Tag Archives: Yankees

Torch in Sanchez’s Hands Now

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 9/15/09

The torch has been passed.  Now, let’s see how far the kid can run with it.

Prior to making his first professional start, New York Jets rookie Quarterback, Mark Sanchez met up with the only man to ever lead the franchise to a Super Bowl – Joe Namath.  For over forty years now, long-time suffering Jets fans have savored Joe Willie’s performance in Super Bowl III, speaking glowingly about the iconic figure and his positive contribution to an otherwise abysmal team history.  Sunday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX, Namath informed Sanchez that it’s time to move on.

“…this isn’t about me anymore.  It’s about you,” he told Sanchez.

With that, a new era of New York Jets football began.  Jets 24, Texans 7.

Sanchez was confident and efficient, throwing for 272 yards including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Chanci Stuckey.  He was masterful under pressure, converting 10 of 18 third downs.  He exhibited great mobility in the pocket, and excellent decision making throughout.  Sanchez’s play, coupled with a pair of big runs from Thomas Jones, and Rex Ryan’s“Ravenous” defensive scheme, left Jets fans giddy at what the future might bring.  His quick start was reminiscent of the way another former New York rookie began his storied career.

Thirteen years ago, with similar poise and passion to what Sanchez displayed yesterday, Derek Jeter wrote the first chapter of his legendary career.  Now the all-time Yankees hits leader, Derek Jeter began his 1996 rookie season in Cleveland with a home run and a pair of dazzling plays at short stop.  The sky was the limit that day, and for over a decade, Jeter has been as good as advertised.

He further solidified his legacy on Friday night by passing Lou Gehrig’s hits total.  On Sunday, the fiery kid from SoCal began writing his own legacy, chasing Broadway Joe along the way.

One game into “Matinee” Mark’s career, he looks up for the challenge…even if it was only one game.

“It isn’t fair to anyone to judge a young quarterback after one game,” Namath said.  “Even if it was a really good game…what I saw was a kid who was ready.”

The kid was ready, and so are Jets fans.

In 1996, the Yankees, with a new manager (Torre) and a new leader(Jeter), built on chemistry carried over from the previous regime to capture the team’s first title in 18 years.  It’s been over forty years without a Jets Super Bowl victory.  Could a new coach (Ryan) and a new leader (Sanchez) do the trick for Gang Green too?  Jets faithful burn for another title run – time will tell if Sanchez can light that fire with his new torch.

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Bernie Williams Did it His Way, Quietly.

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 8/28/09

“Shut Up.  Play.”

Bernie Williams stood there and faced the media with those 3 words quietly displayed on his t-shirt.  It was October of 1996, and Williams wore this shirt in front of his locker throughout the post season.  This subtle reminder personified the Yankees of the mid-90s.

Those Yankees teams never gloated, always acted as if they had “been there before,” and proceeded to win four World Series titles in five years.  To this day, looking back on it, Williams still maintains a humble opinion of his years in pinstripes.

“I played on some unbelievable teams, but I was never concerned about where we ranked all-time or anything like that,” he said.  “I was just glad to be there and be a part of all the winning.”

Williams, looking like he could still slip into his pinstripes, visited the Steiner Sports Corporate headquarters on Thursday and for #51, the autograph session quickly turned into an opportunity for reflection.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate all the precious moments I had,” he said.  “I was part of a truly great team and I enjoy sitting back and enjoying those moments.”

Williams played on some of the most successful Yankees teams of all time, and the switch-hitting center fielder had a major role in most of those triumphs. Over the course of his 16-year career – all with the Yankees – Bernie Williams was selected to 5 All-Star Games, won the 1996 ALCS MVP Award, won 4 Gold Gloves for his wizardry in center field, and captured the 1998 Batting Title.  Despite all his personal accolades along the way, Williams insists his greatest memories are team oriented.

“The batting title in 1998 was special, but that whole 1998 team was unbelievable,” he said.  “Those are the things I remember the most…the things we accomplished as a team.”

It is that unassuming personality that has landed Bernie a special place in the hearts of most Yankees fans.  Adulation that was never more evident to Williams than at the final game ever played at the original Yankee Stadium.

“It was awesome to see the fans embrace me the way they did,” he said.  “Especially after being out of the game for a few years.  I was so surprised I got introduced after Yogi!”

Williams was invited back the following April to help initiate the new home of the Yankees.  He appeared in center field, playing “Take me out to the ball game” on his guitar, and highlighted an extraordinary day at the new ball park.

“Playing [the guitar] in center field on Opening Day was weird,” he said.  “It was such a bizarre moment.  I was in Yankee Stadium, with a guitar, playing in front of a full house.  It was such a cool moment.  There was so much electricity that day.  It reminded me of the old Stadium a lot.”

