Goodbye, Yogi Berra.

Hey everyone, Drew back here. This has been a post I haven't been looking forward to writing for years, but knew was inevitable. Yogi Berra passed away this morning at the age of 90 due to what appears to be from natural causes; leaving the baseball world in mourning. The ten time World Series champion had a heart of gold and was one of the most colorful figures to ever play the game.

Of all the current and former players I've had the good fortune of meeting, there was nobody I would have preferred to meet more than Mr. Berra. His health began to fail around the time my Dad and I started attending sports card shows, and we've come just short of meeting him on several occasions through the years. I'll never get to say I shook his hand, however he was such a humble, graceful man to the point where it almost feels like I did. He treated the Yankees fans, players, and organization like family, and given the outpour of support and love shared across the world on his behalf today I know I'm not alone in saying that we all were impacted by his life.

Yogi played 19 professional seasons, all but one for the New York Yankees. Prior to his baseball career, he served in the US Navy as a gunner's mate on D-Day and throughout much of World War II. He was called up from the Newark Bears to the Yankees in 1946, and the rest was history. He batted .285 for his career while commanding a remarkable pitching staff; guiding them into the postseason every year but 1954 and 1959. Berra was a prolific postseason offensive force, and is the all time record holder in World Series games played, at bats, runs scored, singles, and doubles (he ranks second in Home Runs and RBI, only behind Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth).

Many of you know Lawrence Peter Berra for his famous "Yogi-ism's". Although he famously said "I never said most of the things I said", we all know he was responsible for "It's dèjá vu all over again", "It ain't over 'til it's over", and "Baseball is ninety percent mental, and the other half is physical". My personal favorite quote of his was when he was asked how many slices he would like his pizza divided into and he responded "You better cut the pizza in four slices because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." Some even view the man as a philosophical figure; while others just find him as humorous as they come.

I never got to watch him play, although I've seen plenty of his highlights over the years. My dad even said this morning that Yogi's playing career was overlooked by his cultural significance, which is a rare feat in baseball given the importance and relevance of statistics, stories, and history in general. Berra is at the forefront of such history, having connected generations of famous athletes who played generations apart. How many people got a chance to meet Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter?

As he departs, I want to remember Yogi Berra for all he was, on and off the field. He was the complete package, and the epitome of why we play and love this game. It's to root for people like him.

We're going to miss you, Yogi. Rest in Peace.

Image Source

And PS, if you're reading this up there: He was out.

Congratulations, Curtis Martin!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today was the announcement of the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class, and I was extremely pleased to see one of my all time favorite football players get a well deserved honor, in former Jets running back Curtis Martin. This is the first time that somebody I got to watch play quite often has been elected into any Hall of Fame, for that matter. I know it will be the first of many, but it is going to be truly special to watch Curtis officially become one of football's elite.

I began watching sports in 2004, starting in the fall when the Jets were contending in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the one highlight I remember most was Doug Brien missing a field goal that would have brought them into the AFC Championship game, and going on to lose to the young Ben Roethlisberger and his Steelers team. Somehow, as crushed as I was from that game, I continued to watch sports more and more. I guess it was love at first sight! Another part of that season I remember was when Curtis Martin won the rushing title over Shaun Alexander by a mere yard. So, to say Curtis Martin helped me grow interest in sports in general is a very fair statement.

Now, over 7 years later, I sit home all day writing about sports and collecting cards and memorabilia. Seeing the headline "Curtis Martin leads 6 HOF Enshrinees" on ESPN.com made me revert back to those days, before the collection, before the hobby entered my mind, and way before this blog was started.

Martin only played for 3 seasons during my football interest "era", but he to this day is one of my favorite players of all time. It's cool to think that I was able to see a Hall of Famer play in person, even though I know I've seen more future Hall of Famers play that just haven't been eligible for induction yet. I'm sure a majority of you all have seen players like this in your life, but I'll never forget the memories Curtis Martin left behind, and what he's helped me grow to love.

