Yankees - Yankees Trade Deadline 09

12:50 p.m. - Still all quiet on the trade front for the Yanks. Washburn was dealt to the tigers for two pitchers. Yankees are still interested in acquiring a 5th starter. They could still try to land Halladay or Arroyo but, I don't see the Yankees bringing either in. The other way they go get a 5th starter is if they traded for a reliable reliever such as Heath Bell. They could then send Hughes to the 5th spot and Bell would pitch the 8th. Stay tuned.

11:00 p.m. - A little late updating the blog but, here it is: Yankees acquire utility man, from the Cinncinati Reds, Jerry Hairston Jr. for minor league catcher Chase Weems. Good deal for the Yanks. Cost them nothing and they get a speedy utility guy that gives them depth at just about every position.

Spread the word, help keep Point Blank alive

For those of you who do not know what Point Blank is...shame on you! New York Islanders Point Blank was a team-sponsored blog, until the Islanders made the business decision to have Botta make Point Blank his own business as a pay site. Chris Botta, the managing editor of Point Blank, has stated that the blog may not be around anymore. I was shocked to hear about this. I started to religiously read Point Blank every day and visit the site on my cell phone when I was not near a computer. That blog is the main reason why I created a blog in the first place. I would be extremely happy to make this blog half as good and popular as his. Chris Botta has done a great job with his blog and had me always coming back for more. Between breaking news and opinion pieces, I read it and thoroughly enjoyed them all. As he stated on Point Blank, Botta has been a New York Islander employee for more than 20 years. I have been in the Islanders organization for almost 2 years, as an Intern and now as a part-time employee but, unfortunately have never personally met him. He seems like a great guy and one day I do hope to finally meet him. I believe every team, in every sport, should have a team-sponsored blog like Point Blank because there are tons of fans out there, like myself, who want to be informed daily on what their team is doing to improve. I wish Chris Botta and his family the best of luck. Here's to hoping that Point Blank stays around. Spread the word everyone, help keep Point Blank alive!

Yankees - Yankees beat Rays 6-2

Joba Chamberlain and the New York Yankees defeat the Rays 6-2 to win yet another series. Chamberlain was dominant. His line: 8 innings pitched (ties career high), 0 runs allowed, 3 hits, 2 walks and, struck out 5 lowering his season ERA to 3.58. The Yankees took the lead early and never looked back. Mark Teixeira gave the Yankees the lead in the 1st inning with an RBI single, making it 1-0. In the 4th, the Yankees struck again. Robinson Cano grounded out to 2nd which scored Alex Rodriguez to make it 2-0. Cano wouldn't stop there. In the 6th, Cano hit a mammoth homerun to deep right to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. In the 8th, with Cody Ransom on 2nd, Posada singled to shallow center field to make it a 4-0 game. The Yankees didn't stop there, in the 9th, Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixeira both hit deep solo homeruns. With a 6-0 lead, Brian Bruney relieves Chamberlain and surrenders 2 runs on 2 hits in just 1/3 of an inning. The 2 runs came off the bat of Evan Longoria who deposited a 2-run homerun into the left field seats. With the score now at 6-2 in favor of the Yankees, Mariano Rivera comes on to pitch two-thirds of an inning in a non-save situation, only allowing a walk and striking out Michel Hernandez to end the game. They improve to 62-39 on the year. The Rays fall to 55-47 and fall 7.5 games behind the Yankees for first place. As of now, Boston trails Oakland 8-5 and if Oakland can hold on the Yankees will be up 3.5 games on the Red Sox. No doubt in my mind here, Joba Chamberlain was the player of the game.

Winning Pitcher - Joba Chamberlain (7-2)
Losing Pitcher - Matt Garza (7-8)

Islanders - Islanders re-sign Defenseman Jack Hillen

Today, the New York Islanders re-signed defenseman Jack Hillen to a two-year contract. The 23 year old Hillen, has 1 goal, 6 assists for 7 points in 42 career NHL games.

Yankees - Kazmir, Rays beat Yankees 6-2

It was an ugly game for the Yankees who drop to 61-39 on the year with the loss. A couple of errors and some great pitching by Scott Kazmir help the Rays cruise to a 6-2 victory. The scoring began in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Ben Zobrist, singled and ended up being on 2nd base due to Jeter's throwing error. Two walks later, the bases are loaded, and Navarro hits a sac fly to deep center to make it 1-0 Rays. Next inning, the Rays would score 2 more runs on a Carl Crawford RBI triple and an A-rod throwing error. The Yankees would finally get on the board in the 4th inning by Matsui's rbi single making it 3-1 Rays. Evan Longoria would make it 4-1 Rays with a homerun to left in the bottom of the 5th. In the bottom of the 6th, the Rays would add on 2 more runs with some 2 out rbi base hits to make it 6-1 (an RBI single by Jason Bartlett, followed by a B.J. Upton RBI double). This would knock out Yankee ace CC Sabathia after just 5.2 innings pitched. He allowed 5 earned runs, 9 hits, walked 2 and had 6 strikeouts. Rookie reliever Mark Melancon, relieved Sabathia after not pitching since july 10th. He would only allow 1 hit in 2.1 innings pitched, while striking out 2. Hideki Matsui would drive in the Yankees 2nd run of the game in the 9th inning with a RBI double to left to make it 6-2 Rays. The Rays hang on and win 6-2, improving to 55-46 and are now 6.5 games back of the first place Yankees. The Yankees however, remain 2.5 games up on the 2nd place Red Sox, thanks to an Oakland rally to beat the Red Sox 9-8.

