Dates to remember: Awards season
Baseball’s annual end-of-the-season awards are being unveiled beginning on Monday. Here are the dates of each announcement, beginning with Rookie of the Year in each league.
Monday, November 14
American League and National League Rookie of the Year
Tuesday, November 15
American League Cy Young
Wednesday, November 16
American League and National League Manager of the Year
Thursday, November 17
National League Cy Young
Monday, November 21
American League Most Valuable Player
Tuesday, November 22
National League Most Valuable Player
Gardner visiting New York elementary school
You know the younger Yankees are starting to make a name for themselves when they’re doing random charity appearances like this one. Here’s the press release.
On November 15, 2011, New York Yankee Brett Gardner will join the Advil Congestion Relief Project at PS 130 Elementary School in the South Bronx to unveil a newly decongested library with improved access to computers and books.
Kicking off in New York City, the Advil Congestion Relief Project will visit communities to provide literal congestion relief to real problems ranging from undersupplied schools, congested traffic lanes and more.
The Advil Congestion Relief Project is also looking for additional communities in need of relief.
Participants can visit CongestionReliefProject.com to share the congestion relief the community needs for the chance to win a prize worth up to ,000 for the community.
The week Posada acknowledged the inevitable
Last week was not the week that Jorge Posada officially ended his career with the Yankees, but it was certainly the week that he admitted it’s over.
“I knew that was my last game after that playoff,” he said at Thursday’s night’s charity event for Joe Torre’s foundation. “That’s why I was so emotional. That’s why it was tough for me that day to really walk out of that clubhouse. I might never see it again… That was my last time being at home. It’s tough.”
Certainly Posada has built a legacy with the Yankees. How would he like to be remembered?
“I gave it all on the field,” he said. “Sometimes we’re not better than others, but to tell you the truth, I played to win. I wanted to win every game, and that’s the way I was taught.”
The rest of the week in review…
• A checkup by Dr. Christopher Ahmad revealed no more forearm strain for Ivan Nova, and he was given full clearance.
• The Yankees spring training schedule was announced. It finishes with a home-and-away series against the Mets.
• Cuban-born center fielder Yeonis Cespedes became an overnight internet sensation. “We’ve evaluated him in the workouts as well as any international tournaments he’s participated in that we could be in,” Brian Cashman said.
• Mariano Rivera, Dave Robertson and Gene Monahan were all given BBWAA New York chapter end-of-the-season awards.
• Cashman participated in a winter coat drive, Joe Girardi helped pack care packages for the military and Posada’s foundation celebrated its 10th year.
• The Yankees re-signed minor leaguers Ronny Marte and Reegie Corona.
• Former Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera was traded to the Giants for Jonathan Sanchez. Cashman said he was never interested in a trade for Sanchez.
• The Orioles settled on Dan Duquette as their new general manager. Yankees amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer was considered a candidate.
Associated Press photo
Teixeira chosen as March of Dimes Sportsman of the Year
The March of Dimes has chosen Mark Teixeira and the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team as its Sportsman and Sportswomen of the Year.
Abby Wambach and Hope Solo will accept on behalf of the soccer team at the March of Dimes New York Division’s 28th Annual Sports Luncheon on Wednesday, November 30 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The Sports Leadership Award will go to Dr. Mark Emmert, NCAA President, and Steve Bornstein, NFL Network President/CEO, will be given the Corporate Leadership Award.
Joe Girardi was previously named the March of Dimes Sportsman of the Year.
From the March of Dimes press release:
Teixeira, first baseman for the Yankees and a two-time All-Star, has batted over .300 three times since his rookie season in 2003. After several outstanding seasons with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves, Teixeira was introduced as a Yankee in January 2009. He went on to lead the American League in both home runs with 39 and RBI’s with 122, and helped the Yankees capture their 27th World Series title with a win over the over the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies.
An outstanding fielder, Teixeira has won four Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards, and holds the major league record for most games with a home run from both sides of the plate, with 12. Teixeira is also active in charitable work, specifically with his Mark Teixeira Charitable Fund that provides scholarships to high schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Associated Press photo
Are you ready for some football?
Yesterday morning — before he began filling care packages and before he began an official interview session with the media — Joe Girardi was just a guy talking about football. He was telling a story about his son, Dante, throwing a touchdown pass, and he was trying to decide if he’d have time to get Dante to Yankee Stadium for this afternoon’s game between Army and Rutgers. Girardi thought he’d be able to make it sometime after kickoff.
It might not be the most unique site for a sporting event, but it is pretty neat to see Yankee Stadium setup for a football game (Girardi assured me it was worth seeing, so I took a look for myself yesterday). Today’s game has extra meaning because it’s the first meeting between these two teams since Eric LeGrand was paralyzed.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. Here are a couple of Associated Press shots of the field.
Associated Press photos
Yankees nominated for GIBBY awards
Don’t look at me, I didn’t come up with the name of these awards, I’m just blogging about them. MLB.com calls its annual end-of-the-season honors the GIBBY Awards — Greatness In BaseBall Yearly — and the Yankees are nominated 17 times.
