Giambi hits walk-off home run for Indians v White Sox, 9th career walk off

7/29/13, "The Giambino ambushed the White Sox on Monday night. Pinch-hitter Jason Giambi led off the ninth inning with a homer to center to give the Indians a 3-2 victory at Progressive Field. It was Giambi's ninth career walkoff homer and 10th career pinch-hit blast. He received a Gatorade shower during a postgame interview." ap photo

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Mystique and Aura show up in the Bronx after extended absence

Mon., 7/29/13, Jeter Newsday front page, after hitting 1st pitch home run on 7/28 return, final 6-5 Yankees.

















Mystique and Aura fan sign from World Series at Yankee Stadium, Nov. 2, 2001

11/2/2001, "Mystique, Aura, and Timely Hits," Tim Sullivan

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Jeter's first pitch home run and curtain call, continuous loop

7/28/13, Jeter first pitch home run, final 6-5 Yankees, The Score


 

7/28/13, Jeter curtain call, final 6-5 Yankees, The Score

7/28/13, Jeter rounds bases after 1st pitch home run on return, nydn
 

7/28/13,  Derek Jeter cheered returning to
dugout after his first pitch home run, final 6-5 Yankees, ap

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Alfonso Soriano first John Sterling home run call of 2013, 'Sori, right number!' Update: Second call, 8/7, 8/13, 8/16, 'Who's Sori now?' Update, 4/11/14, 'Who's Sori now?'

 Update, 4/12/14, Soriano hit his third home run of the year, bottom of the 4th v Red Sox. Sterling's tag:

"Who's Soriiii....Not Alfonso...."

---------------------------------

Update, 4/11/14, Alfonso Soriano hit a home run in the bottom of the second v Red Sox. John Sterling kept the tag:

 "Who's Sorrriiiii now? Well, not Alfonso. He has his second home run of the year, and the Yankees take a one nothing lead."

 Final 4-2 Red Sox.

=======================

Update, 9/20/13, Alfonso Soriano hit a home run in the bottom of the second v SF Giants, and John Sterling kept the same tag, "Who's sorrrrry now?" and delivered the three words musically.

----------------------------
.
Update, 9/10/13, Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs tonight v Baltimore Orioles, in the 6th and the 8th. The first home run didn't get the usual personalized tag. This is rare but can happen a couple of times a year if things don't work out timing wise. The second home run received the usual fanfare and tag, Mr. Sterling noting that Soriano hit home runs in consecutive at bats:

John Sterling delivered the tag in the 8th with musical lilt, "Who's  Sorrrrriiiiii now?"
.
------------------------------------

Update, 8/21/13, Alfonso Soriano hit a 2 run home run in the 8th v Blue Jays to break a 2-2 tie. John Sterling continued with the tag and delivered it with musical lilt:

"Whose sorrrry now? Well, not Alfonso! He drills a 2 run home run and the Yankees lead it 4-2." Final 4-2 Yankees.

----------------------------

Update, 8/16/13, Alfonso Soriano hit a 3 run home run in the top of the 3rd v Red Sox. Final 10-3 Yankees. Sterling, with slight musical tone in homage to the Connie Francis hit introduced in 1958:

"Who's Sori now? Not Alfonso!"

---------------------------------------

Update, 8/14/13,  John Sterling continued the 'Who's Sori now?' tag for Soriano's two home runs v Angels in first (grand slam) and 5th, final 11-3 Yankees. Slight musical lilt recalling the Connie Francis hit (introduced in 1958).

-----------------------------
.
Update, 8/13/13, Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs v Angels, in the 5th and 7th. John Sterling kept the tag for both that he used on 8/7, "Who's Sori now?" Both times he gave the tag in a musical tone of voice recalling the Connie Francis hit.

------------------------
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Update, 8/7/13,  Alfonso Soriano hit a 2 run home run in the top of the 1st v White Sox. Instead of "Sori, right number," (final in 12, White Sox 6-5)  John Sterling's tag was:

"Who's Sori now?"

===================
.
Alfonso Soriano hit a two run home run in the bottom of the third v Tampa Bay Rays. John Sterling:

"And it's a 2 run home run in the right field seats! Sori---Right number, he hits a 2 run home run to right!" Final 6-5 Yankees.

