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>A-Rod sets AL mark with seven-RBI frame

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October 4, 2009

>Yanks slugger finishes one shy of Tatis’ big league record

ST. PETERSBURG — Alex Rodriguez entered the sixth inning on Sunday needing seven RBIs to reach the 100 mark for the season. He emerged holding a new American League record.

The Yankees slugger belted a three-run homer and a grand slam in New York’s 10-run frame, leading the Bombers to a 10-2 victory over the Rays in the regular-season finale and reaching a special achievement he had joked about minutes earlier.

Knowing he needed four more RBIs for the century mark after homering off Rays starter Wade Davis earlier in the inning, Rodriguez said he was telling teammate Eric Hinske that he might have a chance if Mark Teixeira got aboard to load the bases.

“I was telling him, ‘I may have one shot,'” Rodriguez said. “‘If they load the bases, I might pop one — you never know.’ Obviously, I was joking around. And when I hit it, I just thought of that.”

Rodriguez’s 30th home run of the season made him the first AL player to have seven RBIs in a single inning. The only other Major Leaguer to have seven or more RBIs was Fernando Tatis, who hit two grand slams as a member of the Cardinals to collect eight RBIs in the third inning on April 23, 1999.

Twelve American League players held the previous record with six RBIs in an inning, most recently accomplished by Boston’s David Ortiz on Aug. 12, 2008. The two shots gave Rodriguez 30 homers and an even 100 RBIs to close out a season in which he missed 28 games before coming back from right hip surgery.

“It’s incredible,” Teixeira said. “That’s a high-water mark for any hitter, no matter if he plays 162 games or whatever it is. For Alex to get that, with at least a month that he missed, that’s incredible.”

Rodriguez might never have had the chance for the grand slam had the Rays allowed Andy Sonnanstine to pitch to Teixeira, who was intentionally walked to bring up Rodriguez.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t understand it. I was like, ‘Great!'”

The frozen AL homer leaderboard might lend a hint as to why the Rays pitched around Teixeira with two outs. The first baseman finished tied with Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena, each owning 39 home runs — even though Pena’s season ended on Sept. 7 due to an injury at Yankee Stadium.

Teixeira said he couldn’t tell if that was why the walk had been issued.

“I don’t know — those things don’t matter to me,” Teixeira said. “I don’t think about those things. … They’re still trying to win the game right there. Maybe the numbers worked out where they wanted to pitch to Alex, but it didn’t work out for them there.”

“You’ve got to pick who you want to pitch to, and it worked out really well for us,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Rodriguez’s two homers and seven RBIs confirmed that 2009 would be his 13th season of compiling 30 homers and 100 RBIs, giving him a new Major League record and breaking a tie for 12 seasons with Manny Ramirez and Jimmie Foxx.

Rodriguez has also reached the 30/100 mark in 12 consecutive seasons, tying Foxx’s Major League record, set from 1929-40. Yet Rodriguez said he wasn’t even trying to hit the grand slam that made it all possible.

“I wish I could tell you that,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, I’m just trying to hit the ball somewhere hard.”

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Forwarded Mails

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I saw this on another blog Musings. I thought it was interesting so I am posting it here, and there is a link so you can check out the blog yourself.

Words To Live By. Please respect everyone’s privacy by following the advice below!

A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you’re sure you already follow proper procedures.

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.

Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses and names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for someone to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That’s right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel! How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps.
Try the following if you haven’t done it before:

(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That’s right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the “Forward” button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don’t click on “Forward” first, you won’t be able to edit the message at all.

(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC:(blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don’t see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that’s it, it’s that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say “Undisclosed Recipients in the “TO:” field of the people who receive it.

(3) Remove any “FW :” in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.

(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading .. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.

(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. DO NOT put your email address on any petition. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email addresses on a petition. (And don’t believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just isn’t so!)

Some of the other emails to delete and not forward are:

1. The one that says something like, “Send this email to 10 people and you’ll see something great run across your screen.” Or sometimes they’ll just tease you by saying ‘something really cute will happen.’ IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (We are still seeing some of the same emails that we waited on 10 years ago!)

2. I don’t let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed.

3. Before you forward an ‘Amber Alert’ , or a ‘Virus Alert’, or some of the other emails floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that’s been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes.com . or http://www.truthorfiction.com It’s really easy to find out if it’s real or not. If it’s not, please don’t pass it on.

So please, in the future, let’s stop the junk mail and the viruses.

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>I am so bummed

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October 1, 2009

>for two reasons. One is I missed my quota for blog posts for September, despite a valiant effort on my part, I came up one short. I went to the Yankees game with Em last night, ate too much, had beer, froze my a** off, and they lost. Reason 3 (ok, so I can’t count) I have a wicked cold and I came into work anyway. My boss knew I was going to a Yankees game and I knew he would say “You’re not sick, you’re just tired from the game!” So I’m hear, and my nose is stuffed up (when it’s not dripping) and my throat is so sore I can’t swallow my tea and my head is pound pound pounding.

