Labored Loss for Yanks!

Orioles Steamroll Bombers 8-3

‘We need to play better baseball’

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 3- For the second time in the three-game series between New York and Baltimore, Mark Reynolds, Baltimore’s first baseman, belted two home runs that led to a Baltimore win. The victory on Sunday cut the Yankees lead in the American League East to two games over the Orioles.

On Friday, the two homers and three runs batted in by Reynolds led to a 6-1 win for Baltimore. Reynolds was hitless during the loss on Saturday, but drove in four runs with homers in the fifth and sixth innings in the following day. The two games in which he hit two round trippers raised his total to 17 multi-home run contests.

Reynolds scored his third run of the game in the eighth after hitting a single during a three run rally. To no avail, the Yanks used five pitchers that inning.

The two homers upped the total given up by Yankees starter Phil Hughes this year to 32. Hughes tied Tommy Hunter of the Orioles and Ervin Santana for the major league lead. He paces all pitchers with the dubious honor of surrendering 21 homers at home.

The loss was the 12^th of the season for Hughes. Five runs scored during his five innings on the mound. The starter gave up six hits in addition to the two round trippers. He walked one batter and fanned six.

The Yankees offense was mainly provided by newcomer Chris Dickerson, who played his first major league game of 2012 on the previous evening when he entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning. Dickerson signed a major league contract with the Yankees earlier that day.

Dickerson played 69 games this year with the AAA affiliate of the Yankees, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He batted .316, scored 57 runs, drove in 24 and hit seven home runs.

Dickerson blasted a homer into the second deck of the right field seats in his first big league at bat in 2012 in the second. Russell Martin walked and scored on the Dickerson homer.

Dickerson also scored the final; run for the yanks in the fifth after he led off the frame with a single.

Dickerson never made a third trip to the plate as he was pinch hit for by Andruw Jones (batting average of .203) in the seventh. Jones flied out to right.

Not only was Dickerson impressive at the plate, but also in the outfield. He made two excellent catches in center, one robbing Adam Jones of a home run.

After the three hour and 19 minute game ended, Joe Girardi commented, “We need to play better baseball.”

The Yanks ended the homestand with a mark of 2-4. Thrir troubles may not lessen soon as they begin a 10 game road trip agsinst Tampa Bay (3), Baltimore (4) and Boston (3).

CC  Sabathia (13-4) is scheduled to start the opener in Tampa on Monday against James Shields (2-8).

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Small Ball Pays Off for Yankees

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 2- It was not the home run ball that helped the New York Yankees Saturday afternoon in their seventh inning comeback resulting in a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. An error and walk ruined a good start from Baltimore’s Wei-Yin Chen, though one of the Yankees runs was attributed to a home run from Robinson Cano in the fourth inning

The win enabled New York to once again have a three-game lead over the Orioles in the American League East. What once was a comfortable lead for the Yankees has become a tight race for the division lead.

With four weeks left in the season, the two teams have five games remaining with each other. Including a finale Sunday afternoon, the Yankees visit Camden Yards Thursday for what appears to be an important four-game series.

“Our guys just kept putting good at bats on people,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. His team for the first time this season won a game with four or fewer hits.

Chen retired the first 11 Yankees batters in order before Cano hit his 28^th home run of the season.

The seventh inning appeared to be another Yankees loss, that is, until shortstop J.J. Hardy botched a ball with the bases loaded that scored Eduardo Nunez with the go-ahead run.

“J.J. I think he’s the best shortstop in the league,” commented Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter. “I don’t even think twice about it. That time of day, the infield is so chewed up, partly our fault because we had a whole bunch of base runners out there chewing it up.”

Nunez, the designated hitter was recalled last night from Triple-A Sranton Wilkes Barr, and made his first start since May 10^th against Tampa Bay. He had an RBI single in that seventh inning that led to Chen (12-8) the losing pitcher to be removed which led to a Yankees run.

“In my third at bat, I talked to myself not to try too hard,” he said. How much playing time will depend on how Girardi goes with his lineup which has been struggling to score runs with runners in scoring position.

He said, “I almost cried, I was so excited,” regarding the hit. “I want to help this team win.”

The Yankees are concerned about club home run leader Curtis Granderson. He left the game with a tight right hamstring before the top of the third inning. MRI results revealed some tendonitis and Girardi said, “Everything’s good.”  

Granderson could sit out the series finale Sunday afternoon and resume play Monday down in Tampa Bay for another important three-game series.