7/28/13,  Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers attempts to catch Alfonso Soriano's 3rd inning 2 run home run, final 6-5 Yankees, ap

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Fans wait rain delay in Cooperstown

7/28/13, "Baseball fans sit in the rain during a delay in the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday, July 28, 2013, in Cooperstown, N.Y.," ap

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Wilson Ramos curtain call after grand slam in the third

7/28/13, Nats Wilson Ramos curtain call after grand slam v Mets in the third, getty

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Hideki Matsui retires as a Yankee

7/28/13, "Former New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Hideki Matsui is presented with a framed jersey he wore during the 2009 season bearing his number 55 by teammate Derek Jeter after officially retiring as a Yankee," ap















2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui holds trophy on David Letterman show with Posada, Pettitte, Jeter, 11/05/09, (World Series ended 11/4), photo via NYYFans.com

7/28/13, Yankee team mates with Hideki Matsui as he retires as a Yankee 

7/28/13, Hideki Matsui's father Maseo Matsui watches as his son retires as a Yankee, ap













7/28/13,  Fans wait to enter Yankee Stadium on day Hideki Matsui retires as a Yankee, ap





 

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Tarp on the field in Denver in middle of the 9th

7/27/13, "Heavy rain falls on Milwaukee Brewers pinch-hitter Khris Davis as he singles while Colorado Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario looks on in the ninth in Denver. Umpires halted play as Rockies came to bat in the bottom of the ninth," final 7-5 Brewers, ap



















7/27/13, "Member of the field guards pulls the tarpaulin after umpires halted play because of heavy rains as the Colorado Rockies prepared to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the ninth," final 7-5 Brewers, ap

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Texas Rangers reliever Scheppers attacked and sucker punched on Cleveland street 2 blocks from team hotel by group of young males, police said it happens a lot, wouldn't do any good to report it-UPDATED, Witness says no, Scheppers instigated and lost a bar fight

7/28/13, A witness says this isn't true, Scheppers was with a group of people, instigated it, and lost a bar fight
----------------------------------------------

7/27/13, "Texas Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers attacked on Cleveland street," Dallas Morning News, Evan Grant, Cleveland

"Texas Rangers RHP Tanner Scheppers was not available in Friday’s extra-inning loss to Cleveland because he was dealing with the after-effects of being attacked by “several young males,” on a street two blocks from the team hotel Thursday night.

Scheppers said he was out getting food Thursday night when he was attacked and “sucker-punched.” He did not recall the time, but did contact the police. A report was not filed after Scheppers said police told him it was unlikely that anybody would be apprehended.

“They said it happens a lot, actually,” said Scheppers, who had a blackened left eye and two small cuts above his nose. “I’m just lucky nothing serious really happened. I’m good to pitch for [Saturday]. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Scheppers had a headache after the attack and also was a bit shaken. Rangers officials said the team notified MLB security officials.

The Rangers did not use Scheppers in an 8-8 game Friday, opting to try and get three innings out of Jason Frasor. As he started a third inning, Frasor allowed two hits and then a game-ending homer to Ryan Raburn. After the game, manager Ron Washington gave mixed reports on Scheppers availability, telling reporters he was available, but indicating to his post-game radio interview that he was not." via Free Republic

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10 great Mick Jagger performances-Time

7/25/13, "Mick Jagger Turns 70: 10 Great Performances," Time, Steve Futterman

"More than four decades ago, Mick Jagger claimed that he couldn’t imagine jumping around a stage and singing rock and roll when he was thirty. If things didn’t turn out quite like he imagined they might, Jagger — who turns 70 on July 26  — has certainly beaten the odds. Not only has rock music not cut him down as it has far too many others, it’s kept him young. An impossibly agile performer, Jagger — as these clips, presented in chronological order, attest — still has most of the moves he displayed when he first took the stage with the Rolling Stones a half century ago."

Video clips include, "It's all over now," "Lady Jane," "Waiting on a friend," "Some Girls," "Brown Sugar." Not included but two I like, "Not Fade Away," and "Gimme Shelter"

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24/7 Arod on New York radio

7/25/13, "WFAN vs. ESPN Radio - A-Rod Story," NY Radio Message Board, Posted by Vince V. on July 25, 2013 at 09:16:44:

"The Alex Rodriguez story has accelerated over the last 24 hrs, in no small part due to the radio appearances of a doctor who looked at A-Rod's MRI on WFAN, claiming he did not have the grade 1 quad pull the Yankee medical staff diagnosed last weekend.

The interesting part is that several callers to Francesa yesterday basically called him the mouthpiece for Team A-Rod.