At the stadium, Em and I went in the store to get some last minute Yankee stuff. Em got something for someone in her old office, an 8×10 picture of Teixeria, a ruler with Yankee logo all over it. I got her a little white bear, and myself a ‘Derek Jeter’ bat and signed baseball (the baseball is signed by the whole team). During the game, Em got me a hot chocolate in a really nice souvenir cup, insulated for hot and with a pop up lid to drink out of. I know I didn’t describe that right, when I get a picture I will post it. Oh, and Derek and Mark did play last night. At least until the 8th inning.

Em would like me to tell you, “The umpires need glasses and attitude adjustments.”

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EPA Releases Draft WaterSense Specification for Showerheads

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September 30, 2009

On September 24, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft WaterSense specification for showerheads for public comment.  Once this specification is finalized, consumers will be able to renovate their bathrooms with a full suite of WaterSense labeled products – toilets, faucets, and showerheads.

The WaterSense draft specification for showerheads sets the maximum flow rate at 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm) at a flowing pressure of 80 pounds per square inch (psi). As with all WaterSense specifications, the draft showerhead specification includes performance criteria to ensure that consumers will not have to sacrifice water coverage or spray intensity in order to achieve water savings.

As one of the leading uses of water in the home, showering accounts for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water consumption. For most households, that’s nearly 30 gallons a day!  In fact, by installing high-efficiency showerheads, the average household could save more than 2,300 gallons of water and enough electricity to power their television use for about a year.  These reductions could add up to as much as $50 per year in water and energy bill savings.

Comments on the draft specification are being accepted through November 9, 2009.  For more information on the WaterSense program or the draft specification for showerheads, please visit www.epa.gov/watersense

Please save a tree, reduce waste. Print e-mails only when necessary.

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>Tomorrow night

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September 29, 2009

>Em and I are going to the last regular season game at Yankee Stadium. There is a chance that our guys (Jeter and Teixeira) won’t be playing, but they still might be there. I am excited but also worried. I downloaded the tickets but I took them out of purse so I wouldn’t lose them. So now I am afraid I might forget to put them back in my purse tonight. Now that I have written about it, I most likely won’t. Of course if I forget them, I WILL be coming home to get them! Em also told me to bring my magazine, just in case. I also have to remember to print the e-mail about the fan club so I get 10% discount if we buy anything.

As much as I want to see the main players, I understand why they might not, and I think it is a good reason. I still want to go, after all, its still the Yankees.
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>THE YANKEES ARE AL EAST CHAMPIONS!

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September 27, 2009

>With a sweep of the division-rival Red Sox over the weekend, the Yankees reached 100 victories and clinched not only the division title but home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If Boston takes the AL Wild Card, the Yankees will face the winner of the tight AL Central race, either Detroit or Minnesota, in the American League Division Series when the playoffs begin.

Party time: Yanks kings of AL East
Pettitte’s solid start, clutch hit by Matsui secure title
Click here for article.

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Sun, September 27, 2009 — 5:08 PM ET
—–

Yankees Clinch American League East Title With 4-2 Victory Over Red Sox

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, clinching the 2009 American League East division title.

Read More: ~The New York Times~

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>Snow Patrol

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September 26, 2009

>As I mentioned before, Tuesday we went to the Snow Patrol concert at the Beacon Theatre, it is really beautiful inside. Very ornate. It was a great show. The day leading up to it was not so great, including but not limited to a two mile walk from the subway to the hotel, in Queens!

Here is my ticket for Snow Patrol. It was an amazing concert. My seat was in the very top row, kind of in the corner. I wasn’t real happy with it, I was a little bit, “It’s too far up!”, until I realized that being in the last row meant I could stand and dance and not disturb anyone behind me. And being in the corner meant there was a place to put my purse and glass that I had my Makers Mark in that I was keeping as a souvenir. I got a key ring too. The key ring is for Snow Patrol, the glass is for the Beacon Theatre. If you are on Facebook and are my friend you can see the pictures. If not, hopefully by the time I post this the pictures will be in my slideshow. Or you can send me a friend request on FB.

Once we got to Manhattan, after checking into the hotel and getting a cab to the subway. Things got a little better. We walked up Broadway, somehow ended up on Amsterdam, found this little restaurant for dinner. Then the show, where I got asked for my I.D. for getting a glass of bourbon because the little girl serving didn’t think I looked over 30!

Tigger mentioned how ‘gay’ the lead singer was, that’s not the complete story, but I will talk more about that later. I am going to try to get up early tomorrow so I can blog some more. I am 4 blog posts behind my quota!

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>Having a GOOD time!

