Tragic death of Angels pitcher

LA Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart tragically lost his life on Wednesday night, hours after pitching his first game of the season. He was only 22.

It probably shouldn't be this way, but there always seems to be something more tragic about the death of a young sports star or celebrity. Maybe because we (as in the 'general public') spend so much of our time celebrating and revelling in the lives of those people with natural ability and talent?

Despite losing his life at such a young age, I hope the fact that he realised his dream of becoming a Major League pitcher brings some comfort to those who were close to him. In the end all of us are some guy running a red light away from not being around to realise our own dreams....

Bad start for the Yankees

Oh well.

After all that build up and excitement the Yankees got turned over 10-5 by the Orioles last night in their season opener.

CC Sabathia struggled from the start, failing to strike out a batter for only the fifth time in his career! Even so the Yankees managed to keep it close at 6-5 until a questionable home run in the 8th broke it open for Baltimore. I think there was a strong case for Johnny Damon arguing that he would have caught the ball without the obvious fan interference, but it was never reviewed.

At least the beauty of baseball is that you haven't got long to wait until the next game! :)

It's nearly time!

I haven't posted for a while, mainly because of work being so busy at the moment but I've also been playing around with a few other ideas for blogs.

But I'm now getting really excited because the baseball season starts this weekend! The Yankees play two exhibition games at New Yankee Stadium tomorrow and Saturday, with their first official game of the season being on the road at Baltimore on Monday. Bizarrely enough their home opener isn't until 16th April.

Can't wait, PLAY BALL! :)

Best. Offseason. Ever.

I've only been following the Yankees closely since '96 so my frame of reference is pretty small, but the news that Mark Teixeira has agreed to an 8 year $180m deal catapults this offseason into a class all of it's own.
The Yankees have now mopped up 3 of the top 4 free agents available, after previously agreeing to deals for CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett to address the urgent need for quality pitching at the top of their rotation.
Now, by signing Teixeira, they have added a quality bat (combined .308 with 33 homers and 121 RBI for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels last season), ensured there will be protection for A-Rod in the middle of the lineup, and instantly upgraded the defence.
All of this has been achieved without dismantling the farm system that Brian Cashman has worked so hard to rebuild over the last few seasons.
Personally I'm also hoping that this means Brett Gardner will get a chance to start the season as the centre fielder, as there isn't such a pressing need for offensive output from that position now.
I'm in awe of Cashman, the financial might of the Yankees....and I can't wait for Opening Day to come round!

CC and AJ

The New York Yankees officially announced the signings of free agent pitchers CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett today.
CC in particular is an exciting signing, although he hasn't come cheaply at $161m over 7 years (and an opt-out clause after 3 years) - the richest deal for a pitcher in MLB history. The American League CY Young winner in 2007, he gives the Yankees a true ace at the top of their rotation.
AJ is a different proposition though. On his day he has incredible stuff, but his track record with injuries is worrying to say the least (particularly given that the contract runs for 5 years, meaning he'll be a Yankee until age 37). He was dominant against the Yankees last year though, going 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts. He's also 5-0 lifetime against the Red Sox, which is always welcome. :-)
Check out CC's site for more info, and the great coverage over at River Ave. Blues.