Click here to vote online. You can vote up to 25 times in each category, and voting ends on December 4. Here are the Yankees nominations.
Player of the Year
Curtis Granderson
There are five nominees from each league — all position players — and it’s pretty much the usual suspects. Granderson is in there with guys like Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols and Matt Kemp. Hard to consider Granderson a favorite here, but he belongs in the running.
Starting Pitcher of the Year
CC Sabathia
Ten nominees, six of them from the American League. Former Yankees starter Ian Kennedy is in the mix as well. Like with Granderson in the previous category, Sabathia’s probalby not a favorite here, but he belongs in the competition.
Rookie of the Year
Ivan Nova
Twelve nominees in this one, eight of them from the American League. Whether Nova is a favorite depends on how heavily you factor wins and second-half performances.
Closer of the Year
Mariano Rivera
Seven nominees, and Rivera is one of only two from the American League (Jose Valverde is the other). Rivera has the lowest WHIP and the second-lowest ERA of the bunch.
Setup Man of the Year
Dave Robertson
Six candidates, two of them out Atlanta. Having watched Robertson all season, I find it difficult to imagine any setup reliever was better than he was. I’m not sure all of his escape acts really show up in the stats. By the way, the only nominee with more strikeouts than Robertson is former Yankees prospect Tyler Clippard.
Defensive Player of the Year
Brett Gardner
Mark Teixeira
Hard to compare defensive performances from different positions, but the Yankees did land two players in the running for the award. If I had to choose one of the two, I’d probably go with Gardner. Of the 10 nominees, seven are outfielders. Of those seven, Gardner is the only left fielder.
Comeback Player of the Year
Russell Martin
Martin’s not a bad candidate, but he’s not even the most deserving Yankee. This seemed like a no brainer for Bartolo Colon, but he missed the cut. Even with Colon in the mix, former Yankees DH Lance Berkman would still be my choice.
Wow Factor
Robinson Cano
This award goes to the most exciting player in the big leagues. There are a lot of speed guys on the list — I covered Shane Victorino for a year, and he really is a thrilling player to watch day after day — but Cano obviously makes the list for his big bat and range at second. Most deserving really depends on your cup of tea, I guess.
Manager of the Year
Joe Girardi
Those who hate Girardi won’t believe that he made the list, but the Yankees finished with the best record in the American League in a season when they were overwhelmingly expected to finish second in their own division. They lost two setup relievers, two starting pitchers, their shortstop and their cleanup man to injuries. Girardi belongs on this list.
Executive of the Year
Brian Cashman
Cashman proved he have a big impact with small contracts, and the impact of guys like Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia certainly help his case here. Of course, Kevin Towers getting the Diamondbacks in the postseason and John Mozeliak building a champion are hard to overlook.
Moment of the Year
No. 3,000 for Jeter
No. 602 for Rivera
Cano’s home run derby
Three grand slams in one game
Eight nominees, and the Yankees have half of them (they were involved in a fifth: The Rays rally on the last day of the regular season). For me, there was nothing more memorably that Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit. I’ve said before, I think I might remember more about that day than I remember about the World Series two years ago.
Performance of the Year
Jeter’s 5-for-5
In the previous category, Jeter is nominated specifically for the home run on hit No. 3,000. In this category, he’s nominated for the day as a whole. I’ll say one more time: There’s nothing I’ll remember more about this season than the day Jeter hit his 3,000th.
Fan Moment of the Year
Veteran instincts
You probably remember this one: The June game when a one-armed military veteran made a nice grab on a foul ball.
Associated Press photos
A few notes and links on this Veterans Day
I believe it was Erik Boland who pointed it out this morning, and it’s perfectly true: Joe Girardi always seems especially excited for any sort of pregame ceremony honoring the military. Watch the dugout one night when the Yankees have some sort of military ceremony, Girardi’s always front and center.
“I think, for me, it was the impact our visit to Washington D.C. had on me,” Girardi said this morning, referring to the team’s 2010 visit to Walter Reed hospital. “You really got a true sense of the sacrifices that these young men and women have made because of the what we saw in the hospital and the injuries and the rehab that these men and women have to overcome just to have somewhat of a normal life again.
“You realize how lucky we are to live in this country, how lucky it feels to be a father of three and a husband and how safe I feel about my family walking around every day in this country. Not every place is like that, and I believe it’s because of their service.”
This morning, Girardi helped pack care packages to be shipped to military men and women overseas, and of course I’m wishing a happy Veterans Day to everyone, especially one of my oldest friends, Zac, who’s currently stationed in Iraq.
A few other notes and links from today.
• Didn’t find out about this until today, and I’ll post another mention of it tomorrow morning: Jesus Montero will be meeting fans and signing autographs at Last Licks in Scarsdale on Saturday. He’ll be there from noon until 2 p.m.
• Wilson Ramos has been found alive in Venezuela.
