Don't want to get tasered? Don't run on the field

Can people please stop defending the idiot who ran on the field during a Philadelphia Phillies game and got tasered by a cop? If he didn't want to be subdued that way, he should have thought twice about doing something he knew was wrong.
Did the cop overreact? Maybe. But if I'm a cop or a professional athlete, I'm going to assume that anyone who isn't able to follow a basic rule and stay off the field is a threat and I'm going to act accordingly. There are too many instances where unruly spectators have become violent. In 2005, then-Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was attacked by two fans who jumped out of the stands to pummel him. If it hadn't been for the quick reaction of his players, Gamboa could have been seriously injured.

The cop has been criticized because 17-year old Steve Consalvi was running around the outfield and did not appear to be aiming for any of the players. My feeling is that he is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, with even his father warning him not to try such a stunt. He had no business being out on that field and has to deal with the repercussions. If he is upset about being tasered, he has no one to blame but himself.

Let me just say that I've been to hundreds of baseball games as well as other sporting events and never once have I been tempted to run on the field. If I ever did, I would expect nothing less than to be violently subdued. This incident should be fair warning to any idiot who even thinks about a similar stunt.

Thanks to Phillyfan0419 on en.wikipedia for the photo.

Injury bug nips at Mariano, Jorge

I was at last night's game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles and was surprised to see Francisco Cervelli replace Jorge Posada in the 6th inning. But I was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack when Joba Chamberlain came running out of the bullpen in the 9th inning to close the game instead of Mariano Rivera.

After I got past the shock of seeing someone else trying to save a game for the Yankees, my mind was racing with questions. I knew immediately that Mo hadn't pitched since Friday so he should have been well rested. I quickly jumped to the conclusion that he must be injured and unfortunately I was right.

Thankfully, neither injury seems serious, although you can never tell with Joe Girardi. The Yankees offense could survive a few weeks without Posada, even with Curtis Granderson already on the disabled list, if Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez can regain their slugging forms. But depending on Joba to close games if Mo had to take time off to heal would keep me up at night.

These relatively minor injuries highlight once again how dependent the Yankees are on their Core Four -- despite Brian Cashman’s youth movement -- and the absence of workable back-up plan if any of them goes down for an extended period. Expect to not only see Girardi give Posada and Mo all the time they need to heal, but to find opportunities to rest Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte to keep them as healthy as possible. Exhibit A: Jeter will be the designated hitter tonight.

April blues a thing of the past for Mark Teixeira

Now that the calendar has turned to May, Mark Teixeira can finally put his annual April slump behind him. And he wasted no time doing so.

After ending the month of April with a .136 batting average, Teix has gone 6 for 9 in the first two games of May, hitting balls hard all over the field and driving in three runs in the process.

Joe Girardi must be relieved. As much as he believes in Teix, he was starting to get a little concerned that the prolonged slump would get in his head. As Yogi Berra once said, 90% of the game is half mental. And the first baseman's April struggles proved that point with Teix hitting in obvious frustration.

The New York Yankees need Teix to be a force in the lineup. They can't rely on Robinson Cano to keep picking up the slack for his three and four hitters, especially since it's unrealistic to expect him to keep up the monster pace for the whole year even if he did hit another timely blast to put the game out of reach yesterday.

Phil Hughes coming up aces for the Yankees

Phil Hughes must secretly believe he's the ace of the New York Yankees staff. At least he's pitching like he does.

After winning the fifth starter job, Hughes has put up some noteworthy numbers so far: a 3-0 record, a 1.44 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He's walking a few too many batters (12) compared to strikeouts (24), but he hasn't let the extra base runners hurt him.

The most impressive thing for me about the performance by Hughes yesterday was that he did not get rattled, especially on a botched call by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna. It looked for a moment that Hughes might become unglued (I myself would have as I was yelling at my television). But he quickly collected himself, got back on the mound and made the dangerous Paul Konerko miss for strike three. It was a remarkable sign of maturity for Hughes, whose confidence is just skyrocketing right now.