Winning Pitcher - Scott Kazmir (5-6)
Losing Pitcher - CC Sabathia (10-7)

Name of blog changing?

Ok, I admit that I rushed the name of the blog. I'm not feeling it anymore. I am thinking about changing the name of the blog and web address. Honestly, I am starting to believe the name nyyanklanders is some badly named peewee team. So, I am looking for some help with some new names. Something original and right to the point. Please comment on this and leave some names for this site!

Islanders - Blake Comeau still not signed but on the Island?

Just got home from the Coliseum a little while ago. Worked an Islander event, in some extreme heat this morning, at a day camp in Huntington. The Islander event started around 10. I knew a player was coming just didn't know who it was at the time because, I didn't look to see who was coming. In fact, two players came. One of them being Kyle Okposo and the other being Blake Comeau. Wait, Blake Comeau? I was shocked to see him there because, I knew he is still a restricted free agent. From what I was told, he was given permission to do community events for the Islanders, as it seems that him and Islanders GM, Garth Snow, continue to negotiate on a new deal. For those of you who didn't know, Comeau rejected his qualifying offer and is now a restricted free agent. Seeing him at the event today makes me believe that he will eventually get a deal done and will be an Islander in the 2009-2010 season. On newyorkislanders.com, they have Blake Comeau listed with Kyle Okposo to do community events this week. Basically, Comeau will be on the Island for the week. I believe a deal will get done by the end of the week. Stay tuned.

Yankees 11 - Rays 4 Final Damon gets 200th Homerun

Yankees win 10th game in their last 11th but, due to a Red Sox victory tonight, they remain in 1st by 2.5 games. Posada started the scoring with an RBI double to center in the 2nd. Posada would come around to score, thanks to a Robinson Cano triple. Swisher grounds out but, brings home Cano to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead at the end of top half of the 2nd inning. The Yankees would strike again in the Top of the 6th with Cano and Swisher hitting back-to-back jacks to give them a 5-0 lead. The Rays would get a run in the bottom half of the 6th making it a 5-1 game. In the 8th, Alex Rodriguez would drive in a pair with a double to make it 7-1. The Rays would get 2 runs back in the home half of the inning thanks to a sac fly from Carl Crawford and a RBI single by Ben Zobrist, making it 7-3 Yankees. Swisher would hit his 2nd homerun of the game in the 9th to make it 8-3 before a milestone 3-run homerun by Johnny Damon, his 200th homerun of his career. This made the game 11-3 before Pat Burrell launched a solo blast to deep left to make it 11-4. Yankees win 11-4 backed by a very solid start by A.J. Burnett. Burnett went 7 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 unearned run, and struck out 5. With the win, the Yankees improve to 61-38.

Yankees - Also eyeing Jarrod Washburn and Roy Halladay, of course

Seems like the Yankees will most likely acquire a pitcher before the July 31st trade deadline. As I posted earlier, the Yankees are looking into Pirates starting pitcher Ian Snell but, they are also looking at Seattle's starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn, whom they've liked for years. Around last year's deadline, the Yankees were interested in acquiring Washburn but, it never happened as a deal was never accepted. Washburn, who is owed $9.85 million this season, may or may not be dealt at the deadline because, Seattle has yet to determine whether or not they will be buyers or sellers come July 31st. If they become sellers, it may cost the Yankees a top prospect due to the fact that Washburn is having a stellar year. He's compiled an 8-6 record while posting a very respectable 2.71 ERA. Could be a nice, solid fit for the 5th spot.

Roy Halladay - The Yankees remain a long shot to land him. It would require sending Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and possibly two other top prospects which is something I'm sure Cashman would not do. It's obviously costing the Yankees more to land Halladay then the Phillies. Don't see him coming here.

Islanders - Lighthouse Project continues to gain momentum

The press conference held by Governor David A. Paterson is over. According to NYI Point Blank, many politicians attended the conference at Nassau Coliseum (which is always a good sign). The Governor spoke in favor of the Lighthouse project as did Tom Suozzi, Nassau's County Executive. With everyone basically supporting the Lighthouse, there's just no way that Kate Murray can be against it now or, can she? August 4th (public hearing of the Lighthouse Project) and October 3rd (Charles Wang's deadline) just got bigger and even more interesting. I'm positive only good will come out of the August 4th hearing and by October 3rd we will all be saying "Meet me at the Lighthouse."