Inside that old Stadium, Bernie Williams cemented his place in Yankees lore, quietly positioning himself in the record books alongside other Yankees center fielders like Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.

“I have no regrets about my career,” he said.  “I was part of a great team for 16 years.  I am very proud of that, and I did it my way.”

He shut up and just played.

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Rivera Comfortably Close to #500

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 6/25/09

Mariano Rivera is always comfortable.  Even holding a bat, with a #91 helmet awkwardly sitting on his head…he’s comfortable.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, last night in Atlanta, the Great Rivera strolled up to the plate with the bases loaded, and an 8-4 lead.  Mo had just ended the 8th inning in dominant fashion, striking out the only batter he faced.  Because of a late Yankee rally in the National League Park, he had to either take his cuts, or be pulled from the game.

The situation screamed for Rivera to take three straight pitches, walk off the field healthy, and then close the game from the mound in the bottom of the frame.  Rivera had other ideas.  Like the natural he is, Mo lined an 0-1 fastball from Manny Acosta to centerfield.  The laser was caught for the final out of the inning, yet very impressive.  Even so, it wasn’t the most remarkable thing the 39-year-old slugger…ummm…pitcher did last night.

Rivera did what he does best – end games.  In vintage form, Mo struck out all 4 batters he faced to earn his 16th save of the season.  The effort moved him just two saves shy of the magical #500 in his Hall of Fame career.  When he does reach it, he will be only the second pitcher to do so, following the only man he trails on the all-time saves list: Trevor Hoffman(571).

However, the legend of Mariano Rivera runs deeper than just numbers.  Since making the transition from ineffective starter, to celebrated closer, he has been the most important and dominant player at any position, on any team in baseball.  Period.  He’s been so consistent that teammates, fans, and even the opposition expect him to succeed at all times.  Any aberration to perfection is shocking.

Rivera’s failures over the years are so few and far between, fans can often recount the individual moments with relative ease.  Sandy Alomar’s 1997 ALDS home run and Luis Gonzalez’s blooper in game 7 of the 2001 World Series immediately come to mind…there were also the games 4 & 5 losses to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.  After that, most struggle to find any meaningful Rivera meltdowns.  Sans a few insignificant regular season blowups against Boston, Rivera has been flawless over a 14 year period.  Remarkable.

So, Mo takes his 498 career saves across the river this weekend for 3 games with the Mets at CitiField.  Though he’ll be only the second man to accomplish the feat, he may be the last to ever do so.  The only active closers detectable in his rearview mirror are Billy Wagner (385) and Troy Percival (358) – both in their late 30s and currently on the DL with career-threatening injuries.

Over the past 14 seasons, dominant closers have come and gone, but Rivera has been a model of consistency.  Sure, his career ERA is a miniscule 2.31, and his Post Season ERA is an unheard of 0.77, but again, more than just stats, Rivera gives his team a psychological edge.

When the “Sandman” enters in the Bronx, everyone in the building feels comfortable, except for the man standing in the batters box.  Looking as though he still has plenty left in the tank, Rivera could make a legitimate run at Hoffman over the next couple of years – putting him in an a place where he is always most comfortable: on top.

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Cleveland Rocked

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 6/2/09

Chief Wahoo was the only one left smiling Saturday night in Cleveland.  Well, Chief Wahoo and the thousands of happy Yankees fans filing out of Progressive Field, in town to witness a 10-5 pinstriped victory.  For the locals, a day filled with so much promise ended exactly like so many others have in the past – in disappointment.

Downtown Cleveland was buzzing on Saturday afternoon – not only because millions of those pesky midges decided to show up with the Yankees in town again.  The city was hungry.  The appetizer: CC Sabathia’sreturn.  The main course: Lebron James and the Cavs facing the Magic in a pivotal Eastern Conference Game 6.

It didn’t take long for things to go sour off the shore of Lake Erie.  Half filled with Yankees fans, Progressive Field sounded more like the Bronx as Sabathia took a no-hitter into the 5th inning against the hometown Indians.  Simultaneously, the Cavs got off to a slow start, trailing by 18 at the half in Orlando.

Sabathia finished strong, tossing 7 innings, allowing only 3 runs on 5 hits en route to a 10-5 Yankees victory.  Fans piled out of the building, long before the final out, and walked across the street to an empty Quicken Loans Arena to watch the second half of Cavs-Magic on the big screen.  It wasn’t much of a show.

Though everyone in the place was down with King James and all his men, it was all his men who ultimately brought King James down.  Aside from Delonte West’s 22 points and the 25 put up by James, the rest of the team never really got started, dropping the game 103-90, and surrendering their place in the NBA Finals.

Dejected Cleveland fans added another day of frustration to their already trying resume.  The city that hasn’t raised a championship banner since the Browns won the NFL Championship in 1964, saw a golden opportunity slip through their fingers with this latest Cavalier loss.