David Phelps allowed the three Baltimore runs including a career high six walks in 4.21 innings. It was his seventh start of the season. Girardi used four pitchers out of the pen including Rafael Soriano who closed the game in the ninth inning and recorded his 35^th save.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

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Rookie Schools Yankees

Yanks Lead Drops to Two Games Over Orioles

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 1- The Baltimore Orioles lowered the lead of the Yankees in the American League East to two games as they defeated the Yankees, 6-1, in the first game of a three game weekend series at Yankee Stadium.

Rookie Miguel Gonzalez performed outstandingly in his 10^th start in the majors. The 28-year old stopped the Yankees from scoring a run in his seven innings on the mound. The native of Mexico gave up only four hits. He fanned nine batters while only allowing one base on balls.

The victory for Gonzalez was his third in his last four decisions.

Joe Girardi offered praise to the winning hurler, “It just seemed like his fast ball was getting on the hitters faster than they thought. I think we got beat by the fast ball. He made some good off-speed pitches. [He had] command of the strike zone. He threw a good game.”

The first two hits off Gonzalez came off the bats of two future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Derek Jeter singled to lead off the fourth, but was still at first when the inning concluded. The base hit was the 3,265^th for Jeter, 18 below Willie Mays, in 10^th place in career hits.

The second Yankee hit was a sixth inning lead-off single by Ichiro Suzuki. He was stranded at third at the close of that frame.

Eric Chavez and Russell Martin each singled in the seventh but neither was able to advance.

The Yankees, as on Wednesday, could not hit successfully with runners in scoring position. They failed in all four opportunities with RISP. On Wednesday, they were 3 for 17 in these clutch situations.

Curtis Granderson with his 34^th home run of the season broke the shutout with one gone in the ninth. The homer was the club’s 200^th of 2012.

Hiroki Kuroda, although going deep into the game, 8.1 innings, lost his second straight start. He surrendered three runs in the second, two on the 13^th home run of the year by Mark Reynolds. A solo homer by JJ Hardy in the sixth drove in Baltimore’s fourth run of the contest.

The loss was the seventh in the last 10 games for the faltering Yanks. The Orioles have narrowed their deficit in the standings by winning their ninth in the last 12 games.

With a Yankees pitching change instituted by Girardi on Friday, David Phelps (3-4) will face Wei-Yen Chen (12-7) in game two on Saturday afternoon.

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Summer of Bullets Comes to an End as Concerns About Gun Violence Continues

COMMUNITY BOARD

NEWS N’ VIEWS

by

Father Richard F. Gorman

Chairman

Community Board #12 (The Bronx)

  

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 30- Phooey! Labor Day is upon us. Among other things  --  such as students having to return to their regimen of reading, writing and arithmetic  --  it means that the Summer is coming to an end. It has been an interesting Summer this year between the thrill of watching our American athletes winning the gold at the XXX Olympiad in London and the rather blustery, sometimes even turbulent, weather that has visited us.

Equally as stormy has been the crime scene in our area. There have been far too many instances of gun violence in the Borough of The Bronx overall and in Community Board #12  in particular. No one has been immune from the bloodshed.  Young and old, people of all religions, races, colors, and heritages, rich and poor, even infants in their strollers and baby carriages  --  people in all neighborhoods  --  North, South, East, and West  --  have suffered from the scourge of bullets fired from guns in hands which should not have held them. Most frightening of all, too often these illicit weapons were aimed by our children striking out and shooting at their peers, other youth.  This madness defies rational explanation and genuine justification!

Since last writing on this topic a week or so ago, more violence has scarred our Borough and our neighborhood. It has similarly afflicted other Boroughs and locales as well. In response, there have been calls for augmented police action and personnel along with enhanced strategies on the part of the New York City Police Department (N.Y.P.D.) in order to deal with this daunting state of affairs. Neighborhood activists and residents, joined by their elected officials and prominent personalities, have taken to the streets, occupying them from dusk until the early morning hours in an endeavor to “take back” their streets from the hoodlums and the shooters. While I wholeheartedly endorse the tactics of these engaged and enraged fellow New Yorkers, I sadly note that, in our sister Borough of Brooklyn, when activists and residents resolutely positioned themselves in one crime location, a shooting tragically went down only a few short blocks away.  Criminals are like cockroaches  --  the light scatters them, clearing their putrid presence from one place, only to have the little menaces flee and take up refuge in another.