And Michael Kay went onto twitter and said he'd love to have A-Rod on his show for a "tough, but fair grilling", but that's not going to happen, because A-Rod is "looking for blind support", a not too veiled dig at Mike's interview with A-Rod from last week.

I happen to think some of the critique of Mike is fair - the doctor himself never examined A-Rod in person, just looked at the MRI, which was somewhat glossed over by Mike. And when Dr. Gross told Mike A-Rod asked him to say he was medically fit to play, I would have thought Mike would have been a little tougher in the follow-up questioning (e.g. don't you think its a tad bit suspicious that a player would ask to get clearance over the phone from someone who hasn't seen him personally and is not authorized to do so).

Then again, I agree with Mike that there's not one sports talk show who would not jump at the opportunity to speak to him. In fact, Dr. Gross did a spot on ESPN Radio just after he finished with WFAN (on the Steven A Smith show).

In his intro to the interview, Mike made it sound like the interview was a result of WFAN's relationship with Hackensack Medical Center, but all logic (and HIPA laws) make it clear the only realistic way he got on the air was through Team A-Rod's authorization to go out and do these interviews.

And for the last twist, it turns out that Dr. Gross was reprimanded just this past February for failure to supervise an unlicensed employee at his private wellness center (not at Hackensack Hospital) in prescribing hormones and steriods to patients."

---------------------------------------

Comment: I turn on WFAN every day to make sure they're still talking about Arod 24/7, which they usually are so I turn it off. I didn't hear any of the doctor the poster above speaks of.

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Cape Cod Baseball League has produced 1000 major league players including Frank Thomas and Buster Posey

7/24/13, "Baseball on the Cape," NY Times, David La Spina

"The 10 teams of the Cape Cod Baseball League play in low-key neighborhood parks: an archipelago of pristine fields, perfect for showcasing top talent from college powerhouses across the country. You can watch a game from the brim of a grassy knoll and have no signs of commercialization within your sight line. Instead of walk-up music, wooden bats are the only sound that you hear, cracking as dusk overtakes the game.

The league recently exceeded the mark of 1,000 major league players produced, including 253 on active rosters in 2012 alone. You can see players pitch faster than 90 miles an hour, turn slick double plays and throw out runners from the outfield with no-hop bullets. 

The league is the first chance for many of the players to get a feel for hitting with a wooden bat against consistently strong pitching. The teams play almost every day in a 44-game regular-season schedule, but the players come home most nights to share meals with their host families. 

Instead of seeing one or two top players in a college game, scouts and agents can see up to six full rosters perform, counting batting practice, early afternoon games and evening games. 

Vacationers and residents root for their home team, or sometimes both teams, either of which might include the next Frank Thomas (Orleans, 1988), Buster Posey (Yarmouth-Dennis, 2007-8), Will Clark (Cotuit, 1983) or Pie Traynor (Falmouth, 1919)." image David La Spina

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LL Bean tarp on field for rain delay, Tampa Bay Rays v Red Sox

7/25/13, "Rain forced  postponement of Thurs. series finale between the Red Sox and Rays at Fenway Park," make-up Monday at Fenway, Petraglia, WEEI.com

7/25/13, "Bullpen catcher Manni Martinez walks back from playing catch with Boston Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey after the game was cancelled against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park," Matt Stone, Boston Herald

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Derek Jeter warms up with team before game v Texas Rangers

7/23/13, Derek Jeter warms up before game v Texas Rangers, final 5-4 Yankees, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Cowsert

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Jeter and Rivera sign for fans before game in Arlington

7/22/13, Top, Derek Jeter signs for fans in Arlington before game, final 3-0 Rangers. Next two, Mariano Rivera signs for fans before game in Arlington. photos Ft. Worth Star Telegram, Ellman






  

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Andy Pettitte running in front of Green Monster in Fenway Park

7/21/13, Andy Pettitte gets cardio work in front of Green Monster in Fenway Park, Erik Boland twitter

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Before game in Boston Rivera met with Red Sox fans who lost legs in Boston Marathon bombings in April

7/20/13, "Fenway Stands and Cheers for Yankees’ Rivera," NY Times, David Waldstein

"A few hours before he came into Saturday’s game and earned his 31st save, the 639th of his career, Rivera had an emotional meeting with Red Sox fans and longtime employees of Fenway Park as part of his farewell tour of major league cities. 

