Kuzul

Yankees great and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra turned 87 today. I thought that it might be nice to take a look back at the career of one of the greatest (and funniest) men to ever wear pinstripes. Yogi Berra did not make his debut for the New York Yankees until 1946 as a 21-year-old. He only played in seven games that season, but he hit his first two home runs during those games and showed enough promise to earn substantial playing time the following year. It turned out that that was an excellent decision for the New York Yankees. That very next season, he came in 15th in the MVP voting. The reason that that is significant is because Yogi Berra received MVP votes every year between 1947 and 1961. That would be phenomenal for any player, but given the physical demands placed upon the catcher, it's even more ...

When the season started, things weren't looking good for Phil Hughes.He had a 1-4 record with a 7.48 ERA,  and he was pitching himself out of the rotation with poor performance after poor performance.David Phelps was attempting to pitch himself into the rotation and Andy Pettitte is returning to the Yankees on Sunday, so it seemed like only a matter of time before Hughes got demoted.A little over a week ago, I wrote a story stating that Hughes was on the verge of losing his spot when Pettitte came back to the team.Lately, it seems like Hughes may finally be turning everything around.In his last two starts, Hughes not only has given the Yankees back-to-back wins, he's given them back-to-back quality starts.On May 6, Hughes overpowered the Kansas City Royals for 6.2 innings, six hits and seven strikeouts, which was his second win of the season.And then on Saturday against ...

Phil Hughes was just about on the edge of being removed from the New York Yankees' starting rotation upon the return of Andy Pettitte tomorrow, but after a great start against the Seattle Mariners, Hughes will keep his spot. Against Seattle, Hughes went 7.2 innings, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and left two runners on in the eighth after being relieved by Boone Logan. The 25-year-old threw 112 pitches on the afternoon, and it was clear manager Joe Girardi was trying to help Hughes build some confidence with his longest start of the 2012 season. It was clearly his best start of the season. This was Hughes' second straight solid start and while both were against the likes of the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners, it'll be enough momentum to keep him in the starting five. That would mean David Phelps will move back to the bullpen and according ...

New York Yankees fans will have a renewed enthusiasm about the 2012 MLB season on Sunday afternoon, as veteran Andy Pettitte will return to the mound at Yankee Stadium after a brief retirement came to an end by signing a one-year minor league contract on March 16. Las Vegas oddsmakers are expecting the betting public to hammer the Bronx Bombers, opening them as minus-200 home favorites against the Seattle Mariners, while the total sits at 10.Pettitte hasn't been seen at the major league level since suffering an 8-0 home loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the 2011 American League Championship Series, giving up two runs and five hits over seven strong innings in that effort.The left-hander posted an 0-2 record and 3.71 ERA in four minor-league starts, while giving up eight runs (seven earned) and 14 hits over 10.2 combined innings in two outings at the extended spring training level.In ...

Like most of Red Sox nation, I am angry with Josh Beckett for many reason: the golfing; the unavailability out of the bullpen in the 17-inning marathon against the Baltimore Orioles; and the overall indifference to the state of the franchise and the fans.But I was fully expecting him to come out Thursday evening and have a six-inning, three-run performance; one that is far from what his ace-like salary would merit, but one that we couldn’t really complain about, either. But when I looked down at the score to see his line—seven earned runs in seven outs—I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of guilty pleasure.As sports fans, we want to like our super stars. We want a connection with the players. We want the guys that seem like “good guys” to be successful. Had the Red Sox won, I would have been happy. I haven’t been rooting for ...

After a disastrous September, Boston missed the postseason for the second straight season. We saw a major upheaval of the organization and the roster.Theo Epstein and Terry Francona left.Ben Cherington and Bobby Valentine are here.The front office made several moves during the offseason to try and revamp the team with hopes of making a postseason run in 2012. This included letting players walk during free agency as well as trading players to try and give the team a new feel.Here are six players that didn't return to Boston after their epic collapse last season and have made strides to help their new teams.Begin Slideshow

The New York Yankees were hosting the Chicago White Sox for a twi-night doubleheader on July 25, 1961. The second-place New Yorkers trailed the Detroit Tigers by one game. The fifth-place White Sox were 13 games behind despite having a respectable 50-47 record. Whitey Ford (17-2) faced Frank Baumann (7-7) in a battle of left-handers in the opener. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle each had 37 home runs going into the games. The teams traded zeroes until the bottom of the fourth inning. Bobby Richardson became the Yankees' first baserunner when he drew a leadoff walk. Tony Kubek moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, bringing up Maris.The future single-season home run record holder promptly hit a drive that hit the right field foul pole. Mantle, batting right-handed, now trailed Maris by one home run. He swung at a Baumann fast ball and drove it down the left ...

After getting knocked around by Oakland (of all teams) on Sunday, Matt Moore comes into today's start with a 1-2 record, a robust 5.71 ERA and a troubling 1.64 WHIP.Not only are opponents batting .289 against him, he has had issues with control walking 18 batters in 34-2/3 innings. He has also yielded six long balls. Obviously, the 22-year-old phenom who set the league on fire wrapping up the regular season with a 2.89 ERA in 9-1/3 innings and posting a 0.90 ERA in ten playoff innings, isn't going to be on the chopping block for fantasy owners, but he could be on the trading block. The elephant in the room—when it comes to Matt Moore's 2012 fantasy outlook—is the potential innings cap. Tampa Bay figures to be in the playoffs or at least in the chase, but they could still monitor Moore's innings to protect their investment. If you ...

Raul Ibanez has been a pleasant surprise so far for the New York Yankees.Many fans thought Ibanez would be an automatic out entering the regular season, as his spring training left much to be desired.Those fans couldn't have been more wrong.After Tuesday night's two home run performance against the Rays, Ibanez now has five home runs and 16 RBI on the season.He has also put together a respectable line of .267/.317/.520.When he was signed, the Yankees intended on using him as the primary designated hitter. He would occasionally play the outfield, they said.Instead, Ibanez has seen significant time in the outfield with Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner both nursing injuries, and he hasn't played too poorly out there.If the Yankees still had Jesus Montero, they would not be able to see the same versatility or production that Ibanez has offered.Montero has provided similar offensive production to Ibanez; his line sits ...

The debate is raging all over Boston: When Kevin Youkilis returns to the Red Sox lineup in the next couple of weeks, what will the team do?Will they move Will Middlebrooks and his .381 batting average, .409 on-base percentage and .953 slugging percentage back down to Triple-A Pawtucket?With that, Middlebrooks should probably take his three home runs (one of which being a grand slam) and nine RBI with him, right?The fact of the matter is that Middlebrooks has proven himself to be a solid player in his short time in Boston. Whether you are in the Youth or Youk camp, you surely can see the forest for the trees: Youkilis will not finish the 2012 season as a member of the Boston Red Sox.True, the Sox may very well be forced to send Middlebrooks back down for a spell to increase the Youk's. Right now, his stock is pretty low, ...