With the struggles of the bullpen (except for Mariano Rivera) and the inconsistent offense, the Yankee starting pitching has mostly carried the team so far this year. AJ Burnett is shedding his Mr. Erratic image, Andy Pettitte is defying Father Time and Hughes is proving that youth is just a state of mind. He’s the best number #5 starter in the big leagues right now, probably because he thinks he’s #1.

Tough break for Granderson, Yankees

Bad break for Curtis Granderson having to go on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin, a type of injury that tends to happen easily in baseball and can be tough to recover from. Heading for third base, Granderson was in obvious pain and had to immediately be removed from the game by Joe Girardi. You knew it was serious when the manager mentioned the DL in his post-game interview without even knowing the MRI results.

If it's only two weeks, the New York Yankees can weather that storm. Brett Gardner has played very well offensively and defensively and Marcus Thames has hit a ton when he's been in the lineup. Any longer than two weeks, the Yankees will have to start thinking about getting some help.

Even before the injury, Granderson was struggling offensively, with just a .225 batting average, two homers and seven ribbies. In contrast, Austin Jackson, the centerpiece of the deal to get Granderson, is hitting .356 and has already scored 21 runs in the leadoff spot.
But the injury is a shame for Curtis. It seemed like he was getting really comfortable with the Yankees, enjoying playing with Derek Jeter & Co. and meeting Yankee legends like Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson. Hopefully, this will just be a minor bump in the road for him.

Time to give Vazquez a real second chance

I've been a consistent critic of Javier Vazquez, objecting from the day the trade for Vazquez was first announced in the offseason. Nothing in his performance so far this year has convinced me that he deserves a second chance to prove himself in New York. But he is going to get one from me and I sincerely hope other New York Yankees fans also give him another chance.

What has convinced me to lay off of Vazquez is an insightful column by ESPNNewYork's Ian O'Connor featuring an extensive conversation with Ed Whitson, long the standard bearer for New York failure. No ballplayer should have to go through the torture that Whitson had to endure, with threats of death and physical violence a daily part of his Yankees tenure.

I would never threaten or curse a baseball player and I don't even approve of booing my players unless there make a legitimately lazy or bad baseball play. But Whitson's wise words made me understand that even just criticism or negative vibes from fans can adversely affect a player like Vazquez. So I'm promising not to contribute to any of that. If I happen to go to a game where Vazquez is pitching, he will have my full support.

But this second chance isn't going to last for long. Today is May 1. I promise to give Vazquez a full month before I write something remotely negative about him. That's at least four starts for the pitcher. If he can't get himself together in that time, my opinion won't matter because the Yankees will also lose patience and pull him out of the rotation. I'm rooting for Vazquez to take full advantage of his second chance and show New Yorkers that he can make it in our town.

Derek Jeter consistently clutch

Derek Jeter defied the odds last year, proving that a team could win the World Series with a 35-year old shortstop. Now he's out to prove that a team can win with a 36-year old shortstop.

It has become an annual rite of passage for haters to assert that Jeter is finally going to slow down a step and for Jeter to prove them wrong beyond any reasonable doubt. This year is no exception. The Yankee Captain is hitting .330 with four homers, 18 ribbies and 14 runs with three stolen bases. His strong first month would be getting a lot more attention if it wasn't for the awe-inspiring exploits of Robinson Cano and the fact that Jeter is remarkably consistent ever year.

Most importantly, Jeter remains reliably clutch. The New York Yankees were in a 3-0 hole before Jeter came to bat in the first inning, promptly singling and scoring the team's first run. He then tied the game with a home run in the fifth inning and tripled in two more in the seventh for the victory. Jeter's ability to come through in the most challenging situations is a key reason for New York's undying love and affection for the Yankees shortstop.

With his three hits last night, Jeter became the active hits leader in baseball, passing Ken Griffey Jr. who broke into the big leagues six years before the captain. It's a remarkable testament to Jeter's consistency.