Rivera met in a luxury suite with 10 people, several of whom were wearing Red Sox paraphernalia. The group included two brothers, J. P. and Paul Norden from Stoneham, Mass.; each lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombings in April. 

Rivera choked up when talking to 13-year-old Harry Clark, a David Ortiz fan from nearby Wellesley, who is visually impaired from a brain tumor, and Fernando Morales, 19, of Norwood, who has Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. 

“It was wonderful,” Rivera said. “There was a kid, Fernando, who has cancer and is going through the therapy and he shared his story. He wanted to play soccer and baseball but he couldn’t. But he’s not giving up.” 

Also present were Ken Greenwood, who is in his 46th season as an usher at Fenway, and John Basmanian, a ticket-window representative for 46 years. 

Fans at the meetings in each city have been overwhelmed by Rivera’s graciousness, but he said that he appreciates them even more. “I get more out of it because of the stories and the inspiration,” he said."

7/20/13, "Mariano Rivera got a standing ovation at Fenway Park in Boston," USA Today, Matt Eppers. photo USA Today. final 5-2 Yankees

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Bat goes flying in the first at Citi Field Phillies v Mets

7/20/13, "Fans avoid a bat that slipped out of the hands of New York Mets batter Anthony Recker' during the first inning," v Phillies in NYC at Citi Field, ap

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Visiting BBC newsman sees baseball as metaphor for traditional notion of life in America where one is guaranteed to fail more than win

7/18/13, "Why baseball is a metaphor for life in America," BBC, Simon Wilson

"US baseball players have been taking some rare time off this week. In a gruelling sport with at least 162 games between April and September, the so-called All Star break gives weary bodies a chance to rest. The BBC's outgoing Washington Bureau Chief, Simon Wilson, who became a fan during his posting, says the sport helped him grasp something about what makes America tick."

"Even living here in Washington DC, it is a rare thing to see two US presidents together at the same time.

So imagine the excitement for my young daughters on a recent family night out to watch our adopted Washington Nationals baseball team. 

In between innings we are treated to the sight of no fewer than five previous presidents. And they are not making boring speeches or shaking hands. They are chasing each other around the edge of the field like wild kids on a playground break, pushing and tripping until one emerges victorious.

Now, of course, these are not the actual presidents themselves, just giant bobble-headed mannequins depicting Messrs Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson and Taft.

It is all part of the slickly-packaged razzmatazz you get at an American sporting event.

At baseball, the crowds are constantly on the move - buying beer, hot dogs and popcorn, except of course when they stand motionless together, caps over their hearts, for a belting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America.

On the surface, this is the America of my imagination - loud, proud and in your face.

But there is another, less obvious side to baseball that says perhaps even more about the country.

And the secret lies in the statistics.

Now, there are many, many, statistics in baseball. But the single most astonishing one is that this is a professional sport where the very best players in the world only actually hit the ball successfully a third of the time.

The other two thirds, they miss completely, are caught or thrown out and face the long, humiliating walk back to the team dugout.

Now, imagine this in any other sporting context - if two times out of three David Beckham slipped on his backside as he ran up to take a free kick.

Or if Andy Murray, serving a key point at Wimbledon, whiffed completely 66% of the time. It is unthinkable.

But this, I have come to realise over six years of intense study (and it has to be said the occasional pitch-side beer and hot dog) is the key point about baseball.

As a sport, it is really all about failure. Or more precisely how the players psychologically handle failure - the fact that they are going to miss the ball more often than they hit it.

And as I have sat in the stands over the years, I have begun to realise just why there is such a rich tradition of treating baseball as a metaphor for life in America.

This is indeed the land of opportunity where children grow up being told what a "great job" they are doing and how they might all be president one day. Which is all fine of course, except that for many, perhaps for most Americans, success never really comes. 

For much of the half decade I have lived here, this country has been struggling economically.

All across the land, in previously well-off towns where half the high street has now closed down, you meet people fighting to make ends meet.

It has also been arguable in recent times that America itself is failing, losing prestige and influence around the world while new powers such as China are on the rise.

But, just as their baseball players do, Americans are adept at picking themselves up when the market fails.

Economists have long admired the capacity of workers here to move huge distances to wherever the jobs are, something that has made the US economy so robust in the past. 

And it does seem to be happening again, in remote places like North Dakota where new energy discoveries are creating modern day boom towns.