• Obviously Jonathan Papelbon is the big baseball story of the day. With the Red Sox closer agreeing to a deal with the Phillies, old friend Pete Abraham mentioned that the free agent market is flooded with possible alternatives for Boston, and he mentioned three in-house candidates for the job, including former Yankees long man Alfredo Aceves.
• Apparently the Marlins are ready to spend this winter. They’re moving into a new stadium next season — opening it with two games against the Yankees — and today they reportedly made significant offers to both Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes.
• Looks like utility infielder Jamey Carroll is going to the Twins. Probably no spot for him with the Yankees anyway, especially not on a two-year deal, but he’s a nice player. Don’t really know him, but I’ve always liked him for some reason.
Associated Press photo from Yankee Stadium this morning
Unanimous decision: Kalamazoo Central re-names its baseball field
First Nick Swisher had a baseball field named after him. Now it’s Derek Jeter’s turn.
The field at Kalamazoo Central High School will be renamed after the Yankees captain following a unanimous vote by the board of education on Thursday night. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, the board “praised Jeter’s accomplishments on the field and his philanthropy through his Turn 2 Foundation” in agreeing to the honor.
Jeter graduated from Kalamazzo Central in 1992 and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. As a high school senior he hit .508 with four homers, 23 RBI, 21 walks and one strikeout in 23 games.
How cool would it be to be that pitcher who got the strikeout?
Yankee Stadium preparing care packages
Got to Yankee Stadium much earlier than I would have liked this morning, but it’s for a good cause.
The Great Hall is full of volunteers, including David Cone and Joe Girardi, who are putting together care packages for military men and women overseas. It’s an impressive scene with a massive pile of boxes in front of a series of tables.
Girardi is addressing the media later this morning, but he said earlier that he’s stayed in the area so far this offseason. Last night he went to a Daddy-Daughter dance, and tomorrow he’ll be watching his son’s last football game of the season. As you can imagine, he’s been shaking a lot of hands this morning.
Torre on Posada: “The heart was the most important thing”
Joe Torre’s Safe at Home Foundation had it’s annual gala tonight at Chelsea Piers. The guest of honor was Paul O’Neill, but the topic of discussion was Jorge Posada. When Torre stopped to answer a few questions, every single one was about his former catcher.
Here’s Torre…
On how hard it would be for Posada to play elsewhere
“I think that’s going to be hard for him only because it’s sort of like selling your home after all these years. You have a comfortable spot. I’m not saying he won’t do it, because you just can’t all of a sudden say you don’t want to play baseball anymore when it’s been your whole life – your whole professional life – for such a long time. I can’t say he’s made up his mind, but he looked really comfortable last night. I’m not sure what that means – I was at his function – but he seemed very happy.”
On Posada’s Hall of Fame chances
“I’ve noticed over the years when guys get voted in, whether it’s first ballot, second ballot, if you play in the postseason, people get a chance to see you in a different light and it may carry a little more weight. As much postseason as he’s played in, I think consideration is certainly warranted.”
On what Posada brought to the clubhouse
“He brought he passion; screaming and yelling. He’d look across the clubhouse and there’s Derek smiling at him. Probably the thing that will always stay in my memory bank was a game in Cleveland when he and Duque almost came to blows in the dugout. Then, later on, I was walking through the mall and there they were side-by-side going to dinner together. It was just that passion that he knew it was there. Was he sorry sometimes, yeah, but you never wanted to lose the heart that he had. I think the heart was the most important thing.”
On Torre’s relationship with Posada
“He never liked me very much early on based on the fact that he wouldn’t catch enough, and then finally in the postseason I said, ‘It’s yours.’ I think that was ’99 when he caught the championship game. I just felt that Joe Girardi had so much to offer as far as teaching how to go about certain things, Jorge was anxious but he was a class kid. He was like a son to me. I’ll always be close to him. Just watching him grow from this young player to one of the voices in that clubhouse was fun to see.”
On Posada’s legacy in New York
“He played under pressure about as well as anybody for me. He was always excitable — I think you saw that – but the one thing about it, when he got up there with the bases loaded or with the winning run on base, he was like ice. He was really good. Did he have his issues running the bases? Yeah, I don’t think that’s any secret – I’m nobody to make fun of it because I couldn’t run worth a damn – but as far as his ability to play in big games, it was pretty amazing. He doesn’t get a whole lot of acknowledgement for it because there were so many people around him, but to sit there on the bench as his manager, you were pretty happy to see him at the plate in situations like that.”
On the void left by not having Posada
“You miss people in the clubhouse, I don’t think there’s any question. But, you know what, the Yankees are used to that. We had our MVP in the World Series in ’96 not with us the following year, John Wetteland. David Cone, he left. Pettitte left. It’s just what you do. In this town, nobody cares why you didn’t win, they just know you didn’t win, if that’s the case, so you really don’t have time for sentiment here. I remember in ’96 when we traded Gerald Williams and there was some concern about, how is Derek going to handle it, because they were very, very close, and they remain very close, but it’s one of those things. Business as usual. As cold as it sounds, that’s our job.”
Associated Press photo