New York Yankees Information
This powerhouse team is home to legends like Dimaggio, Gherig, Babe Ruth Roger Maris and Micky Mantle – to name a few. Whether one likes them or not – and even if they have fallen behind a bit - The Yankees remain the barometer of success in Baseball today. One of the highlights of the 2007 season has been Alex Rodriguez’ winning the American League Clutch Hitter award in May. They have also been the first team in MLB to bring in players from the People’s Republic of China. Taking advantage of the lucrative Asian market, the Yankees have signed an advertising deal with Chinese dairy company Yili. Yankees fans can also look forward to a brand new Yankee stadium, set to open its doors in 2009. The Yankees currently play in the old stadium, but MLB has granted the 2008 All Star Game to the Yankees in honor of their new stadium.
The New York Yankees are quite possibly the most successful and most recognized
sports team in the entire world. They’ve dominated baseball
since the early 1900s and don’t appear to be slowing down
anytime soon. They play their home games in Yankee Stadium, located
in the Bronx. “The Stadium” can hold more than 57,000
people, and is best known for the short porches in left and right
field and for the hall of fame plaques located in the left center
bullpen. Before each of Roger Clemens’ starts, he would walk
out to the area and rub the “head” of Babe Ruth for
good luck.
Joe Torre enters his 9th season as the leader of the Yankees and his 22nd overall.
Torre is only 178 games over .500 in the regular season, but he’s 66-33
in the postseason, leading the Yankees to four of their numerous titles. Torre
is best known for his relaxed demeanor and easy going managerial style. This
hasn’t always been the best method for owner George “The Boss” Steinbrenner.
Steinbrenner has made numerous threats over the years that Torre would be out
sooner than later, but it’s hard to imagine another manager stepping in
to fill the vacancy and working out any better than Torre has.
The biggest losses felt this year will most likely be on the defensive side of
the ball. The Yankees lost Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to Houston during
the off-season, and they also lost David “Boomer” Wells to San Diego.
To counterbalance these moves, they acquired Javier Vasquez from Montreal and
Kevin Brown from Los Angeles. These two will team up with Mike Mussina to build
a solid building block in the rotation. Jose Contreras is expected to live up
to expectations this season as a #4, and Jon Lieber should rebound from injuries
to claim the 5 spot. The other big ace is in the bullpen, the closer, Mariano
Rivera. Rivera could likely get into the hall of fame simply on his postseason
accolades, but he’s no slouch in the regular season either. In his seven
seasons since stepping into the closer role, he’s averaged nearly 40 saves
a season.
After losing last year’s ALCS hero Aaron Boone to a blown knee, the Yankees went out and signed Alex Rodriguez, a player widely regarded as the best in the game. They moved him from shortstop to third base, where he’ll team with captain Derek Jeter on the left side of the infield. The Yankees also signed all-star right fielder Gary Sheffield from the Atlanta Braves. Many experts believe this team could be one of the best in the history of the game, but if they don’t play well, they might not even be the best team in the AL East this year. Boston is ready to take another shot at the “Evil Empire” and Baltimore shelled out this summer in the hopes of being in contention in the end. If the Yankees don’t play well, expect Steinbrenner to make big changes in 2005.