In Silicon Valley in California young computer entrepreneurs are actively encouraged to take risks - even to embrace failure. The theory is that in the fast-paced world of hi-tech they will come back stronger, perhaps with the seed for the next Facebook, Apple or Google. Failure - the theory goes - will breed the next success.

So, back at the baseball game, in what has been a disappointing season so far, Washington are once again losing.

It is late in the game and 20-year-old batting sensation Bryce Harper comes to the plate. One big hit from him and our team could be back in with a chance.

He swings... he misses - and starts that long walk of shame back to his teammates.

But tomorrow Harper, the rest of the baseball team, and millions of their fellow countrymen will dust themselves off, pick themselves up - and start being American all over again."

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2013 MLB All Star game was broadcast in English on 3 local radio stations in NY metro area

7/18/13, "A quirk to the All Star Game being on both WFAN and 98.7 ESPN this week," NY Radio Message Board

"Posted by HarryJ on July 18, 2013 at 16:03:35:

The MLB All-Star Game was broadcast in English on 3 local radio stations this past Tuesday (WFAN-AM, WFAN-FM, WEPN-FM). This was allowed because MLB rules allow the flagship station of the home team that plays in the stadium of the All-Star site to air the game-whether or not they actually have purchased the rights to that game (if they choose to)...so, ESPN Radio nationally (98.7 locally) had the rights to the game, and WFAN decided to also pick up the game since they are the flagship for The Mets/Citi Field. While it was odd enough to hear ESPN programming on the 'FAN, all the stars aligned right for a quirk to happen during the early innings. The 'cast had Yankee TV play by play voice and WEPN-FM afternoon drive co-host Michael Kay sit in for an inning and a half of the game. Obvious cross promotion for ESPN Radio."...

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Boss of WABC radio in 1988 told his new program director, 'You can have the station. I get the Yankees.'

7/14/13, "Re: Clear Channel's WOR-710 bids on Yankees radio," NY Radio Message Board

"Posted by John Mainelli at 19:09:23:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Clear Channel's WOR-710 bids on Yankees radio posted by Kevin L. Sealy on July 12, 2013 at 12:23:34:

Totally depends on the deal. Some teams sell all the advertising themselves and pay stations for blocks of time for the games. I'm pretty sure WABC's deals with the NJ Devils and Seton Hall were 100% that way, but I tried to ignore them even more than the Yankees. Sadly, all three were preordained and out of my control. When I got hired in 1988 the manager said, "You can have the station. I get the Yankees." Fine with me, sez I. He hired John Sterling and I got the heat in the press for commercials running over pitches."

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The Motor City files for bankruptcy and of course the NY Ttimes cries racism. Without the NY Times, the world could be peaceful. Without hate the NY Times has no reason to exist. Updated: Bankruptcy cancelled, would 'dishonor Obama'

7/19/13, "Ingham County judge rules Detroit bankruptcy be withdrawn; Schuette appeals," Detroit News, Gary Heinlein

"“It’s also not honoring the (United States) president.""...the judge said.

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7/19/13, "Once-mighty Motor City files for bankruptcy," New Zealand Herald

"Detroit has become the largest city in US history to file for bankruptcy, as the state-appointed emergency manager filed for Chapter 9 protection.

Kevyn Orr, a bankruptcy expert, was hired by the state in March to lead Detroit out of a fiscal free-fall and made the filing Thursday in federal bankruptcy court.

A number of factors - most notably steep population and tax base falls - have been blamed on Detroit's tumble toward insolvency. Detroit lost a quarter-million residents between 2000 and 2010. A population that in the 1950s reached 1.8 million is struggling to stay above 700,000. Much of the middle-class and scores of businesses also have fled Detroit, taking their tax dollars with them."...
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7/19/13,  "Detroit’s Creditors and Unions Prepare for Bankruptcy Fight," New York Times

..."All along, the state’s involvement — including Mr. Snyder’s decision to send in an emergency manager — has carried racial implications, setting off a wave of concerns for some in Detroit that the mostly white Republican-led state government was trying to seize control of Detroit, a Democratic city where more than 80 percent of residents are black."...(parag. 13)

 ======================

7/18/13, "When 60 Years Of Lies Clash With Reality: Michigan Governor Snyder Authorizes Detroit's Bankruptcy," Zero Hedge
.
-----------------------------------

10/13/12, "Obama: I "refused to let Detroit go bankrupt"," CBS News, Lucy Madison


.