One may honestly complain at this point that nothing can be done to rescue society from the mayhem of gun violence and that there is no possible solution(s) to this pandemonium. I beg to differ. The answer to this problem is staring us right in the face. It looks right back at us each time we peer into a mirror.  The rejoinder to gun violence is our rejection of violence as an acceptable response to disagreements and difficulties in life.  You and I must come to realize that violence, most especially that involving the use of illegal weapons, is not meant to be part-and-parcel of our existence, but anathema to it. Regrettably, you and I, and far too many of our fellow New Yorkers and Americans, have accepted, perhaps tacitly or maybe grudgingly, that we must live with guns and tolerate the violence that they bring. Moreover, there are still too, too many in our society that are willing to accept  --  and even PROMOTE!  --  the possession of firearms, whether in accordance with law or in defiance thereof  --  and to employ them and violence when they feel justified in doing so. Violence will cease when we  --  ALL OF US!  --  renounce it as a legitimate means to end, when, in the messianic vision of the Prophet Isaiah, we “beat our swords into ploughshares.” Illegal guns will be wiped from the streets of America, of the City of New York, of our beautiful Borough of The Bronx, and of Community Board #12 (The Bronx) when each and every man, woman, and young person refuses to tolerate their infection of our neighborhood a single second longer.

I thank my good Friend, The Honorable Efrain Alvarado, Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters of the Twelfth Judicial District (Bronx County) for the enlightening and instructive conversation we had on the topic of social violence and illicit handguns recently. As always, the Justice was an insightful individual as well as an exceptional teacher. 

For those that share his vision and mine of a society in which problems created by people can be solved by people and in which the power of good can ultimately overcome that of evil, I invite you to stand up and speak out about illegal weapons. If you know of one  --  and of an individual who is willing to use it, possibly against you or one of your loved ones  --  I implore you once more  --  PLEASE AND IN THE NAME OF GOD!  --  to pick of the telephone and to call immediately, without fail or any hesitation, 1 - 866 - GUN STOP (1 - 866 - 486 - 7867).  The information you share with the Police will be confidential.  The life that you save may be your own.

Until next time, that is it for this time!

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Oy Vey, What a Yankee Matinee

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Blue Jays Defeat Yankees, 8-5, in a Wednesday Matinee at Yankee Stadium

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 29- In a game that appeared longer in time than the three hours and 37 minutes it lasted, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Yanks, 8-5. The victory gave the Blue Jays a series win, two games to one.

Yankees skipper Joe Girardi discerned several reasons for his team’s defeat, “We had a ton of chances and we just didn’t get it done. It was a combination of a lot of little things. We just didn’t play well.”

Although he pitched a fairly effective seven innings, starter CC Sabathia faltered in the third and sixth innings, which resulted in his first loss since June 7. He had been victorious in his last six decisions.

Sabathia did not surrender a hit in five of his seven innings on the mound. The only baserunner in those frames was Edwin Encarnacion, who reached first on an error by Derek Jeter.

The early damage to the Yanks occurred in innings three and six. An error by third baseman Jayson Nix coupled with five hits allowed three unearned runs to score in the third.

After Sabathia retired seven consecutive batters, Alan Lind led off the sixth with a single to right. Yunel Escobar followed with a two-run homer to left. Kelly Johnson and Adiemi Hechavarria singled later in the inning, but Sabathia struck out the side to prevent any further damage.

Sabathia lasted seven innings, giving up five runs, three earned and nine hits. He did not walk a batter and fanned eight. Although the consistent lefty has hurled less than six innings in only one of his 22 starts in 2012, Wednesday’s game was the fifth in his last 11 in which at least five runs were scored off him.

The serious minded and highly responsible starting pitcher gave himself blame for not pitching better, “Falling behind on counts…was my fault. I need to make better pitches. I didn’t do that today. Today was a day we had the lead and I gave it up. That’s my fault.”

Having used David Robertson and Rafael Soriano during each of the previous three contests, the Yanks needed five relievers to complete the final two innings. The pen men did not finish the game successfully, giving up three runs and contributing mightily to the defeat.

The Yanks scored the first two runs of the game in the first. Derek Jeter led off with a single, his 176^th hit of the season, first in the majors. He scored on a single by Andruw Jones. Curtis Granderson knocked in the second run on a groundout to second.

In the third, Granderson drove in Nick Swisher and Jones, each of whom had walked, with a double to left.

Each team pushed one run across the plate in the eighth.

Baltimore Orioles, breathing down the necks of the AL East leading Yanks, enter the stadium for a three game series on Friday night. Hiroki Kuroda (12-9) will start for the Yanks and Miguel Gonzalez (5-3) will start for the Orioles on Friday.

