Poll: Are you happy with the Granderson trade?

With Curtis Granderson headed to the Bronx I'm interested to see how my fellow Yankees fans feel about the trade. I put up a poll on the right sidebar so please take a few second to vote. Also feel free to leave any comments below.

Poll: Who should be the Yanks no. 4 starter?

With Joba Chamberlain continuing to struggle, I'm beginning to struggle with the idea of giving him the ball in a big spot in the playoffs. His inconsistency scares me. So with that said, I think it's time for another poll. This time I want you to tell me who you think Joe Girardi should tab as the Yankees no. 4 starter in the playoffs. The options are Joba, Chad Gaudin, and Sergio Mitre. The poll can be found on the right sidebar, and you can also answer in the comment section below. Thanks!

Who should be the Yankees no. 2 starter in the playoffs?

I created a new poll for you guys. The question, as you probably figured out already, is which Yankee should be the number two starter in the playoffs? The options are Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. Right now I'd have to go with Pettitte. You can answer below or vote in the poll on the right sidebar. Thanks.

Can this team win the division?

Yesterday's inaction by Brian Cashman has put a serious scare into me regarding the 2009 Yankees and their chances to do anything serious come October. At this point I'm not sure they have the rotation depth it's going to take to allow them to hold off Boston for the division. Besides that their bullpen scares me more and more each day, especially with Alfredo Aceves struggling like he has lately.

The lead is now down to just 1.5 games, the Sox have added Victor Martinez and Casey Kotchman, and the Yankees have a struggling Sergio Mitre as their fifth starter and Joba is rapidly approaching his innings limit. Maybe I'm just being a pessimist, but my confidence in this team is beginning to fade a bit.

So my question to you is can the Yankees, as they are right now, good enough to hold off the Red Sox and win this division. Answer below in the comments and/or vote in the poll on the right sidebar.

Who is your first half MVP?

With the Yankees just past the midway point in the season it's time to pick our mid-season MVP.

I'll give you five choices:

1. Mark Teixeira: .281/.387/.548, 23 doubles, 20 HR, 62 RBI
2. Johnny Damon: .284/.370/.528, 19 doubles, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 8 SB
3. Derek Jeter: .313/.393/.455, 15 doubles, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 17 SB
4. Alex Rodriguez .246/.411/.514, 14 HR, 44 RBI - just 53 games
5. Mariano Rivera: 1-2, 25 saves, 2.60 ERA, 0.92 WHIP

My pick is Teixeira, between the offense and defense I think he's been this team's MVP. Vote in the poll on the right or comment below.

Yanks Still Run New York

From Oren Yaniv (hat-tips to River Ave. Blues and BBTF):

New York City is still a Yankee town, a new poll found Wednesday, less than two weeks before Opening Day.

Among the New Yorkers who expressed interest in big-league baseball, more than half - 56% - pledged alliance to the Bronx Bombers and only a third said they root for the Mets, a Quinnipiac poll found.

In a theoretical Subway Series, the Yanks are fan favorites, 55% to 42%, holding an edge in every borough but Queens, where the Amazin's play.

"Except for Queens, New York City still is the home of the Bronx Bombers," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Wow, only a third of New Yorkers root for the Mets? That's pretty pathetic. You'd expect them to pull in at least 40% of the fans considering there are only two teams here. The Red Sox came in with 3% of the vote. Yes, 3% of New Yorkers are Red Sox fans.

They had some other questions in their poll:

The most popular Yankee is, of course, Derek Jeter, who took home a whopping 48% of the vote. A-Rod was second with 9%. Mariano Rivera finished 3rd with 4% of the vote.

You think he sits home and punches things when he sees polls like this?

As for that other team, David Wright took the prize for most popular with 27% of the vote, Jose Reyes followed with 17%, and Carlos Beltran finished 3rd with 5% of the vote.

The Fans Have Spoken: They Believe A-Rod, and the Other 103 Should Be Released

I asked you guys two questions just after the A-Rod steroid story broke: Do you believe A-Rod when he says he only used PEDs in Texas? And should the other 103 names of players who tested positive for PEDs be released?

Here's the results of those polls:

64% of you said that yes you do believe A-Rod when he says he only cheated during his time in Texas. And 86% of you said that the other 103 names should be released.

Thanks for voting everyone.

My answers? I don't believe A-Rod when he says that, sorry I just don't believe much of what he says. And I do agree that the other 103 names should be released.