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2013 MLB All Star game earned 8.1 Nielsen household rating nationally, 11.3 in NY City, and a 20.3 in Detroit

7/17/13, "MLB All-Star Game is Fox’s highest-rated show since ‘American Idol’ finale," NY Daily News, Bernie Augustine

"Major League Baseball notes that New Yorkers who didn’t make it out to Citi Field — which hosted the most fans in its history (45,186) on Tuesday night — tuned in on TV. The game drew a 11.3 rating in the Big Apple, a 16 percent increase over the rating for last year’s Midsummer Classic in Kansas City."

"The All-Star Game at Citi Field was a home run with television viewers. The American League’s 3-0 win over the National League was the primetime winner Tuesday night, according to Nielsen, and was Fox’s highest-rated program since May’s “American Idol” finale.

The program scored a 8.1 metered market household rating, easily the most-watched show on primetime TV Tuesday night.

Major League Baseball notes that New Yorkers who didn’t make it out to Citi Field — which hosted the most fans in its history (45,186) on Tuesday night — tuned in on TV. The game drew a 11.3 rating in the Big Apple, a 16 percent increase over the rating for last year’s Midsummer Classic in Kansas City. Detroit — with six players in the game, including starting pitcher Max Scherzer, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland skippering the AL squad — led all markets with a 20.3 rating, a 26 percent increase over last year’s mark."...

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Mo-V-P! Rivera on Newsday back page, 7/17/13

Wed., 7/17/13, Newsday back page













Wed., 7/17/13, Newsday front cover

7/17/13, NY Daily News back cover
 

Wed., 7/17/13, NY Post back cover,
'Motown!'

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Fan on the field at All Star game

7/16/13, "National League's Brandon Phillips, of the Cincinnati Reds, watches as a security guard tries to lift a spectator after he ran on the field during the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game," ap

7/16/13, All Star game security tackles fan on field in 5th inning, ap

7/16/13, "A spectator is carried by security personnel after he ran onto the field during the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game," ap

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Robinson Cano leaves All Star game in first inning after being hit in the knee by a pitch

7/16/13, At the All Star game Robinson Cano is hit in the knee in first inning by pitcher Matt Harvey, ap












7/16/13, At the All Star game Robinson Cano leaves the game in the first inning after being hit in the knee by pitcher Matt Harvey, ap

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All Star Parade on 42 St., July 16, 2013

7/16/13, Robinson Cano in All Star parade on 42nd St. in NYC, ap

7/16/13, Mariano Rivera in All Star parade on 42 St. in NYC, ap

7/16/13, David Ortiz in All Star parade on 42 St. in NYC, ap

7/16/13, Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver at All Star parade on 42 St., NYC, ap

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The 2008 All Star game at Yankee Stadium was tied 3-3 in the 9th. Terry Francona went to the mound and signaled for Mariano Rivera. The Fox Sports camera went to the bullpen door. Before it opened, they went to commercial.

Rivera's 2008 entrance was kindly posted to You Tube otherwise the moment would've been lost forever. 2008 All Star Game at Yankee Stadium, July 16, 2008. The Fox Sports camera went to the bullpen door. Before it opened, they went to commercial. Terry Francona was waiting on the mound to hand the ball to Rivera. You Tube page poster mentions this:

"Uploaded on Aug 26, 2010

@ Old Yankee Stadium
Rivera entering to "Enter Sandman"... Fox went to commerical so was not seen on TV." by 4vrNYYfan

---------------------------------

Rivera got 5 outs. He entered in the 9th with score tied 3-3, 1 out, 1 on. He came back in the 10th, score still tied 3-3, got 3 outs, score at the end of the 10th still tied 3-3. The game went 15 innings, final 5-4 AL. Rivera didn't figure in the decision but that was a minor point in the game.

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Here's another view of Rivera's 2008 Yankee Stadium All Star Game entrance kindly posted to You Tube and not seen on the Fox telecast:

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P.S. I watched this game in 2008 and noticed they didn't show Rivera coming in from the bullpen in his own stadium for a 3-3 tie game. I mentioned it in a post on this blog but the post seems to have disappeared.

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All Star bp at Citi Field

7/15/13, Players at All Star game bp at Citi Field, ap

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Five Pittsburgh Pirates going to All Star Game in 2013

7/14/13, Five Pittsburgh Pirates going to All Star Game: From left relief pitcher Mark Melancon, center fielder Andrew McCutchen, starting pitcher Jeff Locke, relief pitcher Jason Grilli, and third baseman Pedro Alvarez," ap. At PNC Park Sun. before game v Mets, final 4-2 Mets

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Twitter pics of Zimmerman verdict reaction in Manhattan

7/14/13, "Massive Trayvon Martin demonstration in Times Square [photos]," Twitchy.com

More Twitter pics at link of protests in Manhattan today in reaction to Zimmerman verdict.