Thank you Curtis, and again, a huge congratulations on becoming a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

See Ya!

My Take on the Big Yankees Moves

Hey everyone, Drew back here. As the free agency period is starting to slow down and come to a close, Yankee fans seemed to wonder where GM Brian Cashman had been. Normally, Cashman and the Steinbrenner family are all over the free agents every winter, but it seemed different this year. Obviously, the team's weakness from last year was our starting pitching, with struggles from Phil Hughes, Bartolo Colon, and more famously, AJ Burnett. Burnett has been consistently awful through his 3 seasons in the Bronx, and for about $16 million a year, Cashman did the wrong thing taking him on. But you can't necessarily blame him for the signing. Burnett had been a very solid #2 pitcher for several years, and his performance demanded a salary of maybe just a bit less than what he got.

But when I heard about the big trade that went down yesterday between the Yankees and Mariners, I was a bit stunned. In case you haven't heard, the Yankees sent their top prospect Jesus Montero and a potential starter in Hector Noesi to Seattle for their young future star pitcher Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos. I was in shock when I received the Yankees News Alert text message, because of the way they brought up Montero. His hitting skill was un-matched by most catching prospects, and his overall future talent was predicted to be of All Star caliber. I invested in a few of his autographs and was extremely excited for his call up to the big leagues. Last September, he made a splash when they finally called him up for his cup of coffee at the end of the season. He hit .328 in 18 games, slugging 4 home runs, and knocking in 28 runs, which in my book is an unreal first month in the big leagues! 2012 will be his official rookie season, now with Seattle, and he may do even better in a less covered team in the Mariners.

Michael Pineda is going to be a beast in the major leagues, from what all of us fans got to witness last year. With very minimal run support, the 6'7 right hander still managed to win 9 games and sported an ERA of 3.74. He collapsed as the year went on, but he showed many signs of promise. I actually had gotten 2 of his autographs through the mail last season, and I owned him at some points of last year's fantasy baseball season. I'm not sure how he'll stack up in New York, with all of the media and pressure that has scared away many other solid players that just couldn't perform in the environment. My take on his collapse last year was that he lost confidence in his ability to help his team win games, because the Mariners offense didn't give him much/if any run support all season. Also, he was only 22 years old, and it's very hard for a young pitcher, no matter how talented, to pitch that well against so many All Star hitters for an entire year.

While I am a fan of Pineda, I still don't understand why Cashman decided to deal the future face of our franchise, once Jeter retires. The deal does even out in the end, but after how Yankee fans fell in love with the future hitting star late last year, I couldn't believe he would allow his stint to end. They have wanted many top of the line players over the years, and in order to get those guys, they would have to surrender Montero. In fact, a few years ago they could have gotten Cliff Lee from Seattle, if they gave him up. But Cashman wouldn't do it. Finally, he did it. Hopefully he did it, and got the right guy out of it.

Based off their 2011 performance, Pineda's numbers top most of the other big name pitching free agents' stats. CJ Wilson was pretty much the only pitcher that topped him last year, but Wilson is inconsistent and did very poorly in the playoffs. I'm really going to miss Jesus, and I wish him the best of luck in Seattle.. well as long as Pineda can perform to the ability the Yankees management thinks he can!

Immediately following the trade, the Yankees also announced they had signed former Dodgers pitcher Huroki Kuroda to a one year, $10 million dollar deal. I honestly don't know a whole lot about Kuroda, besides the fact that he's an aging pitcher who had one of his better seasons last year, although he also did not receive much run support from his Dodgers teammates. I think judging off of what I've read he could make a solid number 4 starter, and if he doesn't turn out well, he could be a long man in the bullpen, because they certainly have many other arms to test out in the rotation! The rotation now looks to consist of: Sabathia; Pineda; Nova; Kuroda; and either Hughes; Burnett; or Garcia in the 5th spot. I could see them putting Hughes in the bullpen, because as we've seen, he can be dominant in that role. Burnett may either be traded prior to the season or could fill a bullpen role, as much as he won't like the idea. But honestly, I don't think it matters how happy he is, because he earned the role he now has, by failing to perform at the level his contract wanted him to.

