tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56616052009-02-20T19:41:11.849-05:00Debunking da Bombers since 2003Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1110455795627373292005-03-10T06:38:00.000-05:002005-03-10T06:56:35.630-05:00

A week or so ago I let you all know that I was going to be joining Alex Belth as the co-author of Bronx Banter. In the meantime, I've not had a lot to say in this space, partially because I was saving some ideas for the relaunch of Bronx Banter. Well, I'm very pleased to report that the new Bronx Banter (same as the old Bronx Banter, but Cliffier), is now live at an exciting new site called

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1109874625851805412005-03-03T13:23:00.000-05:002005-03-03T15:43:31.740-05:00

God Bless MLBTV. Top 1:Tanyon Sturtze, starting for Randy Johnson and his ouchy calf, takes the mound against this Pirate line-up:RF - Marcus LawtonSS - Freddy SanchezLF - Jason Bay1B - Daryle WardDH - Craig WilsonCF - Tike Redman3B - Ty Wigginton2B - Luis CastilloC - Benito SantiagoSturtze's first pitch is a fastball strike down the middle. He then retires Lawton on a nice play by Tony Womack,

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1109808709752574272005-03-02T18:55:00.000-05:002005-03-03T01:16:10.550-05:00

The Yankees kick off their spring training schedule today with the usual list of aches and pains. Jorge Posada has a stiff neck. Gary Sheffield is still nursing his surgically repaired shoulder (and poor grasp of contractual obligation). NRI backstop Joe DePastino has a sore back. And, in case you hadn't heard, Randy Johnson has a ouchy calf, the result of running without proper stretching

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1109102241016220892005-03-02T02:09:00.000-05:002005-03-03T13:31:33.486-05:00

Scroll down for recent posts.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1108971126028680832005-03-02T02:08:00.000-05:002005-03-03T13:32:00.086-05:00

My dear readers, I have some big news. Alex Belth has asked me to join forces with him over at Bronx Banter and I have agreed to do so. This does not necessarily mean the end of the BRB, but it does mean that the majority of my posts, and nearly all of my larger pieces of analysis, will be found on Bronx Banter starting now.I want to thank all of you for making this site a success over the past

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1109108596820167942005-02-22T16:17:00.000-05:002005-02-22T16:43:16.820-05:00

According to this report on the YES site, Jason Giambi walked the walk in his first batting practice session of the spring today, and the Tampa crowd supported him. Here's hoping this establishes a trend for 2005.In other news, Bernie Williams has a stomach virus (better that than appendicitis), Gary Sheffield will need to be carefully monitored so as not to do too much to soon with his

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1108708746984972302005-02-18T00:48:00.000-05:002005-02-18T02:39:10.740-05:00

I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since I started going through the Yankees non-roster invitees to spring training. I really do apologize for the lack of posts thus far in 2005. This is just my ninth post this year. That's one every 5 1/2 days, and that just won't do. Thankfully, spring training is under way and there should be plenty of reasons for me to write in the very near

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1108108037131768432005-02-11T02:11:00.000-05:002005-02-11T03:59:27.180-05:00

Jason Giambi finally met with the media today, almost two and a half months after the San Francisco Chronicle published the leaked BALCO grand jury testimony in which he confessed to using steroids during the 2001-2003 seasons. For those with the technology to do so, you can find the video of the press conference here.As expected, Giambi made a general apology to the media, fans, his team and his

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1107930434900997072005-02-09T01:06:00.000-05:002005-02-09T03:07:12.340-05:00

Wasn't I supposed to be breaking down the Yankee NRIs some time last week? Sorry about that. My plan was to move from the outfield to the infield, but as the Yankees signed veteran LOOGY Buddy Groom to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to spring training on Monday, let's skip over to the pitchers. To begin with, the Yankees are up to their necks in live bodies in the pitching

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1106982705647459502005-01-29T01:47:00.000-05:002005-01-29T04:07:10.726-05:00

When the Yankees traded Kenny Lofton and cash for Felix Rodriguez back in early December I wrote the following:The Yankees made two solid trades on Saturday. In the first they traded persona-non-grata and Carlos Beltran place-holder Kenny Lofton to the Phillies for Felix Rodriguez, a solid, 32-year-old righty set-up man with 19 career postseason games under his belt and a career 122 ERA+. I

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1106703728713854032005-01-25T20:12:00.000-05:002005-01-26T03:30:42.236-05:00

Anchored by Gary Sheffield (.318 EQA), Hideki Matsui (.317), Alex Rodriguez (.312), and Jorge Posada (.310), the Yankees lead the major leagues in EQA in 2004. This despite Derek Jeter's awful start, the continued decline of Bernie Williams (his .281 EQA in '04 was his lowest since 1993), and league average production from first base, second base and designated hitter. Jeter, of course,

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1106671689493556642005-01-25T11:11:00.000-05:002005-01-25T12:40:34.213-05:00

Monday morning at 2 am, Larry Mahnken's apartment building burned down, taking all of his possessions with it. Larry did not have insurance and is now staying at his sister's while trying to put the pieces together. Please help him buy clothes, a computer and save money to find a new home by making a donation to his PayPal account. Even small amounts will help. Larry has donated a great deal

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1106547211003391732005-01-24T01:03:00.000-05:002005-01-24T01:38:16.630-05:00

Sorry for the silence, folks. Sadly, it's going to continue a tad longer. This is just to let you know that I'm fine and that this blog has not become dormant. Thing is, I'm up to my neck in work (been putting in nights and weekends at home of late). That this has coincided with the incative period of the offseason (the Yankees have made all of their major moves and the pitchers and catchers