Yankees - In the market for a starting pitcher? Ian Snell?

Yesterday, I wrote about the Yankees and their #5 starter. In that article, I have stated that they may need to look at other options because Sergio Mitre may not be the solution. The confidence level in Mitre isn't really high after two, somewhat, mediocre starts. Thus, the Yankees have began scouting pitchers such as, Pirates starting pitcher Ian Snell. The level of interest is not yet known but, this certainly would be an interesting choice for the Yankees (note I said interesting which doesn't necessarily mean good). With Chieng-Ming Wang shelved and Hughes remaining in the bullpen, the Yankees certainly need a reliable 5th starter. Can that reliable starter be the 28 year old Snell? In 2007, he had a solid year on a lowly Pirates team, compiling a 9-12 record, 208 innings pitched, 177 k's, 66 walks, and a 3.76 ERA. However, the following year, he saw his ERA balloon to 5.42 and went 7-12 on the season. This season, he has been dreadful. Snell is 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA and a horrific bb/k (44/52) ratio. Earlier this season, he was demoted to Triple-A to work on things and since then, he has dazzled. In Triple-A Indianapolis, he has made 6 starts, going 2-2 with a microscopic 0.96 ERA. He also seems to have found his control, as he has walked 13 and struck out 47 in just 37.1 innings pitched. He won't come at a cheap price as he enters his prime. If the Yankees do make a deal with the Pirates (like they usually do around this time of year) for Snell, which Snell will they be getting? The one that has been dominating Triple-A or, the one who struggled mightily earlier this year in the bigs?

Islanders - Lighthouse Press Conference by Governor Paterson

In a few moments, Governor David A. Paterson will be speaking at a press conference regarding the Lighthouse, outside of the Coliseum box office. He will be speaking of his stance on the project in front of Islanders owner Charles Wang and his partner on the Lighthouse Scott Rechler, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and the supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, Kate Murray. This conference comes about a week before the big public hearing of the Lighthouse on August 4th. If you are an Islander fan make sure you can make that August 4th hearing!

Islanders - Satan and other rumors

Is Lucifer returning to Long Island? Allan Walsh, the agent of former Islander winger Miroslav Satan, confirmed on Twitter that the Islanders and Satan are in negotiations as of July 25th. The aging Satan, who will be 35 in October, has been declining yearly. In his first three years as an Islander he posted 66 points, 59 points and, 41 points. This past season with the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins, he had 36 points.
There are other rumors that the Islanders have been talking with the Sharks for a trade involving Jonathan Cheechoo but, I wouldn't hold my breath. More to come soon.

Yankees - Can they win with their current rotation?

We all know overall, the Yankees are a great team. Unlike last year, this team should be going to the post-season unless they pull a New York Mets and collapse towards seasons' end. We all know about their potent offense and CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain but, what about the #5 starter Sergio Mitre? In 2 starts, Mitre has gone 1-0, 10.2 innings pitched, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts while having a 5.91 ERA. That isn't exactly numbers I would be confident with for a team that's trying to win the pennant unless somehow he can turn it around and pitch the way he pitched in Triple-A for the Yanks ( 7 starts, 3-1 record, 2.40 ERA, 45 innings pitched, 5 walks, 35 strikeouts). Joe Girardi doesn't yet seem confident with him shown by Mitre being pulled after just 5 innings pitched today in the Yankees 7-5 victory over the A's. I know it's only 2 starts and he is, for sure, going to make a 3rd start but, would you want him pitching for you every 5th day against teams like the Red Sox and Angels? Yankee starters 1-4 are solid but #5 is still a big question mark but, who knows maybe Mitre will pick things up and be a solid 5th starter? They can win with starters 1 through 4 but, may need to look at other options (not including Chieng-Ming Wang who's probably done for the year) for starter 5 in the near future.

The Beginning

Welcome all to NYYanklanders (cheesy name i know), home of daily coverage of the New York Yankees and New York Islanders. I could be wrong but, I believe this is the first and only blog of only the Yankees and the Islanders on one site. The goal of this blog is to bring breaking news, rumors, feature stories and, opinion pieces of both teams directly to you, the readers. I'm new to blogging but, i've developed somewhat of a passion to deliever this kind of information to people. I'm sure i'm not the only one out there but, i'm addicted to wanting to know constant information about what's going on with teams concerning trades, deals, etc. As soon as I hear about a story, the story will be here with an opinion piece and comments of the article are more than welcomed. I am hoping to make this an active blog with fans of both teams discussing the latest story. I will do my best to bring the latest news to attention. I hope you all enjoy. First news article soon to come.