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September 22, 2009

>So here I am at the legendary Beacon Theatre with Tigger and Em to see Snow Patrol, up until we got to Manhattan my day pretty much sucked.

Then as we were standing on the street corner and Em couldn’t see the theatre that was at Broadway and 73rd, I looked at the street sign, ‘Amsterdam’. So we walked one block over and here we are. I got a drink and the little girl asked to see my ID. So I can still pass for 29.

My seat is in the very top row, there are two ways to look at this. You could say, ‘this sucks! I can’t see anything!’ Or you could stand and shout ‘I’m on top of the world!’ just don’t do that to many times in a crowded theatre.

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>Teixeira’s Value Is Apparent, With or Without Award

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>By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 21, 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There are many things Mark Teixeira can do on a baseball field, many virtues that enticed the Yankees to pry him from the Los Angeles Angels last December with an eight-year, $180 million contract. But one attribute stands out to him most.

It is nothing as subtle as scooping bad throws at first base or wearing down a pitcher with walks. It is the least subtle skill of all. Teixeira loves to hit home runs.

“You can try to hit for as high an average as you want,” Teixeira said. “You can try to work walks. But at the end of the day, if you can hit home runs, you want to hit home runs. That’s something not many people can do.”

Teixeira knows from experience the value of power. He hit .467 for the Angels in their division series last fall, but all of his hits were singles. The Angels lost in four games to the Red Sox, hitting no home runs in their three losses.

The Yankees, in theory, will not have the same problem this October. They lead the majors in home runs, and Teixeira has led the way.

He entered Monday’s game against the Angels with 37 homers, two ahead of Boston’s Jason Bay and two behind Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena for the American League lead. The number above him will not change; Pena broke two fingers when C. C. Sabathia hit them with a pitch on Sept. 7, and he is out for the season.

Besides ranking second in homers, Teixeira leads the league in runs batted in (118), total bases (326) and extra-base hits (82). He came into the Yankees’ series against the Angels on a tear, with 16 hits in his previous 33 at-bats to raise his average to .292.

His all-around contributions to the Yankees, who have the majors’ best record (95-55 through Sunday), would make Teixeira a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player award in most seasons. Predictably, his teammates endorse him.

“Just the runs he saves on defense, making every play over there at first base, just that alone deserves votes for M.V.P.,” Sabathia said Saturday in Seattle. “You look at all he does on defense, never mind the 37 homers and leading the league in R.B.I.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 31 players have led their league in homers, runs batted in, total bases and extra-base hits since the modern M.V.P. was first presented in 1931. Nineteen of those players have won the award, most recently Ken Griffey Jr. of theSeattle Mariners in 1997.

The reality, though, is Teixeira has almost no chance of winning. Minnesota Twinscatcher Joe Mauer leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while playing a position with fewer elite hitters. With Mauer’s team back in contention, there is no weakness in his candidacy.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it,” Mauer said Sunday. “But it’s not something I try to pay too much attention to. I’m more concerned about winning ballgames and getting back to the postseason.”

Teixeira may not win the M.V.P., but he has done everything the Yankees wanted when they signed him last winter after splurging on Sabathia and A. J. Burnett. While Burnett has had an uneven season, Teixeira and Sabathia have delivered.

“We’re extremely pleased with what those guys have done this year,” Manager Joe Girardisaid. “They’ve basically had the years we knew that they were capable of having. Their years are pretty normal. C. C.’s got a chance to win 20, Tex has got a chance to win the M.V.P., a chance to drive in maybe 125, 130 runs. These guys have done everything we could have expected.”

Like his teammate Derek Jeter, another player who could finish near the top of many ballots, Teixeira said he was especially proud of his consistency. His batting average, on-base percentage (.383) and slugging percentage (.571) are close to his career averages of .290, .378 and .545.

“For me it’s just being consistent,” Teixeira said. “That’s what I’ve been proudest of in my career; I’ve been consistent. You look at my career averages, and I’m a little bit above or a little bit below in every category every year of my career. Yeah, fluctuations happen. But I came in here with the same mind-set that I’ve had every single year and had the same kind of season.”

His career high in home runs is 43, set with the Texas Rangers in 2005, when he ranked fourth in the league behind three players who have been connected to steroid use: David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.

There are no active players ahead of him now, but Teixeira would be happiest if his homers made a difference in the playoffs. Winning his first home run title is not a priority.

“It’s way down the list,” Teixeira said.

Pat Borzi contributed reporting from Minneapolis.

~The New York Times~

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>Breaking News Alert

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September 20, 2009

>The New York Times
Sun, September 20, 2009 — 11:03 PM ET
—–

‘Mad Men’ and ’30 Rock’ Win Again at Emmys

“Mad Men,” the AMC series, repeated as best drama at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, while NBC’s “30 Rock” won a third straight award for best comedy.

Read More: ~The New York Times~

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