Friday, June 24, 2011

Yankees notes: Life's a popularity contest

If nothing else, the latest round of interleague play reminded the baseball world what the New York Yankees mean to the sport.I know I sound like the Yankees version of Dillon Panthers booster Buddy Garrity when I say that, but the numbers don't lie.

The three-game set at Wrigley Field drew 126,283 fans, a new three-game series record at the iconic park in Chicago. The Great American Ball Park — seriously, they still call it that — drew sellouts for all three games, including a full house for a weekday game after a rainout.

The Yankees make money — and not just for themselves.

Speaking of the Yankees and popularity, the LoHud folk had a nice breakdown of the All-Star vote standings. Expect to see a lot of New York gray at Chase Field.

Here's an interesting ESPN Insider piece (subscription required) that focuses on New York's apparent unwillingness to pull the trigger on talented prospects, even at a time when the parent club needs them. One scout described Jesus Montero's lackluster season at Triple-A Scranton like this:
"He looks like a player who knows he's stuck in Pennsylvania."

- Nick Swisher would like you to know that there ain't nothing better than an off day in New York. Of course, Swishalicious could be trapped in Siberia and tweet with frost-bitten fingers that he was having the time of his life.

- Not Yankee related, but I'm pretty fascinated by the case of Nats manager Jim Riggleman, who resigned Thursday despite Washington's status as the NL's hottest team. I guess he figured a hot stretch was a good time for a power play. He figured wrong.

- File this under trying to get back in the good graces of the captain: Brian Cashman told the Daily News on Thursday that Jose Reyes coming to the Bronx is "not going to happen."

- Speaking of Derek Jeter, don't expect to see him back in the lineup before July 1. Remember what Jimmy Rollins said about the lingering nature of calf injuries? Just sayin' ...

- Ken Shpigel of The New York Times notes that no team has won more games than the Yankees since Jeter exited the lineup on June 14. He then poses a complicated question: Is there a correlation?

- Until next time, hang onto the roof ...

Dan Hanzus can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com or on Twitter @danhanzus.

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