Get Well Soon Mr. Sheppard

Yankees Legend Bob Sheppard is not doing very well. Here is the report from the NY Times:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees’ distinctive public-address announcer since 1951, who missed the division series last October because of a bronchial infection, “is struggling to recover his health,” a spokesman for the Yankees, Howard Rubenstein, said Wednesday.

The team “hopes he can return to the booth,” Rubenstein added.

One of Sheppard’s sons, Chris, a retired navy aviator who is now a New York-based pilot for a major airline, seems to be interested in eventually following in his father’s footsteps. He will get a tryout during spring training at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., Rubenstein said.

This is very sad. Sorry John Sterling, sorry Michael Kay, but Bob Sheppard is the voice of the Yankees. The last season at the Stadium will just not be the same without him.

Pedro the Cock Fighter

There was a video posted this week on Youtube (which has since been removed), that shows currents NY Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal at a cockfight. Here is some of the story from SI.com.

Martinez and Marichal laugh before releasing the roosters. The two took part as honorary "soltadores," the word used to describe the person who puts the animal to fight.

The animal released by Martinez appears to be killed on the video, which was posted Tuesday. The fight takes place in the Coliseo de Gallos (Rooster Coliseum) in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic's biggest cockfighting venue. Cockfighting is legal and popular in the Dominican Republic.

I don't know about you guys, but I love animals, so I enjoy when idiots like Michael Vick and Pedro (I do think what Vick did was much worse) get what I feel they deserve. I can't wait to see PETA at all the Met games this season.

Here is the video from TMZ.

Schilling's Career Could Be Over

From MSNBC:

Curt Schilling has a “significant” shoulder injury that could require career-ending surgery, according to a report that also said the Red Sox looked into whether they can void the $8 million, 1-year-contract he agreed to three months ago.

The Boston Herald reported on its Web site on Thursday that Schilling could have an injury to his rotator cuff or labrum, one serious enough to require surgery that could end Schilling’s career. The 41-year-old right-hander has said 2008 will be his last year.

Last year with the Sox Schilling went went 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA during the regular season last year and 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in the playoffs. He also spent 7 weeks on the DL with shoulder tendinitis.

The Boston Globe is reporting that due to the injury the Red Sox were looking to void Schilling's contract.

This injury leaves the Boston rotation looking something like this:

Beckett
Matsuzaka
Wakefield
Lester
Buchholz

Buchholz, had to be shut down on Sept. 27th last season because tests showed that he was fatiguing, will obviously be on an innings limit.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox went out and signed somebody like Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse very soon.

Some great new shots of the New Yankee Stadium

The three photos at the top are from Frank Franklin II of the AP.

for the main updates page go here

Also make sure to check out Peter Abraham's blog, he just got back from the Stadium and will be posting some brand new shots very shortly.

UPDATE - here is the link to the great shots Peter posted

McNamee Says He Has Physical Evidence Linking Roger to Steroids

Is this the smoking gun?

The Daily News is reporting that McNamee's lawyers have said that McNamee has given federal investigators physical evidence that he believes will prove that Clemens used PEDs.

"This is evidence the government has that we believe will corroborate Brian in every significant way," said McNamee lawyer Earl Ward.

McNamee's attorneys would not discuss the details of the evidence, but according to a source close to the former Yankee strength and conditioning coach, McNamee gave the Justice Department's BALCO investigators vials with traces of steroids and growth hormone, as well as blood-stained syringes and gauze pads that may contain the Rocket's DNA.

Justice Department officials have sent the evidence to a lab for testing, and if the materials do indeed contain traces of drugs and blood, prosecutors may attempt to get a court order for a DNA sample from Clemens.

"We will provide Congress with corroborative physical evidence that takes this case out of the he-said, she-said purview," said another McNamee lawyer, Richard Emery. "From our point of view, this corroborates that Brian told the truth from Day One and Clemens has not."

In a statement released to the media, Clemens' attorney Lanny Breuer called McNamee a "troubled man" who has lied to federal investigators and former Sen. George Mitchell and accused the trainer of manufacturing evidence.

"He said Roger treated him like family - but he now claims he kept blood, gauze, and needles from Roger Clemens for seven years. It defies all sensibility. It is just not credible - who in their right mind does such a thing?" Breuer said.

"As Roger has said under oath to Congress and to the American public, at no time did he take steroids or growth hormone. Despite the desperate smears of Brian McNamee, Roger is looking forward to testifying before Congress next week to set the record straight."

It is weird that McNamee would keep these kinds of things for seven years, but stranger things have happened. If this turns out to be true, Clemens will have no choice but to fess up, and finally start telling the truth. Something he probably should have done from the beginning. Since he already has denied using PED's under oath Roger could be looking at perjury charges.

In the article it also says that a source claims that other witnesses may come forward with information that corroborates with McNamee's account in the Mitchell Report.

Remembering Thurman

Last night was the annual Thurman Munson awards dinner, and I was bored an figured I'd honor the late Yankees Captain with a video I recently found on Youtube. On August 2, 1989, ten years after his tragic death, WCBS-TV ran this tribute.

Melky Thrilled to Remain a Yankee

From The Journal News:

NEW YORK - Melky Cabrera heard the bad word back in December. The 23-year-old center fielder was in the package the Yankees had proposed shipping to Minnesota along with Phil Hughes and a prospect in exchange for Johan Santana, and he didn't want to go.

"I was a little worried about getting traded because I wanted to stay with my teammates," Cabrera said through an interpreter last night at the Marriott Marquis, where he was among the honorees at the 28th annual Thurman Munson Awards, a dinner that benefits the AHRC NYC, which works with the developmentally disabled. "I'm really happy the trade didn't go through."

It's always good when a team is full of players who really want to be there. First it was Phil Hughes who expressed his feeling about staying in the Bronx, and now it's Melky Cabrera.

Players that are happy with the team they're on generally are more content with their role on the team, and don't complain very much. These types of players are very good for team chemistry, and as we've seen over the past few seasons this Yankee team has gotten closer and closer with the addition of youngsters who are genuinely happy to be Yankees. Now this doesn't necessarily mean the next parade down the Canyon of Heroes will be for the Yankees, but it could help.

Ever wonder what it's like to be at the Super Bowl?

Here's the Giants game-winning drive. By the way, good job Pats fans with that "Eli" chant. It obviously bothered him a lot.


The Burress TD from a different angle.


Another view of the game winner.


Brady sacked by Strahan.


Last play of the game.

I know this is a Yankees blog, but this Giants win will leave a smile on my face for a long, long time. Probably till the Yankees lose for the first time. I'm sure there are many of you who feel the same way I do, so why not enjoy this as much as humanly possible.