So, NBA Commissioner, David Stern, those ABC execs, and those cool puppets, will have to cope without their much anticipated Kobe-Lebron Finals.  And the city of Cleveland will have to move on once again, without a title.  To add insult to injury, after the game, James, the prodigal son of Cleveland, spoke to the media and reflected on the lost season while wearing his controversial Yankees cap.

Though the MVP candidate wouldn’t commit to staying in Cleveland following the 2009-2010 season, many suspect the free agent-to-be will leave town – another potential blow to this passionate sports city.

When Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn helped defeat the Yankees to capture the pennant for the Indians in 1989’s “Major League,” it was a fictional account of what it would be like to actually win in Cleveland.  Saturday in Cleveland, the real Indians were rocked by the Yankees, and fans watched the Cavs’ dream season end.  Sometimes, a dose of reality hurts.  In Cleveland, the only thing you can do is try and keep on smiling.

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Grow Your Collection

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 5/26/09

Dedicated collectors take great pride in watching their memorabilia collection grow, but the latest collectible to come out of the Bronx is unprecedented!  Yankees-Steiner Collectibles is giving Yankees fans the opportunity to own a living piece of Yankee Stadium that will be sure to grow their collection – with proper food, water and sunlight, that is.

Many considered the field at Yankee Stadium to be the most sacred turf in all of sports.  Now fans can own an actual piece of the legendary sod.  Personal pieces of pinstriped real estate can be transplanted directly from the Yankees former backyard to private homes.

Landscapers took a scalpel to the field on March 14, 2009, removing the layer of grass, one row at a time.  Throughout the 2-day process, each row was rolled up like carpet, and numbered according to which portion of the field it originated from.  After being loaded onto the back of a truck, each spiral of Yankees turf was escorted out of the stadium, to be inventoried.  Afterward, the lavish green field, once a stage performed on by DiMaggio,Mantle, Mattingly, and Jeter, resembled a mud pit better suited for the demolition derby.

Yankees-Steiner Collectibles recommends some simple steps to ensure the relocated territory flourishes in other yards as it did in the Bronx.  Direct sunlight exposure of 4-6 hours a day is key, as is selecting a prime location free of standing water or excessive moisture.

Just like tending to any living plant, Yankee Stadium Sod will need proper maintenance.  A gentile mow once a week for the first 3 weeks is necessary, and providing ample water (1 inch per week) will contribute to a healthy lawn.  Turf fertilizing is also important, and it’s recommended to contact a landscape contractor for specific instructions, as lawn conditions vary from house to house.

Freeze-dried sod is another option available for fans looking to preserve the hallowed turf.  During this process, the “life” is literally “sucked out” of a round sod patch, measuring 3 inches in diameter.  No maintenance is required here, as the keepsake lacks any living properties.

While the freeze-dried option is great for decorating around the living room or office, transplanting actual living sod is the latest way to preserve the memory of the most celebrated field in all of sports…or, at the very least, it’s a great surface for backyard wiffle ball.

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Take a Seat in History

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 5/19/09

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact date, but it started sometime last summer.  The topic remained scorching hot throughout the frosty winter months.  It continues to be the number one question being asked by Yankees fans, and sports collectors alike: when are the seats from Yankee Stadium going to be available for purchase?

The wait is over!

These precious gems are starting to be unearthed, pried from withinbaseball’s cathedral in the Bronx, available for fans to take a seat in history, within the comfort of their own home.  This summer, throw some dogs on the grill, grab a beer from the fridge, and watch the Yanks while resting in an actual Yankee Stadium seat – from your living room!

Last Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Yankees-Steiner Collectibles and the New York Yankees announced the beginning of this historic opportunity, immediately giving fans the opportunity to purchase seats from the club’s former home.  The press conference set off a flurry of phone calls as thousands pounced on the once-in-a-lifetime items.

A set of seats, and other Yankee Stadium artifacts, were put on display at Gate 2 of the New Yankee Stadium and remain there for all home games.  Thousands of fans have stopped by, admiring the relics during the game – and reserving their own personal pieces of The House That Ruth Built.

If looking to purchase the iconic blue seats, it’s important to know there are many different packages available.  The first basic package gives fans the opportunity to purchase a pair of non-specific seats, not designated for regular season ticket packages.  These seats will be chosen at random and will sell for $1,500 a pair.

If fans are looking to scoop up the actual seats, specific to their season plan, the second basic package is the way to go.  For $2,000 fans can own the actual pair of seats they sat in while personally witnessing history each summer.  These fans must have their Yankees season ticket account numbers handy, and have had either a full plan, or partial plan A or B to qualify.  Seats are being sold in pairs, not individually.  Additional packages, including hand signed and game used collectibles, along with seats are also available.

