Yankee4Life

Updated to 12-11 ...Us Yankee fans dodged another bullet this week as the Chicago Cubs agreed to take Juan Pierre instead of having him dumped on us. Better them then us, that's all I gotta say. ...Major cudos to the Yankees for getting through the winter meetings without making a stupid move like trading for another 40 year old pitcher or signing a free agent that no one else wants. ...Speaking of 40 year old pitchers, stay away from the Yankees Roger Clemens. You got your hummer, now go to hell. ...I've been a big James Bond movie fan for years. I love the action in those movies and of course, the Bond girls too. My favorite has always been Claudine Auger. ...I hate the snow and cold weather. Anyone that loves this stuff either lives where it doesn't snow or they don't have a job that requires them to be outside. ...I think that kids today have it tougher in school then I ever did when I was in high school. ...Looking for a nice Christmas gift for someone? Try a remote car starter. Rain or shine those things work good. And they are not bad in price. I got one for my wife for $130 last year. ...Horror movies and myself do not get along. I don't watch them. 8O ...I hate it when I'm in a supermarket or a department store or whatever and some kid is running around like crazy and they run right into you. And instead of the mother telling the kid to stop running around, they look at you like you were the one that ran into the kid. ...While I'm on that subject, there is nothing that can make me get up and get away as fast as I can as when I hear a child screaming at the top of his lungs in a restaurant. ...I'm sick of hearing about Jessica Simpson's marriage ending and Britney Spears getting in an arguement with her hired boy toy/husband. I mean, who cares? ...My vacations are all set for 2006. Darn, I won't be going to Texas this time. Awww ...Two more weeks until Christmas. Let's go.

Mystery Science Theater used to be on the comedy channel. That really was a great show. I miss it.

Updated to 12-4 ...The current baseball contract with the players ends after the 2006 season. I wonder how close they will come to strike again? ...I can't wait until December 14th when that King Kong movie comes out. That looks like the best movie for this holiday season. ...One thing going on this week that I'll be paying attention to is the baseball meetings. Here's hoping the Yankees don't do anything stupid. ...Thank you Brian Giles for re-signing with San Diego. ...and also thanks to the Florida Marlins, who are demanding Robinson Cano from the Yankees along with Sean Henn and Scott Proctor for the immortal Juan Pierre. Is there anyone else you want too? ...Going back a bit for anyone on here older than 21, do you remember the Prodigy service? I wonder what happened to this? I used to have that when I had dial up before Windows 95. (Prodigy was a online service similar to AOL, but at the beginning did not have internet access. I had this for DOS) ...Here's hoping the Colts go undefeated this year. I still have a hard time saying "Indy" when I refer to them. In my mind they still are the Baltimore Colts. ...Something tells me that the Cleveland Browns next year will be as good as the Bengals are this year. ...New Smallville episode this week after a two week hiatus. Thank God. ...Three full shopping weeks left until Christmas. Let's get this over with.

Heck yeah Filthy57, send it my way. Thank you.

Filthy57, that is one good looking wallpaper. Man if I were a Bengals fan, I'd grab that one myself. It looks great.

Updated to 11-20 ..Man I miss the days when Axl Rose and Guns n Roses were together. ..Beavis and Butthead cartoons still crack me up. ..Britain's Winston Churchill was a brilliant leader. I just finished listening to an audio book about him and this man was a great leader. ..I think MarkB's off season signature this year should say "Keep Brian Giles away from the New York Yankees." Maybe we'll have better luck with that Mark? ..I dread the cold weather every single year. Sometimes I wish I never should have left Oahu, but that's life. ..Again we are forced to watch the Dallas Cowboys on TV this Thanksgiving. As a Raider fan, I'm thrilled about this. :evil: ..I'll watch anything with Estella Warren in it. ..Lex Luthor is the greatest criminal mind of all time. ..I forgot, some of you don't watch Smallville. But some of you do so you know what I mean. ..I know it's early, but since I won't be here this weekend, everyone have a great Thanksgiving. No random thoughts next week because I won't be home to access my computer. This will resume two weeks from now.

Well, I never heard of this guy so instead of pulling a NYM91 and asking someone to find out for me, I went to google and found out for myself. Here is a Guy Fawkes information site that tells you who he is and why the British people make bonfires and blow off fireworks in honor of the capture of this guy. The British, it would seem to me, have very long memories. Kind of like my ancestors in Sicily. This event with Fawkes happened in 1605.

Why are people using fireworks there Mark? Is there a holiday today?

