NY Yankees Archives

RPadTV 3000 Episode 15: Ray Carsillo | Geeks | Sports | Bianca Belair | Summer Games Fest

Former Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) editor Ray Carsillo and I hit it off the second we met. We’re both East Coasters, named Ray, pro-wrestling fans, NY Yankees fans, comics nerds, and videogame nerds. How could we not get along?!?

One of Ray Carsillo’s more recent projects is the Geeks Who Like Sports podcast. It’s a very cool show that mixes sports and videogame fandom. Ray is a very smart and opinionated guy, so it’s great hearing his takes. His co-host, Lee Elias, is also a loud East Cost dude, so things can boisterously entertaining on Geeks Who Like Sports.

With so many nerdy hobbies in common, it was great catching up with Ray Carsillo. Some of the things we spoke about in the video above include:

Watch Derek Jeter’s Glorious 2014 MLB All-Star Game Moments

As a Yankee fan and someone that has watched Derek Jeter’s entire baseball career, there was a lot to love about the MLB 2014 All-Star Game. He was given a classy ovation during his introduction. On his first at bat, he was introduced by a recording of the late, great, and legendary Bob Sheppard. (He also laced a sweet double off of Adam Wainwright, on a pitch that may or may not have been a gimme.) When he was taken out of the game, he was given another lovely ovation. While he didn’t receive the fanfare that Yankee great Mariano Rivera did in the 2013 All-Star Game, the earnest but (relatively) understated show of respect seemed appropriate for Jeter. Check out the clips below (please)!

Mariano Rivera’s Retirement Means Metallica’s Out of Work (ESPN)

Here’s a funny ESPN commercial featuring the legendary rock band Metallica. As all of you should know, New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera retired last year. If you’re familiar with the (greatest) closer (of all time), then you know that he entered ballgames to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The gag in the ESPN commercial is that Metallica has been struggling to find work since Rivera’s retirement. There’s even a bit in a break room where guitarist Kirk Hammett tries to get ESPN anchor Stuart Scott to sign up for guitar lessons. Ha! While there have been several great ESPN commercials over the years (love the Pete Sampras one!), this is easily in my top five because, you know, Yankees and Metallica.

Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter Pull Mariano Rivera

Here’s an awesome video of Mariano Rivera’s last game at Yankee Stadium. Manager Joe Girardi sent Rivera’s longtime teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter out to the mound to pull him from the game. Rivera initially reacted with an amused smile, but was quickly overcome by emotion. He has spent more than two decades in the Yankee organization, including minor league stints with Jeter and Pettitte. Knowing that he has thrown his last pitch in the Bronx and seeing two people that were with him every step of the way hit him harder than his vaunted cutter. The smile quickly turned into long hugs and lots of tears.

This was an awesome baseball moment. If you disagree then you’re either an irrational Red Sox homer or completely heartless. Watch the clip (please), love it, and get misty.

Watch Metallica Play “Enter Sandman” For Mariano Rivera

Watching Metallica play “Enter Sandman” for Mariano Rivera at Yankee Stadium was one of the few highlights for New York Yankee fans in 2013. Between the numerous injuries, mediocre play, A-Rod being an a-hole, and my dear Captain‘s perforated ankle, there hasn’t been a lot for Yankee fans to be happy about this season. The Mariano Rivera retirement tour has been a bittersweet event to follow. It’s awesome seeing how respected he is throughout Major League Baseball and it’s fun seeing the farewell gifts teams are giving him, but it’s sad and scary that the Yankees are losing the greatest closer of all time. For a brief moment on Sunday, the Mariano Rivera tour was frickin’ cool thanks to Metallica and an excellent Yankee Stadium crowd.

Seeing Yankee greats from the recent Yankee “dynasty” teams was awesome. Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, David Cone, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, and others were on hand to celebrate Mariano Rivera. It was cool seeing them on the field again, but it was funny when many of them whipped out there mobile phones to record Metallica’s performance. Hopefully Lars Ulrich doesn’t sue them for posting their clips on the Internet.

As for the band, they were expectedly solid. Unlike Mariano Rivera, Metallica hasn’t aged well. Lars’ receding hairline had his head in danger of massive centerfield sunburn. Kirk Hammett was either too scary to show on camera or wasn’t there. I would never have guessed that James Hetfield would have aged more gracefully than his bandmates. I thought Kirk’s Asian genes would have preserved him better, but his Irish half seems to have won out. They’re pros though and did a fine job rocking at a respectful level for Mariano Rivera and the fans at Yankee Stadium.

Check out the clip of Metallica performing at Yankee Stadium for Mariano Rivera Appreciation Day and share your thoughts on the joyous occasion (please!).

How Long Will Alex Rodriguez Be Suspended For?

It should be a glorious day for fans of True Yankees™. Today is (supposedly) the day that Major League Baseball doles out suspensions for performance-enhancing drug use tied to the Biogenesis clinic. New York Yankees village idiot and third-baseman Alex Rodriguez should be getting more than the standard 50-game suspension. Estimates range from 150 games to a lifetime ban.