To reserve a set, anxious fans won’t have to dive headfirst into a pile of seats like their Captain did in July of 2004.  Seats are available through Yankees-Steiner Collectibles via web or phone.  Each set of seats will come complete with a Yankees-Steiner letter of authenticity.

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Ruth Built It, Now You Can Take It Home

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 5/12/09

Fifty-seven thousand empty blue seats quietly rest in the Bronx.  They are the last remaining witnesses of the historic grounds.  There is a sense of tranquility inside the most decorated venue in sports.  Gone are the nightly throngs of Yankees fans anxious to greet “mystique” and “aura.”  In its place is…silence.  It is the “calm” following an 85-year pinstriped storm – a whirlwind that brought 26 World Championships to town.

True, the famous blue seats currently filling “The House that Ruth Built” are not the original occupants.  But they have certainly observed their share of history since the Stadium’s renovation in the mid-seventies.  They were there every step of the way as recent Yankees teams dynastically rebuilt themselves.  Now they will be part of history one last time as the building dramatically comes down.

It is an eventuality that draws varied emotions.  Many are sentimental about losing such an iconic stadium.  After all, change can sometimes be difficult to accept.  Still, others have embraced the team’s new digs across the street.  Ready or not, the Yankees have moved!

There will never be another game played at the original Yankee Stadium, a structure dripping with history.  Every crevice contains a valuable memento, a keepsake sparking memories to last forever.  These souvenirs are now available for Yankees fans and baseball historians alike to personally own, thanks to a joint partnership joining the New York Yankees and Yankees-Steiner Collectibles.

As the stadium is methodically taken apart, each piece will be preserved and transformed into an instant collectable.  Pieces of the clubhouse, dugout, and private offices will be available.  So too will famous stadium signage, pieces of freize, the foul poles, turnstiles, bricks from Monument Park, and yes, those fifty-seven thousand empty blue seats, each with so many stories to tell.  Throughout this exciting and unprecedented process, I will share some of them with you.

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A-Rod: Rehabbing Player & Book Now Share Spot on Shelf

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 5/5/09

Who cares?  That seems to be the overwhelming reaction to A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, the new “tell-all” book written by Selena Roberts of Sports Illustrated.

A-Rod, the player, has been on the shelf for 5 weeks to start the season (hip).  As for the book, according to the New York Post, its first day on the shelf was disappointing – ranking only 61st in total sales on Amazon.com.  Isn’t this the juicy book everyone was waiting for?  The book that was going to expose A-Rod as a fraud, and a cheater?  If a tree falls and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?

It seems as though the book’s debut in stores was somewhat anti-climactic.  Baseball fans got their fill of the controversy surrounding the game’s most recognizable and dominant player back in February when news of his steroid use first broke.  Other revelations, including Rodriguez tipping pitches to opposing players, hasn’t translated into sales.

On the same day the book was released, Rodriguez was where he should be, on the field, rehabbing his bum hip.  He had a better day than Selena Roberts too, playing 7 innings and blasting a home run in an extended spring training game.  If all goes well, the Yankee third baseman could return to the big show this Friday, against the Orioles in Baltimore.

Now that’s a debut most Yankees fans are anxious about.  The reality is, his reputation has already been damaged following his admission of steroid use back in February.  Does it really matter how much more his rep takes a beating?  Love him or not, Alex Rodriguez is the most important player in the Yankees Universe.  If he hits, and the Yankees win, all is forgiven…that is…until he has an 0-4 day in mid-October.

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Get Connected

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By Jason Klein

Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 4/23/09

Connect.  That’s what I do every day I’m in the Steiner Sports offices.  I connect sports fans with their heroes…customers with memorabilia…legendary sports moments with new product ideas.  I help passionate people realize their sports fantasies by getting them closer to the game than they thought possible.

One might say I’m a glorified middleman.  That’s one way to put it.  One thing’s certain, I’m always in the middle of something exciting, thanks to the relationships Steiner Sports has with some of the most elite athletes and franchises in professional and collegiate sports.

For years, I’ve enjoyed connecting with many of you over the phone, via e-mail, and in many instances, meeting face-to-face at some of our unforgettable meet-and-greet events.  This blog is an opportunity for me to further advance that relationship, giving you exclusive insight into happenings within the Steiner Sports community, and providing my take on sports news as it breaks.

Many of you have asked me what it’s like working directly with athletes like Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia, and Eli Manning or partnering with teams like the Yankees,Red Sox, and Cowboys.   I’m constantly asked: What innovative new items are coming out?  Who’s signing next?  Or, simply, what did you think of the game last night?  At Steiner Sports, there is always something going on…I look forward to sharing some of it with you along the way.  Get connected.

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