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1105499733008685882005-01-11T19:29:00.000-05:002005-01-12T10:08:15.113-05:00

Randy Johnson's introductory press conference yesterday afternoon was a hoot (particularly in comparison to Carl Pavano's bore-a-thon). The sight of the 6'10" pitcher standing next to mighty mite Brian Cashman looked like a special effects shot from Lord of the Rings or Big Fish. Also, I'm continually fascinated by Johnson's resemblence to the late Frank Zappa. Johnson is also an

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1105414653932468212005-01-10T22:05:00.000-05:002005-01-11T02:21:53.156-05:00

Three and a half weeks ago I was watching ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats" (a show that's quickly growing on me) and looking forward to a rare good night's sleep amid the holiday rush when the ticker at the bottom of the screen reported a three-team trade between the Yankees, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. The Yankees were to send Javier Vazquez and the two top prospects in their organization--catcher

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1104479136342121052004-12-31T02:04:00.000-05:002004-12-31T03:54:56.310-05:00

And I have awful timing. Just as things are beginning to actually happen between the Diamondbacks and the Yankees, I'm going to be off-line for a week. Normally, I'd give you a full breakdown of the still unconfirmed trade, but we've been down this road before and I'm a bit gunshy. There's still an unpublished post lurking in the bowels of this site breaking down the three-team deal with the

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1104386619019425912004-12-30T01:20:00.000-05:002004-12-30T02:41:12.536-05:00

Yesterday, on Jaret Wright's 29th birthday, the Yankees finally officially announced the righthander's three-year, $21 million deal with the club. In doing so, they clarified the clauses concerning Wright's potential DL stays. If Wright spends a total of 75 days or more on the DL due to shoulder problems in 2005 and 2006 combined, the Yankees can buy out his 2007 season for $4 million. If

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1104175912522151352004-12-27T14:20:00.000-05:002004-12-29T14:31:22.543-05:00

Eddie Layton, Yankee Stadium organist from 1967 until 2003, died on Sunday following a brief illness. He was believed to have been in his late 70s. Layton was employed by CBS as an organist for radio soap operas when the network bought the Yankees in 1965. Two years later, they made him the first organist in Yankee Stadium history. Over his 37 seasons "tinkling the ivories," Layton's organ

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1103666628573603602004-12-21T13:28:00.000-05:002004-12-22T04:01:29.260-05:00

While we've all been waiting for something final (be it yay or nay) on the A-Rod/Man . . . I mean Johnson/Vazquez trade, a couple of important deadlines have come and gone. The first was Sunday's deadline for players offered arbitration from their 2004 teams to accept or decline the offer. Only three players in all of baseball accepted their team's offer (Roger Clemens - Astros, Placido

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1103339712455077222004-12-17T21:31:00.000-05:002004-12-18T02:53:47.156-05:00

Could it be that the Yankees' unconfirmed three-way deal was passed off as reality Thursday night to steal the back pages of the local tabloids from the Mets on the day they introduced Pedro Martinez? Naaahhhhhhhhh. [nods enthusiastically] If so [there's really no if about it is there?], consider the delayed confirmation of the Wright and Pavano contracts to be the second charge against the

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1103268821539607552004-12-17T02:15:00.000-05:002004-12-17T02:33:41.540-05:00

There's a rumor going 'round that the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Dodgers have agreed on the following three-team trade: Yankees get: Randy Johnson D-backs get: Shawn Green, Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban Dodgers get: Javier Vazquez, Dioner Navarro, Eric Duncan However, there are also rumors going around that the trade is not going to happen because of one or more of the following: 1) Johnson got

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1102922214984597972004-12-13T01:08:00.000-05:002004-12-13T02:16:54.983-05:00

The big Yankee news out of this weekend's Winter Meetings in Anaheim was that Carl Pavano has decided that, after completing his Magical Mystery Tour of what seemed like every major league club and part of the Federal League, he wants to become a Yankee. This doesn't mean he is a Yankee, of course. There's still that pesky contract thing to work out. The figures being floated around are

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1102570004787292832004-12-08T23:54:00.000-05:002004-12-09T03:38:12.720-05:00

In the comments to my previous post, James asked me if Jaret Wright at $5 million per year for three years was a justifiable risk. Here's my answer again for those who missed it:$5 million per, sure. 3 years? Dunno. The upside to that is that Wright is just shy of 29, the downside is that if he lets that lightning out of the bottle, he'll be a real drag. Honestly, I don't think there is a

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1102409210804267982004-12-07T03:46:00.000-05:002004-12-07T03:46:50.806-05:00

Today is the day that all teams must decide whether or not to offer arbitration to their major league free agents. Players not offered arbitration will not be able to resign with their 2004 teams until May 1, 2005. Players who are offered arbitration are free to sign with any club, including their 2004 team, between now and December 19th when they must, if still unsigned, accept or decline

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661605.post-1102285701176602602004-12-05T13:25:00.000-05:002004-12-05T17:28:21.176-05:00

You can blame Tuesday's arbitration deadline for the lack of compelling non-Giambi Yankee news (and resultant BRB posts) thus far this offseason. Other than declining a trio of player options and tidying up the 40-man, the front office has produced nothing but rumors, a new bench coach, and some broadcasting musical chairs (this just in: Suzyn Waldman Joins John Sterling, Yankee Fans Reinterpret

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13122692553658687275noreply@blogger.com