In addition to using PEDs supplied by Biogenesis, Rodriguez is (supposedly) getting extra punishment for interfering with MLB’s investigation and recruiting other players to the clinic.

One consistent rumor is that A-Fraud’s team is negotiating with MLB, but the two sides are far apart. Allegedly, commissioner Bud Selig wants A-Roid out of the game until the 2015 season, but the player’s camp believes that’s too harsh. Personally, I hope he gets banished to Neptune.

How long do you think Alex Rodriguez will be suspended for? What do you think is a fair punishment? Wouldn’t it be cool if the Yankees could trade Rodriguez to a Japanese team for several crates of ramen? Hopefully Selig’s ban-hammer is more powerful than Mjolnir!

Enter Sandman: Mariano Rivera’s Entrance to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game

Despite its ridiculously long season, performance-enhancing drug scandals, and the general existence of Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball has moments that make you remember why it’s America’s pastime. Last night’s All-Star game had one of those moments. It was awesome that the AL and NL all-stars let Mariano Rivera take the field by himself. It was brilliant watching him soak up cheers from fans, players, and coaches alike. It was a truly great homage to a truly great baseball player Continue reading “Enter Sandman: Mariano Rivera’s Entrance to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game”

Coffee Talk #561: Hating A-Roid

I’ve never liked Alex Rodriguez. Originally it was because of my duty as a Yankee homer; as a Derek Jeter fan, I had to hate rival shortstops like Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra. When A-Rod signed that ridiculous contract with the Texas Rangers, I still hated him. When he came to the Yankees…oy. Yankee fans are usually good about welcoming formerly-hated rivals. Look at Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, and Johnny Damon, for example. Fans never really warmed up to Rodriguez. With A-Rod, many fans felt that…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, whether BlackBerry 10 will change RIM’s fortunes, David Beckham playing football in Paris, or Lindsay Lohan’s mysterious triangle tattoo, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Rodriguez has had numerous incidents that prevented fans from accepting him. His bat has gone impotent during many playoff series. There was that time he cheaply tried to swat a caught ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove. Last year, he allegedly tried to score a woman’s phone number during a crucial playoff game. The Miami New Times’ report of A-Rod being tied to a performance-enhancing drug dealer has raised the bar. Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs during his Rangers days, but has repeatedly said that he has been clean ever since. If the recent news is true then he’s a liar, a cheat, and a fraud.

Things have gotten so bad that the Yankees are allegedly trying to void Rodriguez’s contract. The crazy thing is, most Yankee fans would love that. (I’d be one of them.) Yankee fans are usually great homers that make good excuses for players’ character flaws. We lauded Mike Mussina’s Stanford education and didn’t mind that he clearly thought he was the smartest man in the league. We described Paul O’Neill’s childish dugout tantrums as “fiery competitiveness.” We dismissed Bernie Williams’ idiotic base running by saying that he was a great clubhouse guy that played a mean guitar. Excuses were never made for A-Rod. He was always an overpaid embarrassment.

A-Roid. A-Fraud.

I’ve never seen anything like him. In my lifetime, I don’t recall a Yankee that was so reviled by Yankee fans. Well done, Alex.

Donald Trump Rips A-Rod a New One

While I respect what Donald Trump has accomplished in business, I don’t think much of him as an entertainer or a politician. That’s why I was surprised to find myself so thoroughly entertained and delighted by his latest tirade — going off on New York Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriguez. It was…glorious. The Donald told ESPN NY Radio:

I would terminate his contract, personally. I think George would’ve done that. I would terminate his contract on the basis that when he signed, he didn’t say that he took drugs.

Since he signed his contract, they found out that he took drugs. He actually admitted that he took drugs. Now he’s not taking drugs anymore, and without the drugs, he’s a less than average player.

I don’t think he’s an asset, I think he’s a liability to the Yankees They’re paying him $30 million a year, and he strikes out every time he comes up in a playoff game.

I don’t care about the Players’ Association. If somebody misrepresents and they’re paying him $30 million a year…I don’t think he has a clue when he’s standing up at the plate. I’ve never seen anything like it.

That was such an outstanding rant. I’m going read it over and over again throughout the day. It will help dull the pain of the Yankees’ post-season lameness, Derek Jeter’s injury, and the fact that A-Rod’s contract doesn’t expire until 2017.

20-frickin’-17.

Oy.

Source

Today’s Poll: Rachel Maddow, Matthew Perry, and Mark Teixeira

Apparently MSNBC host Rachel Maddow looks like a bunch of famous people. On a recent episode of Matthew Perry’s Go On, there was a bit where Perry’s character attended a lesbian wedding and was constantly mistaken for Maddow. My friend Justin has been telling me for years that New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira looks like Maddow. Personally, I don’t see it at all. In my head, Maddow is cool and cute in a way that has nothing to do with Matthew Perry or Mark Teixeira.

What do you think? Please vote in today’s Rachel Maddow poll and explain your choice in the comments section!

[poll id=”166″]