Yankees Outlast Red Sox for 1st Win of 2010

YANKEES 6

RED SOX 4

After a heartbreaking loss in the season opener, the Yankees responded with a tug of war victory over Boston on Tuesday night.

With the game tied at one, Boston's Victor Martinez lifted a two run homer to right to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. That lead would be short-lived.

In the top of the fifth, Alex Rodriguez doubled into the left field corner to drive in Derek Jeter to cut the deficit to 3-2. Finally, Robinson Cano's sac. fly was deep enough to bring in Mark Teixeria with the tying run.

Boston would not be detered, Martinez's double brought home Dustin Pedroia with the fourth Red Sox run. A.J. Burnett had an uneven performance for New York; he scattered seven hits, and gave up four runs. Even though he got the no decision, he had little command.

The Yankees got to the Boston bullpen in the eighth. They loaded the bases up for Nick Johnson, who took the walk to drive in Jorge Posada with the go-ahead run, then in the ninth, Robinson Cano's blasted his first homer of the year to make it 6-4.

Mariano Rivera closed the door for his first save of the season.

Santana and Wright Get Mets Off On Right Foot

METS 7

MARLINS 1

Before the Mets faced the Marlins in their season opener, Met fans booed just about everybody during introductions. The Mets training staff, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, pitching coach Dan Warthen and manager Jerry Manuel all got loud ovations of boos; while, David Wright, Jason Bay and Johan Santana were the only Mets to receive resounding applause.

The Mets in turn, turned those jeers to cheers with a 7-1 victory over the Marlins on Monday.

Johan Santana was solid, pitching six innings of four hit ball, giving up only a run, two walks, while striking out five.

Offensivley, the Mets jumped on Marlins ace Josh Johnson, when Wright blasted a two run shot to the right field corner to make it 2-0 Mets. Johnson was 7-0 lifetime against the Mets.

The Mets tacked on in the sixth, when new catcher Rod Barajas doubled to drive in Gary Matthews Jr. Later, Alex Cora's single drove in Barajas to make it 4-1 Mets.

The Mets are now 32-17 lifetime on opening day.

Yankees Fall To Red Sox In Opener

RED SOX 9

YANKEES 7

Maybe 2010 won't be so easy after all.

After building a 5-1 lead on the Red Sox, Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia and the Yankee pen imploded from the fifth inning on, as Boston stormed back to seat game one of the 2010 season, 9-7.

Sabathia was on cruise control for most of the evening, giving up a run through the games first four innings. It looked like he was picking up where he left off in October. Sabathia was also helped by the Yankees powerful offense. Jorge Posada and Curtis Granderson both went deep in the second inning to give the Bombers a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Brett Gardner's single to center brought home Robinson Cano with the game's third run. Derek Jeter followed with an RBI single to center, and Gardner stole home plate on a miscommunication between Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez and short stop Marco Scutaro.

Then it fell apart.

Kevin Youklis' triple to right brought home Dustin Pedroia and Martinez to make it 5-4 Yankees. The Red Sox tied it on Adrian Beltre's RBI single to plate Youklis.

The Yankees captured the lead back, when Robinson Cano's ground out brought home Mark Teixiera, and Posada's single to center drove in A-Rod to make it 7-5 Yanks.

The lead was brief.

The Red Sox tied the game on Pedroia's two run shot off of Chan Ho Park. Boston took the lead when Park threw a wild pitch passed Posada, allowing Youklis to score the go-ahead run.

Jonathan Papelbon shut the door on the Yankees in the ninth to close it out for Boston. Box Score.

Eagles Trade McNabb to Redskins

For weeks rumors have swirled around Philadelphia that the Eagles were ready to trade Donavan McNabb. Rumor had it that the Eagles were looking to send the six time Pro Bowler to either Oakland or Buffalo.

Logic for trading the best quarterback in Eagles history has been very fuzzy. Perhaps it was McNabb's contract, his age, 34, or the fact that the Eagle management has been pushing for Kevin Kolb to become the teams starter since 2008.

Whatever it is, the move the Eagles made Sunday will haunt them for years to come.

It's one thing to trade a quarterback, it's another when you trade a quarterback within the division.

That is why the Packers were so reluctant to trade Brett Favre to Minnesota two years ago, instead sending him out of the NFC North to the Jets. Favre eventually landed in Minnesota to seek revenge on Green Bay, sweeping them this past season.

Now McNabb can enact similar vengance on the Eagles, when he leads the Washington Redskins on the gridiron this fall. That's right the Redskins.

The Eagles sent McNabb to their division rival for the 37th pick in this months draft, as well as third and fourth round picks in 2011.