7/14/13, "Dershowitz: Zimmerman Special Prosecutor Angela Corey Should Be Disbarred," Real Clear Politics

"MIKE HUCKABEE: You have said that you thought the prosecutor ought to be disbarred, that's a pretty serious type of violation to get a person disbarred. It is that serious to you?

ALAN DERSHOWITZ: Right, it is. She submitted an affidavit that was, if not perjurious, completely misleading. She violated all kinds of rules of the profession, and her conduct bordered on criminal conduct. She, by the way, has a horrible reputation in Florida. She's known for overcharging, she's known for being highly political. And in this case, of course she overcharged. Halfway through the trial she realized she wasn't going to get a second degree murder verdict, so she asked for a compromised verdict, for manslaughter. And then, she went even further and said that she was going to charge him with child abuse and felony murder. That was such a stretch that it goes beyond anything professionally responsible. She was among the most irresponsible prosecutors I've seen in 50 years of litigating cases, and believe me, I've seen good prosecutors, bad prosecutors, but rarely have I seen one as bad as this prosecutor, [Angela] Cory.

DERSHOWITZ: As far as prosecutor Cory is concerned, I would invite her to my class, let her justify her conduct in front of my students. In fact, when I accused her of misconduct early in the case, she complained to the dean of Harvard Law School, and asked that I be disciplined for criticizing her.

Just the other day, she fired one of her people because he blew the whistle on her misconduct. So, she has engaged in this kind of tyrannical suppression of criticism against her, you know, and every American is in danger when we have prosecutors like her who don't obey the law, who follow political pressures.

We're the only country in the world that elects prosecutors and elects judges. A case like this would never have been brought in any other country. They never even would have brought charges. It was such an obvious case of self defense, and there was obvious reasonable doubt. And the only reason this case ever came in front of a jury was because of the political pressures that were brought by groups of people who were dissatisfied with the first investigation and with the fact that a responsible prosecutor and a responsible police force decided that there was reasonable doubt, and that the state could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that George Zimmerman did not engage in classic self defense. (Huckabee, July 14, 2013)" (As most know, Mr. Dershowitz is a Red Sox fan).

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Sunset in the 5th in Atlanta

7/12/13, "Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Alex Wood delivers as the sun sets in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Turner Field in Atlanta, Ga. Upton was injured on the play and had to leave after the play," final 4-2 Reds, ap

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More than 30 MLB games postponed due to cold weather or precipitation as of July 11, 2013. 21 postponed in entire 2012 season

7/12/13, "More than 30 games postponed so far, going in the weekend. Last year? Just 21, the whole season....All over, fans are getting way more than their money's worth. Going into this weekend, 19 games had lasted at least 14 innings; there were a total of 20 last year, according to STATS."..."Puig & Pirates, Homer & Harper highlight 1st half," AP via ellwoodcityledger.com

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Delta Air Lines dedicates a 757 to Rivera, Girardi and Rivera at JFK airport for occasion-Newsday

7/12/13, Rivera in pilot seat of Delta 757 dedicated to him. Erik Boland twitter


7/12/13, "Mariano Rivera throws 'last pitch' to Joe Girardi at Delta plane dedication," Newsday, C. Muserra

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Derek Jeter playing today in Yankee Stadium v Royals

7/11/13, Derek Jeter warmups on first day back, got a single in first at bat v Kansas City Royals, ap. "After almost nine months, two different cracks in his 39-year-old left ankle and the misery of watching one flawed shortstop after another try to fill in for him, Derek Jeter is back at Yankee Stadium."..."Jeter Is Back, at Last," Wall St. Journal, Barbarisi

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On the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Pine Tar game, Rush Limbaugh speaks of his time with the Kansas City Royals and George Brett's work ethic

7/10/13, "Rush Reminisces About His Time with the Royals, George Brett, and the 30th Anniversary of the Pine Tar Game," Rush Limbaugh transcript

"We're coming up on the 30th anniversary, July 24th will actually be the date, the 30th anniversary of the Pine Tar Game.  George Brett and the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees.  It was a Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.  Goose Gossage, Yankees up 4-3, top of the ninth, Brett up, bam, two-run home run, Royals up, and you know what happened. The Yankees had been waiting to accuse Brett of using a bat, pine tar too high on the bat, a supposed violation of Major League Baseball rules.