New Fan Poll: Do you believe A-Rod?

I just added a new fan poll to the right sidebar. My question to you is do you believe that A-Rod when he says he only used PEDs in Texas?

The poll will stay open for a month. Thanks for voting.

Moment of the Year: Final Game @ Yankee Stadium

About a month ago I asked you what was the best moment of 2008, after over 1700 votes the fans have spoken, the final game at Yankee Stadium was the moment of the year. Joba Chamberlain outdueling Josh Beckett in Fenway was 2nd, Moose's 20th was 3rd, the All-Star game came in 4th, and Jeter passing Gehrig to become the all-time hit king at Yankee Stadium rounded out the top five.

Here's the final voting results:

The Final Game at YS (9/21)	313	18.04%
Joba Outduels Beckett (7/25)	199	11.47%
Moose Wins No. 20 (9/28)	180	10.37%
The All-Star Game (7/16)	165	9.51%
Jeter Becomes YS All-Time Hits King (9/16)	160	9.22%
Gardner Walk-Off vs. Papelbon (7/6)	135	7.78%
Old Timers' Day/Welcome Back Willie (8/2)	90	5.19%
Wang Two-Hits Sox at Fenway (4/11)	82	4.73%
Damon Goes 6-for-6 vs. KC (6/7)	76	4.38%
Jeter Passes Ruth to Move to No. 2 on Yanks Hit List (9/9)	66	3.8%
Opening Day '08 (4/1)	65	3.75%
Giambi's Pinch-Hit Walk-Off vs. Jays (6/5)	63	3.63%
Giambi Beats Boston By Himself (8/28)	59	3.4%
Nady Drives in 6 in Huge Comeback vs. LAA (8/3)	51	2.94%
Wang Outduels CC (4/27)	31	1.79%

Thanks for voting everyone.

Reader Poll: Will you read Torre's book?

I know I'm going to Barns & Noble next Tuesday to pick it up, what about you? Will you be reading Torre's new book? Vote in the poll on the left sidebar.

Reader Poll: Which FA/trade rumor do you hope the Yanks pursue?

Derek, one of this blog's loyal readers suggested this poll question and I felt with all the trade/free agent rumors starting to fly around that it was very fitting. So here goes.... Which free agent/trade rumor do you hope the Yanks pursue this off-season?

Here are the choices: (Please pick your top two.)

- Sign C.C. Sabathia
- Sign Mark Texeiria
- Sign A.J. Burnett
- Sign Derek Lowe
- Sign Manny Ramirez
- Trade Robinson Cano and sign Orlando Hudson
- Trade for Jake Peavy
- Trade for Adrian Gonzalez

The poll is to the left, so please take a few seconds and vote. You can also submit your own suggestions in the 'Other' box. Thank you.

I will be taking down the "Grade Joe Girardi" poll, here are those final results:

5% of voters (51 people) gave him an A
30% (311 people) gave him a B
41% (423 people) gave him a C
10% (105 people) gave him a D,
14% (150 people) gave him a F.

Most Yankees fans were more generous with their grades than I thought they would be; 76% of you gave him a C or higher.

Reader Poll: What bothers you more?

I've been thinking about this one for a while, pretty much since I knew the Yankees were not making the playoffs. But what is more upsetting to the average Yankees fan; missing the playoffs, or moving to a new stadium?

I'm much more upset the Yankees are moving out of Yankee Stadium, even if it is just across the street. I've rooted for teams that have missed the playoffs in their respective sports, including those Yankee teams from the late 80's and early 90's, but I've never rooted for a team that left the greatest stadium on the planet. The new place will be very nice, but in my opinion it will never be the same.

The poll is on the left sidebar, so please take a few seconds to vote. Thank you.

I will be closing the "Should the Yankees sign Manny Ramirez" poll. The final results of that poll were 39% (457) said 'Yes', 47% (667) said 'No', and 5% (56) people were 'Undecided'. Thank you all for voting.

Reader Poll: Grade Girardi

I'm wondering how the rest of you feel about Joe Girardi's managing this season, so I placed a new poll over on the left sidebar.

Please take a few seconds and give Girardi your grade.

Reader Poll: Can the Yanks survive without Joba?

As I'm sure you can all tell, I'm pretty upset with the idea of losing Joba for an extended period of time. I'm wondering how the rest of you fell, so please vote.

If you do feel they can survive, can you please leave a comment and let me know how? Make a believer out of me.

The poll is over on the left.