When asked if he felt discouraged to next face Baltimore, Girardi responded, “You look forward to the series to put more space between you and them.”

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Huge Win for Hughes

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Redemption for Soriano

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 29- Rafael Soriano on Monday night was not perfect at Yankee Stadium. The efficient closer for the New York Yankees gave up a three-run homer run in the ninth inning that contributed to an extra inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Tuesday night he rebounded with a perfect ninth as New York evened their series with the Jays, 2-1. 

The Yankees go for a rubber game win Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx in what now has become a tight race in the American League East with the Orioles and Tampa Bay.

Soriano struck out two Blue Jays and preserved a win for Phil Hughes (13-11), his sixth straight win at home.

“The best day I had all year,” commented Soriano who got his 34^th save.

Hughes pitched seven good innings and the only run allowed was a home run off the bat of Adeiny Hechavarria with two outs in the fifth inning, the first of his career. The Yankees produced a run on an RBI single from Nick Swisher in the third, and Curtis Granderson got a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

It was one of those rare games that saw the Yankees fail to hit a home run. They came into the game leading baseball with 199. Manager Joe Girardi used newly acquired Steve Pearce in the cleanup spot of the order as the designated hitter.

With Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list with a broken hand, and Mark Teixeira out for at least a week with strained left calf, two power cogs out of the lineup, his team resorted to small ball off Blue Jays starter and loser Rickey Romero.

Romero (8-12), coming off a bad start against Detroit, yielded five hits in seven innings and had an extra day of rest.

“I’m just going to build off this,” he said.

Pearce walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a groundout and scored on the Granderson sacrifice fly to center.

“The little guys in the lineup did a nice job in that role,” said Girardi. “We’re a little banged up,” he said about his team that has an important three-game series starting Friday evening in the Bronx w,ith second place Baltimore.

Said Girardi about how Soriano rebounded, “It’s hard when you do your job 95 percent of the time and not as easy when you don’t.”

Email Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Listen and watch Rich Thursday night from 10:30pm-12:30am live www.inthemixxradio.com 

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No Civility in Parking

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 27- Alien space ships hovering over the City may well conclude that life on earth is in the form of four wheeled metallic bodies that are sometimes invaded by walking parasites. The parasites so annoy the metallic bodies that they scoot away until they get rid of the parasites at another location. The aliens would not be far wrong. Indeed there seem to be as many cars as are humans.

This may be fact and not fancy especially at night when one is trying to find a parking space. The streets are tightly packed with cars except for the occasional driveway which has been overlooked by civility-deprived individuals. Today's so-called citizens have no respect for rules, laws or regulations. They know that to have one's car towed for parking at a driveway is a rare occurrence. So what if the homeowner in front of whose driveway he is parked has to get to work or has an emergency? He can always take a cab. One wonders whether the blame can be placed on the incivility of the perpetrator or the inefficiency of the police. Even so, ticketing these individuals will not solve the parking situation.

It is during the daylight hours that one confronts the parking problem. We have often noted that many families have a car for each member of the family. When houses were built in the past, and even today, the assumption was and is one or two cars for each family. No single family house in an urban setting has room for a six car garage. So, two cars are placed in the garage and four are parked in the street. That, of course depends on whether the two-car garage has not been converted into storage space or an illegal apartment. (There are blocks and blocks in Wakefield and CB 12 where garages have been converted into illegal apartments enriching their owners.) So now it is all six cars parked in the street.

But that is only the beginning. When dad goes to work, his son moves his own car in such a manner as to take two spaces so that when dad returns, he can move the car to make room for dad. This ploy is used by friends and relatives. Some groups can use six cars to occupy half a block. One observes the same cars in the same spots day after day.

Nor can we omit the innocent but sloppy parkers who leave too much space between their car and another parked car, or who haven't the good sense to park their car as close to the proximate driveway so that another car can park behind them. Essentially, these drivers also are taking two spaces.

We note that many drivers don't give a fig about parking in front of a hydrant. They gamble that the police will not see the hydrant. They also know that a patrol car rarely stops to issue a summons for such an occurrence. But, there is one place these civility-deprived drivers will not park and that is at a cross walk because it can easily be spotted and the fine is $100.

We have already offered two ideas to help the parking situation. One is to permit more angle parking especially at night. This would not make money for the City nor cost drivers at all. Another is to issue one free parking permit to each family, but place a charge for parking permits for a second or third car.

Now we offer another money making idea to our cash strapped city. Mark parking spaces on each block so many feet apart. Cars must park within those spaces or face steep fines. It may not solve the problem, but it would help.