Nobody wins in the offseason, because simply, there aren't any games to play! With the Angels signing Pujols and CJ Wilson, the Marlins signing Jose Reyes; Heath Bell; and Mark Buehrle, and all of the other big moves,  it's been an interesting offseason for sure. I hope a few years from now the Yankees won't regret yesterdays moves, but we're going to have to wait and see!

What are your views on the big moves in the Bronx? Who do you think got the bigger edge in the deal?

See Ya!

The Core 4 Slims Down To 2...

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today, the Yankees' beat writer Sweeny Murti revealed some big news, in that former Yankees staple behind the plate and current free agent Jorge Posada is set to announce his retirement within the next 2 weeks. While the future is definitely set catching wise for the Yankees, with Russell Martin and many top of the line prospects like Montero and Romine, it's definitely a sad day for Yankees fans worldwide. I've grown up watching the "Core 4", consisting Jeter; Rivera; Posada; and Pettitte; as well as the other stars that surrounded them through their World Series run in the late 90's. Of course, having been born in the mid-90's, I was too young to see the dominant Yankees dynasty, but I at least got to see the 2009 championship as a diehard fan.

Posada never quite stood out as a clear favorite of mine, but it wasn't until last year that I realized how important he truly was to the Yankees franchise. Not only was he a standout offensive player for many years, but he also caught a majority of the games and was one of the best offensive catchers in baseball history. Through the history of the game there have been many top tier catchers: Berra; Bench; Campanella; Fisk; Carter; Rodriguez; Piazza, and the reason to their success was because they were aggressive players who battled through innings behind the  plate; called a great game; but also could hit! Posada may not belong in the first group of catchers, but he's very close. Whether he makes the Hall of Fame one day is a question that not many people could answer right now, but he will definitely draw consideration. He will retire with a lifetime batting average of .273, 275 Home Runs, and 1,664 Hits. His best season in my opinion was 2003, when he finished 3rd in AL MVP voting after posting a .281 average with 30 home runs and 101 RBI's. That is a great season for a catcher! He also made 5 All Star Teams, won 5 Silver Sluggers, and of course won 4 World Series championships!

Unfortunately, he went out on a bit of a rough note. Last season, he clearly showed signs of wearing down, batting only .235 with 14 home runs in 115 games. However, he came through in the clutch, especially on September 21st, when my dad, best friend, grandpa, and I went to the second game of a doubleheader, that was a make up game from August we finally got to see. The Yankees already clinched playoff berth in the first game of the doubleheader against Tampa Bay, and with a win in the next game, they would have the division pretty much wrapped up. The Rays took a lead late in the game, but the Yanks battled back and got some runners on base for Posada, who pinch hit for Jesus Montero in the 8th inning. Jorge delivered big with a pinch hit 2 RBI double that scored the go ahead runs! The Yankees went on to win 4-2, and clinched the division with the win! I'll never forget how pumped we all were and how memorable the game was. I guess it was a nice way for his career to end on.

Who knows what the future has in store for Posada. A lot of people have said he would make a great manager one day, and I would personally agree. Many former catchers have had a high amount of success managing teams, I think because they get such a good taste of it when they are trying to manage their pitching staff and call a solid game. He is a very smart and wise man and I think he's going to do something else in baseball, besides for being a fan-favorite at Yankees Old Timer's Games in the future!

I know I'm speaking for a majority of Yankees fans, and even a good percentage of baseball fans when I say that we're going to miss you, Jorge! Thank you for all the unbelievable memories you've left behind, and for the legacy that I can carry on to my family one day, for the most clutch hit I may ever witness in person.

We'll miss you Jorge. Thanks again.