From the Eagles point of view; I hope Philly fans are happy! For a decade they have clamored and demanded that the Eagles rid themselves of McNabb, and now they get their wish. They didn't seem to care that he took them to five NFC title games and a Super Bowl. Now that he is out of town, no Eagle fan should complain when he is beating the Eagles to a pulp this year.

This is a terrible move for the Eagles. To trade your best player within the division is asking for big trouble - if Kolb fails to meet expectations, it could ultimately cost Andy Reid his job.

As for Washington, they have been here before. Every year the Redskins add big name players, Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth come to mind, and in the end it always blows up in Dan Snyder's face. The Redskins on paper look like a juggernout with McNabb under center and Mike Shanahan as the head coach.

We shall see who will look dumber when the games begin in the fall.

Yankees Set to Begin Defense of Title Tonight

The World Champion New York Yankees will kick off the 2010 season tonight in Boston against the hated Red Sox.

It is kind of suprising that this game was scheduled to be played in Boston, one would think that the MLB would have put this in Yankee Stadium to honor the champs from the previous season, kind of the same thing the NFL does when it opens its season on Thursday nights, but, with the Super Bowl champ as the host team. Just another example of why the NFL gets it, and why baseball still doesn't.

Oh well, it should be one heck of a opener regardless.

C.C. Sabathia who won 19 games in the regular season, including three playoffs wins will look to add to his Yankee resume when he squares off against Boston ace Josh Beckett. Beckett is looking to rebound from a mediocre 2009, where he still won 17 games, but had an ERA of 3.86. He even struggled against the Yankees, pitching to a 5.03 ERA. Beckett used to own New York.

This should be a very interesting season for the Yankees. Even though they are the champs, there are still lingering questions as to how this lineup will perform without Johnny Damon, Melkey Cabrera, and World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui. Matsui was a wonderful bat to have behind A-Rod, thanks in part to Matsui ability to take advantage of the short porch in left, where he blasted 28 homers last season; his presence will clearly be missed.

Right now Robinson Cano, who is not exactly Mr. Consistency will bat behind A-Rod. Cano, will be asked to pick it up again for the second straight year.

Also, how long the Nick Johnson batting second experiment will be something to watch as well. Johnson is a player who tends to get injured frequently. Curtis Granderson is probably best fit for the two hole, because of his ability to hit with power and steal bases. Right now Granderson is batting seventh in the Yankees lineup.

Lineups:
YANKEES:
Derek Jeter - SS
Nick Johnson - DH
Mark Teixeria-1B
Alex Rodriguez - 3B
Robinson Cano - 2B
Jorge Posada - C
Curtis Granderson - CF
Nick Swisher - RF
Brett Gardner - LF

Boston:
Jacoby Ellsbur - LF
Dustin Pedroia - 2B
Victor Martinez - C
Kevin Youklis - 1B
David Ortiz - DH
Adrian Beltre - 3B
J.D. Drew - RF
Mike Cameron - CF
Marco Scutaro - SS

Let the games begin!

Reyes & Murphy to Start Season on DL

Call them Club Meds.

The injuries continue to stack up for the Mets like reeking garbage in the corner of someones house.

The latest: Jose Reyes, who is trying to return from a hyperactive thyroid gland, will begin the season on the DL as a precautionary measure since he has missed the last three weeks of camp. Reyes is playing baseball, and went 1-for-5 in a minor league game on Wednesday.

As for Murphy, the Mets starting first baseman underwent an MRI on his knee, revealing a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He will sit out 2-6 weeks to rest the knee and rehabilitate.

Murphy was struggling this spring hitting .196.

Mike Jacobs, whom the Mets picked up late this winter will take over for Murphy. Jacobs, who was the Mets first baseman late in 2005, before being dealt to Florida for Carlos Delgado, is a homerun machine. He hit 11 homers in his first 100 at bats with the Mets in 2005, and hit 32 homers in 2008 with the Marlins.

Jacobs is a streaky hitter, so if he has any plans of holding onto the first base job, he better start swinging when the season opens Monday.

Jets and Giants Preseason Schedules Set

It is time for both the Jets and Giants to stop complaining about who will get to open the new football stadium later this year, because both teams will now square off against each other in the pre-season opener set for August 16.

The annual clash of New York City teams, is usually reserved for the third week of preseason, but this year they will open together in the $1.6 billion facility.

The Jets will be the home team for the game.

Giants Preseason
@ New York Jets
PITTSBURGH
@ Baltimore
NEW ENGLAND

Jets Preseason
NEW YORK GIANTS
@ Carolina
WASHINGTON
@ Philadelphia