I was working for the Royals when this happened.  I was not on the trip. I was not there. I was like everybody back in Kansas City watching it on TV, but there's a lot more to this story than people know.  The batboys for the visiting team are supplied by the home team.  In this case, the batboy for the Royals was a Yankees fan.  He was a 17-year-old kid, and the job of a batboy, among many other things, is at the crack of the bat, he runs out and grabs the bat, takes it back while play is taking place. You run out, you get the bat out of the way.

And in this case, the short version of the story is that Brett had a good relationship with this batboy, called him Spaulding.  It was his nickname, 'cause he looked like a character in Caddyshack. And the kid, the batboy, a Yankees fan, Gaylord Perry in the Royals dugout was urging the batboy to hide the bat, put it with all the other bats so it couldn't be found.  The batboy didn't.  The bat was produced. It was taken out there, and Tim McClelland, the plate umpire, and the Yankees, and Billy Martin's out there, and Graig Nettles were looking at it. And finally McClelland points at the Royals dugout and points at Brett, says, "You're out, bat's illegal.'  And just mayhem ensued....

The Royals appealed. The home run was not allowed, they lost the game. They appealed it and Lee McPhail, the president of the American League, ruled in the Royals favor, so they had to go back in and finish about an inning and a half or half inning and a half of the game to make it official, which the Royals ended up winning and it all ended well....

But that pine tar thing ended up overshadowing all of that and it's become a folklore incident in baseball. The Royals are in New York this week, and George had a press conference yesterday at four or five o'clock in the afternoon at the new Yankee Stadium to talk about it.  He's now the hitting instructor in the Royals, just took that job a few weeks ago.  But this pine tar bat incident was an incredible thing, and it's one of the things now that obviously George is known for in addition to being a Hall of Famer, third base, five hits short -- this is incredible.  I've never seen, and I'm sure it's happened -- I have never seen an athlete own a city like George Brett owned Kansas City in 1980. 

It was the first year for the World Series for the Royals, in Philadelphia, but George Brett was flirting with hitting .400, the first player to do that since Ted Williams, the Boston Sox. He came within five hits. I think his average at the end of the year was .390 and the Pine Tar Incident was three years later, but nevertheless it's become one of those folklore things.  He had the press conference yesterday in New York to talk about it.  We have just a little sound bite from it.  The 30th anniversary, I can't believe it was 30 years ago.  It's one of those things that seems like it all was just yesterday.  But here's just a little bit of it, we have just like a 20 second sound bite of it:

BRETT:  You know, that's what I'm known for.  And it could be worse.  I'm known for something positive, where Bill Buckner is known for something negative.  Now I'm the pine tar guy.  So it's really the greatest thing that ever happened to me.  Thank you, Billy Martin; thank you, Graig Nettles. Still got a sore neck from Joe Brinkman's headlock, but it's getting better.

RUSH: So that was Brett talking about the Pine Tar Incident yesterday in New York....

Now, there's no way people would know this, but George Brett worked really hard. He had natural talent, obviously. George Brett was the first guy at the ballpark every afternoon for a night game. He'd show up at one o'clock or two o'clock for a seven o'clock start. He's out at batting practice, working on his hitting and everything.  I don't care, it could be 110 degrees on the field, and he was out there doing it.

He worked extremely hard throughout his whole career.  He put a lot into it, and he valued what he did."...

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7/8/13, "Pine Tar: The Untold Story," Wall St. Journal, Daniel Barbarisi, "The bat boy tells his version of the pine-tar tale involving George Brett and the Yankees."

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Fan waves Pirate flag during rain delay in Pittsburgh v Oakland A's

7/9/13, "Pittsburgh Pirates fan Brandon Marto of Pittsburgh waits out a rain delay in the upper deck of PNC Park before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics in Pittsburgh," ap

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St. Louis Cardinals host Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium

7/6/13, St. Louis Cardinals host Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium, final 5-4 Cardinals, getty

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Sports and patriotism, Howard Bryant, ESPN

7/4/13, "Sports and Patriotism," Howard Bryant, ESPN.com, via btf

7/4/13, LA Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig celebrates first US Independence Day, twitter pic via Bleacher Report.

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