Updated to 11-13 ..The more screens and videos I see of the XBox 360 the more I would like one. But I don't want to shell out $400 for the system. I hardly use my XBox now to justify getting one. ..And how good would a game like MVP Baseball 2006 have looked on that system if there could have been one? Damn 2K Sports. ..One of the best books I've ever read was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you've never read it, you don't know what you are missing. ..I'd sure like a new video card but I won't get one for Christmas. I got to get it myself. My wife doesn't know the difference between a video card and a sound card. ..Reading in the forums just in the past few days about all the ideas for a Mvp 2006 makes me happy. I think that EA could've made even a better game if they listened to some of the people in here. ..I hate politically correct people. Pipe down. Don't tell me what I should say or what I shouldn't say. ..I guess they'll be doing the League's MVP's very soon. Part of me cares about the AL MVP a lot because I don't want that *&$^ from Boston to win and part of me just doesn't give a damn because the Yankees didn't win a thing this year. What's the good in being happy about that award when the only one that counts is the World Series award? ..A lot of talk is made about bad women drivers are and young drivers too. And in a lot of cases, that is true. I've seen young girls driving and putting makeup on at the same time. But old people in my opinion are just as bad. They don't know how to look when they back out of someplace and they have their turn signal on ten minutes before they consider using it. ..Speaking of old people, never get in their way at the supermarket especially when they have a table set up in there where they are giving away free samples of food. They'll ram you down to get that last slice of cheese. Never mind if they hit your ankle in the process.

Updated to 11-6 ...I just saw a recent picture of Hillary Duff yesterday. She looked like she went on the Nicole Ritchie diet. You know, the look that gives you the end result of looking like a walking skeleton? ..Now that baseball season is over I see there are more channels on my DirectTV subscription then the YES Network. ..This forum rules. I'm happy with all the positive comments we've been getting in our Forum Fanatics-Mod Squad thread. ..It's been another fast year, hasn't it? ..Speaking of which, on TV the other night was a Christmas movie called "Elf" with Will Ferrell. Yeah, I know that Christmas is next month, but this is just too early. Besides, the bits and pieces that I watched just confirmed my opinion that Will Ferrell sucks. That movie was terrible. ..One more thing about that big holiday next month. Last year a radio station around here started playing Christmas music non stop 24 hours a day starting November 11th. I hear they plan on doing it again. I like Christmas music, but not that early or that much. ..I wonder when the first free agent is going to be signed? ..I sure wouldn't complain if the Yankees gave Bubba Crosby a chance in center field next year. ..My God I hope this winter isn't bad. My knees are so bad that the colder it gets the more brittle they are. ..I'd like to wake up one day and find out that the FOX network is no longer involved with baseball telecasts. Never has anyone done it so bad. I feel bad for you guys in here that are young enough not to have seen NBC do these games. They were the best. That's it for now.

Hey! I'm glad you like it. It really is a nice show. Every week it gets more and more interesting. :D

Well thanks. But how can I keep it shorter? It would depend on what I was thinking of at that certain time. Maybe I'll add a few later on.

..This is the first Sunday without baseball since April and I miss it already. ..How can I love the NFL and hate it so much at the same time? ..Hey NBA? Go on strike. Who'd miss you? ..I want those Yankees to win so bad at times that it hurts. ..Want proof? The last time the Red Sox were in New York, Cano messed up an easy grounder and I pounded my hand on my couch and I had a bad bruise for about two weeks. I refuse to talk about the pain I had during the Angels series. ..I'm getting old. The other day I was in the video game store with my Oakland Raider hat on. The girl behind the counter saw it and said she was a Raider fan too. She said she liked them from their days in Los Angeles. Then she said "did you know the Raiders played in Oakland before they went to L.A.?" Ahh, yes I did. ..I love watching Smallville, I think it's the best show around. ..My knees are so bad, I dread the winter coming up. The colder it gets, the more brittle they are. There are times when I can't even turn over in bed without crying out in pain. I hope no one in here will ever have knee problems. ..Being married is ok but when your wife's family is living out of town, sometimes you got to go there and spend time there for holidays. This year we got to be in Binghamton, New York for the Thanksgiving holiday. What kind of town is this? They have five radio stations in town. Four of them play country music and the other one does the news. ..That rumor about the A.L. outfielder in the playoffs that got caught on steriods? I just don't want it to be a Yankee. That's all I'm saying. ..Props to the Sox. The White ones, not Red. They deserved it. They had the proper combination to win this year: pitching, hitting and defense with a little luck thrown in. ..I hate ESPN ..A-Rod's going to get no peace until he makes some team pay and pay big in the playoffs. There's no doubt that he's a great regular season hitter. I'm pulling for him. ..Bye bye Bernie Williams, Tom Gordon, Tino Martinez, Kevin Brown and Felix Rodriguez. We'll validate your parking. Now get out. And take Posada with you. ..I'd like to see Ted Lilly and B.J. Ryan wearing Yankee uniforms next year. ..Yeah, I hate the DH more every year. That's one reason why I play my TC3 games with no DH. ..I hate players like Manny Ramirez. And it has nothing to do with him being on that team. He's a hot dog. He has no respect for the game. He hits homers and poses and walks to first. He loafs to first on ground balls. ..And that brings me to Derek Jeter. The anti-Manny. When I was a kid I wanted to be a ballplayer. I wanted to pitch in Yankee Stadium. The closest I'll get now is to create myself in MVP 2005 and put me on the team. Maybe I will. I'll just release Jaret Wright. ..I really hate politics. ..I don't like college football at all but I like college basketball. That's more exciting then the NBA. ..This is still a great forum despite of some things that go on. That's it for now.