Get Well Soon Gary!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. 2011 has been an absolutely horrible year for the Hall of Fame, even though we're only 5 months in. Over the past couple of years, we've lost many legendary players such as Sparky Anderson, Robin Roberts, George Kell, Bob Feller, Duke Snider, and recently Harmon Killebrew, due to various illnesses and diseases. Immediately following the sad news about Killebrew's death from esophageal cancer, news came out about Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter.

Carter was found to have 4 tumors on his brain, after complaining about having frequent headaches. Yesterday, after running a biopsy on him, doctors discovered that the tumors are malignant, and he's going to have a surgery at Duke University soon. He is only 57 years old, and he's going to go to chemotherapy and radiation soon, in an attempt to remove the tumors.

Sure, he wasn't a Yankees player, and he's not as big of a name as Killebrew, but anytime I hear the news of someone with a nasty disease like this, it's horrible news to me. He was the catcher for the famous 1986 Mets World Series team, and was an 11 time All Star in his 19 year career. He's considered a hero in New York, and Mets fans absolutely love him. In fact, the Mets are soon planning on honoring Carter by retiring his number 8 at Citi Field.

So, I send all my thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, best of luck with this horrible situation.

See Ya.

God Bless America! He's Finally Gone!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I wanted to pause from the regular card conversation to just mention my thoughts on the big news from last night. Unless you are hiding under a rock the size of Texas, you would know that the nation's most feared criminal has been killed, Al Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden! Our US troops, after searching for about 10 years, finally discovered bin Laden in Pakistan, and after a firefight, he was shot and killed. President Obama came on National TV last night and addressed the people about what took place and the precautions we must still take as a country to avoid further Al Qaeda attacks. As smart of a man as Bin Laden seemed to be, he must have had a successor in line, especially when forces from around the world could have found him any day. 

No matter how you look at it, while this is certainly not the end of Al Qaeda and terrorist operations, this was a major success for our country. Osama has been one of the most evil and feared men in our country for the past decade, and he is finally gone. What this man did to us on September 11th, 2001, was the most terrible thing a person could have done to a country. While in the end it brought our entire country together, it tore us apart as well. Many innocent Americans lost their lives that day, which allows me to without a doubt be ok with our military ending his life just a little while ago. 

I normally don't care a whole lot about politics, nor do I pay attention at all, but this is a major win in our country, and I wanted to have the honor of sharing and remembering the shocking news from last night. 

God Bless America.

The Duke of Flatbush Has Passed Away...

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Today is another one of those sad days in baseball, as a legendary center fielder has passed away today. Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer Duke Snider passed away today at the age of 84, after battling some health problems over the past couple years.

Duke began his career in 1947 after being scouted by one of Branch Rickey's scouts in the early 1940's. He joined Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays to become perhaps the best trio of center fielders you could ever imagine. There was even a song having to do with that, called "Willie, Mickey, and the Duke" by Terry Cashman.

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke) @ Yahoo! Video

Duke played 18 total seasons, 16 for the Dodgers, and 1 season with the Mets and Giants. He hit 40 or more home runs for 5 straight seasons, which is a pretty incredible streak long before the steroid era. While he may have not had the speed of Willie Mays and the popularity of the Mick, Duke was a phenomenal player and one of the greatest outfielders to ever live. With 2,116 hits, 407 home runs, and a life time batting average of .295, he may be considered one of the most underrated players in the Hall of Fame.

I was fortunate enough to get quite a nice little stack of nice Snider cards before his death. I first sent a TTM out to him and got my 2 cards back signed. Next, Dad gave me a certified Nabisco autograph for Christmas of his, and I recently picked up the 1961 Topps card shown above at a card shop for only $5. I definitely will be looking for more of his stuff in the future, to pay tribute to the wonderful life and career of the Silver Fox.

R.I.P. Mr. Snider, you will truly be missed...

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Got almost no votes for them so the YouTube awards are cancelled, we're only doing blogs, athletes & sports, and products. More on that tomorrow, later.