game and check those guys out. They’ve moved on and they’re doing alright. The Yankees moved on too. I guess I haven’t. I guess I just miss those guys. I guess I just love baseball, that’s all.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE BROOMS ARE OUT IN YANKEELAND

After losing the first two games of the West Coast road trip in Seattle, things were a little down in the Yankee Universe. But, the Yanks have now won four straight and like Casey says, winning streaks are good. Thanks to some clutch hitting and strong starting pitching we are rolling. Both of those things happened today against the Oakland A's, as the Yankees completed their first three game sweep of the season.

The Yanks got off to another quick start on offense. A-Rod doubled home Derek Jeter with two outs to bring home the first run of the game in the first inning. Jeter, who got a hit in the first, is now 16 hits away from 3000. The rest of the offense came in the fourth inning off the bat of Nick Swisher. It was a Swishalicious three run shot deep into the left field seats.
(photo: Getty)
That proved to be enough offense for AJ Burnett. He had a rocky first by allowing a two run shot to Josh Willingham, but he coasted through the final six innings in his start to pick up his fifth victory. Joba came on in the eighth and pitched a clean frame. And the ageless wonder, Mariano Rivera, picked up his 14th save of the season.
(Photo: Getty)
After roughing up Trevor Cahill on Monday, and Brett Anderson on Tuesday, the Yankees handled yet another ace for Oakland in Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez gave up the big homer to Swish in the fourth, and allowed four earned in 6.1 innings. That is the fifth ace during this road trip that the Yankees have handled well.

Final Score: Yankees 4 - Athletics 2. It's good to finally get the first three game sweep of the season and it's hard to believe it's just the first sweep coming from a team who now has a two game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East, but we'll certainly take it. After an off day on Thursday, the Yanks will go to Anaheim to take on the Angels. LA has been a house of horrors the last few years as the Yanks have gone 7-21 there since 2004.

Ivan Nova (4-3, 4.67 ERA) will pitch for the Bombers who are going to face yet another ace on this trip in Jered Weaver (6-4, 2.10 ERA).



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY OVERRATED MEANS OVER JEALOUS

Today Sports Illustrated released the results of their poll where they asked 185 Major League players to answer this question: "Who is the most overrated player in baseball?"

Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of Sports Illustrated. Let me re-phrase that, I used to be, as a kid. Then I grew up and found their content to be borderline ESPNish when it comes to the New York Yankees. They take shots...a lot. Now, in fairness, they have written great pieces too and the piece on the Yankees Core Four was decent, only because it’s never been done before. That being said, why in the hell do they do polls about the players and why are the Yankees always at the top of the list of Hatesville. Look, we’ve been hearing this argument for years. Derek Jeter is Mr. Clean and not the greatest shortstop on the majors. He's overrated. How about Alex Rodriguez, huh? Alex was first on the list this year. People cry and say A-Rod is overrated and he just happens to be on the Yankees I guess. It’s funny, we never heard any of this when he was with the Texas Rangers. He comes to the New York Yankees and that next year, the bologna starts. We get it, Alex is the most hated Yankee ever. Guess what, to Yankee fans, he’s not. So, enough is enough.

Alex's numbers are great and while he doesn’t bat .350 each year, he’s a ballplayer, understand that. Averages go up and down. Home runs come or don’t, but Alex is not a machine, he’s human.

This year Joba Chamberlain and Derek Jeter were on the list as well. How convenient. For the record, Jonathan Papelbon was also on this list and to be totally honest with you, as much as I hate Jonathan Papelbon, he doesn’t belong on this list either. Did I mention that I hate Papelbon? I do, I really really do.

The point is, when it comes to the Yankees, we are the champion of champions. We're the Zeus of all Gods. The cherry on top of the ice cream... we rule. When we win, we win big. When we lose, we fall hard. That's the nature of it. Are you going to tell me that diving into the stands full speed during a Yankees-Red Sox rivalry game is overrated? How about just plain ballsy and gutsy? How about talented and full of pride? I know Jeet didn't dive this year, but that dive is the makeup of the player he is and always will be. No, I guess SI decided that they would trash New York once again and "poll" that Jeter is overrated. Ridiculous. Even Jeter said this today:

“We're doing this again? I've got no comment on their anonymous polls, So there you have it. Got it? All right.’’

The funniest part of this whole silly poll is Wallace Matthews who writes this in his headline mocking SI: "Grandy 'overrated'? Maybe next year". That's brilliant and it's true. The criteria for this stupid poll is simple...be a great ballplayer and be a New York Yankee and your on the list.

My opinion? This is all jealously, plain and simple. We are the champions of baseball over all. We have terrific ballplayers, and we are the New York Yankees. So yes, while Jeter was on the list, you know the best part of this? Payback. Look for this to fuel the Yankees fire.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE OFFENSE MACHINE KEEPS ROLLING

(photo: Getty)
Once again, the Yankee offense rolled over another good, if not great starting pitcher. This time, Oakland A's starter Brett Anderson was the victim of the Yankee machine. Anderson lasted 5.1 innings, allowing 10 runs, nine earned and ended up getting the loss.
(photo: AP)
The Yankees got contributions from mostly the top half of the lineup. The Captain, Derek Jeter got two hits, and is now 17 hits away from 3000. Curtis Granderson continued his dominance with three hits, including a two run bomb to set the tone in the first inning, and another two RBI single in the fourth--bringing his total to four RBI on the evening. A-Rod added three hits for the Yankee offensive machine, including three RBIs. Also, Robbie Cano hit a two run bomb off of Anderson. And heck, Mark Teixeira even stole home on a busted run down play in the sixth.
(photo: Getty)
The Yanks got another great start by Freddy Garcia. He gave up 11 base runners during his outing, but he gutted through seven innings of three run ball. This was Garcia's fourth win of the season and he's becoming more of a dependable starter after each passing start.

Final score: Yankees-10 A's-3. Another great win as the Yankees have won their third straight game, and improved their record to 30-23. On Thursday they'll be looking to sweep their first three game series of the season. A.J Burnett (5-3, 3.99 ERA) goes for the Yanks while they oppose another ace in Gio Gonzalez (5-2, 2.17 ERA).



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.