Man, this is perfect. I think every new person on here should be required to read this. Even print it out if they want. This answers a lot of questions that are constantly asked in here. Thank you Mark.

Johnny Podres In 1955, Podres ended the statement that Brooklynites asked after each season was completed. "Wait 'till next year!" was a rallying cry for those great Dodger fans of years past. In 1955, thanks to Podres, next year finally came. Only posting a 9-10 record for the year, Podres was still the game seven pitcher for Brooklyn at Yankee Stadium that year.He came through with a 2 to 0 win that gave Brooklyn their first, and only, championship. Johnny Podres stepped forward and led the Brooklyn Dodgers to a memorable triumph over the New York Yankees. He did it by pitching to two victories, the first one coming in the third game after the Yankees opened up with two straight victories, and the second coming in game seven with a sparkling, 2-0 shutout victory in the seventh game. This gave the Dodgers their first World Series. Podres won a white corvette from Sport Magazine. Although the left-hander went on to a noteworthy career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers that included two All-Star Game appearances, membership on five World Series teams and a .561 won-lost percentage during his 15 years in the big leagues, he is best remembered for his performance in the '55 series. After retiring from baseball with the San Diego Padres, he remained there for the next four years as a pitching coach. He joined the Boston Red Sox and spent five years as a minor league pitching instructor, before he joined the parent club as pitching coach in 1980. From 1981-85 he was a pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and went on to serve four seasons as a minor league pitching coach for the Dodgers' organization. Podres has been with the Philadelphia Phillies since 1990. Podres has developed a reputation as an expert of the changeup, and has taught it to pitchers such as, Frank Viola, Bob Ojeda, John Tudor and Ramon Martinez. Johnny Podres has been involved with baseball for 40+ years and he has been impressive as a coach as well as a player.

All these guys you put in are wonderful additions to this. :p

Vida Blue As a 21-year old, Blue burst on the scene in 1971, winning the American League's Cy Young and MVP awards. The rest of his career was spent trying to live up to that standard. He managed to win more than 200 games, despite several contract battles, shoulder injuries, and a drug conviction. Showing rare good judgment, he declined several thousands of dollars in bonus money offered by A's owner Charlie Finley if the left-hander would legally change his name to "True Blue." Blue never won a World Series game (0-3, 4.04), and he was 1-5 in 17 post-season games. His shining moment in the post-season was a two-hit shutout of the Orioles in game three of the '74 playoffs, when he out-dueled Jim Palmer. Blue was also 0-for-13 with 12 K's at the plate in the post-season.

Jimmie Foxx Foxx was 6-foot and 195 pounds, but he seemed bigger, probably because he could hit the ball so far. He joined the AL's Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 as a catcher, but didn't play much during his first few seasons because Philadelphia already had the best catcher in baseball, Mickey Cochrane. In his infrequent appearances, Foxx showed that he could hit, and in 1929 he became Philadelphia's starting first baseman. He hit .354 with 33 home runs and 117 RBI. It was the first in a record streak of twelve years in which he hit 30 or more home runs and drove in 100 or more runs. Foxx had a .335 average with 37 home runs and 156 RBI in 1930, then batted .291 with 30 homers and 120 RBI in 1931, as the Athletics won their third straight pennant. In their three World Series appearances, Foxx hit .344, with 4 home runs, 11 runs scored, and 11 RBI. Philadelphia owner-manager Connie Mack began to dismantle the team in 1932 because of financial problems. The Athletics started to slide, but Foxx didn't. He led the AL with 58 home runs and 169 RBI, batting .364. Foxx lost two home runs that were hit in games called by rain before they became official, which kept him from tying Babe Ruth's famous record of 60 in a season. He was also deprived of the triple crown because the batting title was awarded to Dale Alexander, even though Alexander didn't have the required 400 at-bats for the season. In 1933, Foxx did win the triple crown, batting .356 with 48 home runs and 163 RBI. He won his second MVP award that season. Despite a pay cut, he hit .334 with 44 homers and 130 RBI in 1934. Foxx ended his career with Philadelphia by tying Lou Gehrig for the home run lead with 36 in 1935, when he hit .346 and had 115 RBI. Mack then sent him to the Boston Red Sox in a trade that brought $150,000 to the Athletics, along with two inconsequential players. Foxx was an immediate favorite among Boston fans. He hit .338 with 41 home runs in 1936. After slipping to a .285 average and 36 home runs in 1937, he won his third most valuable player award in 1938 with a .349 average, 50 home runs, and 175 RBI. He led the league in average and RBI, but finished second to Hank Greenberg in homers. After leading the league in home runs with 35 in 1939, Foxx hit 36 in 1940, then declined to 19 in 1941. He got off to a poor start the following season and was released. The Chicago Cubs picked him up, but he was no more successful there, and he announced his retirement. The Cubs talked him into coming back in 1944, when players were scarce because of World War II, but he played in only 15 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. After appearing in 89 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945, he retired for good. He later coached and managed for a few years in the minor leagues. Known for drinking and for buying other people drinks, Foxx had little money left from his glorious baseball years. He suffered a heart attack in 1963 and choked to death while eating at his brother's house in Miami four years later. In 2,317 games, Foxx batted .325 with 2,646 hits, including 458 doubles, 125 triples, and 534 home runs. He drove in 1,922 runs and scored 1,751.

Thurman Munson Any Yankee fan who is knowledgeable about the history of his team can give you statistics about Thurman Munson, but to really appreciate him you had to see him play. The great statistics were just a part of who he was. Munson was the first Yankee captian named to the team since Lou Gehrig. That alone shows how special he was. Munson was a clutch player and for a catcher, had very good speed. In 1976, the Yankees broke a twelve year drought by winning the pennant. They lost to the Reds that year in four games but Munson was the only one who had a good series. On August 2nd, 1979, Thurman Munson died while practicing takeoffs and landings near his Canton, Ohio home. He was 32.

Speak for yourself.

Oh yes we can Mark.

That's true Kerry. I'm glad you realize that. I really don't care if basballfanatik9 makes a sig that says "I hate the Yankees" or whatever. We all know he's not a Yankee fan so that's just how it is. And there is a thing called freedom of speech. It's encouraged here in the U.S. As long as he doesn't have swear words in the sig and follows forum rules, he can proudly (at least in his opinion) say "I hate the Yankees."

Wesley Branch Rickey This man is another person many of you have never heard of but you know of his accomplishments just the same. Branch Rickey invented the farm system when he was the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Before the farm system came about, minor league teams would sell their best players to any of the major league teams for the highest price. Rickey's system eliminated that and it proved to be so popular, every team copied this practice in no time. As an owner of the Dodgers in Brooklyn, he pioneered the use of baseball statistics. He was the first to hire a statistician. Also, Rickey introduced batting helmets to the major leagues. Before that, players would go up to bat wearing only their baseball hat. Rickey of course is best known for breaking baseball's long standing color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to a Dodger contract in 1945. He sent Robinson to Montreal to play in 1946 and he promoted him to Brooklyn in 1947, helping the Dodgers win the pennant that year. Rickey was also a major league player. He played for the Browns and was a catcher. He didn't play long in the majors and he made it to the Hall of Fame as an executive and not a player.

That's a very good question timay. He hasn't been in here since Thanksgiving. We've been trying to get in contact with him, but we've had no luck so far. I sure wish he'd come back.

Well, let me clarify that. This forum, like all others in here will be moderated by the same team that moderates all the other forums. So Trues, MarkbtheYankee, McDiddy, Cartersyard, Snepp and myself will have access in there. The only non-moderators in there will be the people that make up the group. That's it.