19 posts tagged “top 10”
Stephen at Heartbeat of the Bronx recently listed Derek Jeter's top 10 moments as a Yankee. Here was the list:
10) Jeter collects his 2,000th hit
9) Jeter becomes the Captain
8) Jeter passes Lou Gehrig for the most hits in Yankee Stadium history
7) Jeter's girlfriends; jealousy personified
6) Yankee Stadium farewell speech
5) Jeter dives into the stands
4) Jeter wins the 2000 World Series MVP
3) Jeffrey Maier
2) "Mr. November"
1) The flip
What a career in pinstripes thus far for Mr. Derek Jeter.
Dayn Perry of foxsports.com recently ranked baseball's top 10 managers. It's a very interesting list, check it out:
10) Terry Francona
9) Ozzie Guillen
8) Cito Gaston
7) Jim Leyland
6) Lou Piniella
5) Ron Gardenhire
4) Mike Scioscia
3) Joe Torre
2) Bobby Cox
1) Tony LaRussa
Gardenhire is the only one listed who hasn't won a World Series.
Dayn Perry of foxsports.com recently listed the top 10 reasons the 2009 baseball season will be epic. Here they are:
10) Doomed Domes: After the 2009 season, baseball will feature only one true domed stadium - Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
9) Encore: The A.L. East will once again be brutal, as the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees will all be competitive for the second year in a row.
8) Pujols' prime: Albert Pujols is still just 29 years old, meaning he's waist-deep in his prime seasons. It's something to savor.
7) Lucky No. 7: Not since 2002 has the World Series gone a full seven games. Baseball hasn't endured a "drama drought" that long since the 1920's. Baseball fans are due for a tense, white-knuckled World Series.
6) Beer and loathing: The 2009 season figures to be a good year for rivalries. The Yankees and Sox may wind up as the top two teams in the A.L. East, and the same goes for the Cubs and Cardinals in the N.L. Central. The Mets and Phillies will also slug it out for the N.L. East.
5) Rookies: Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is one of the most gifted prospects to come along in quite some time. David Price of the Rays will also be a dominant force for them. Also keep an eye on Travis Snider of the Blue Jays and Colby Rasmus of the Cardinals.
4) International Intrigue: The World Baseball Classic will provide us with hotly competitive baseball in the middle of March. That alone makes it worth your while.
3) Villainy: The Yankees are back and as fearsome as ever. With CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, and their incumbent high-dollar talents on the roster, the Yankees are playing their role perfectly.
2) Milestones: This season, we will almost certainly see Randy Johnson get to 300 wins, Gary Sheffield get to 500 homers, and Tony LaRussa join Connie Mack and John McGraw as the only managers to win 2,500 games. Also, Carlos Delgado needs 31 home runs to get to 500, and Alex Rodriguez needs 47 to get to 600. Mariano Rivera is 18 saves away from 500, and if Ichiro notches 200 hits then he'll break Wee Willie Keeler's record of eight straight 200-hit seasons.
1) Races: Every race save for the A.L. West (where the Angels are considerably favored) is potentially a nail-biter. Particularly tough to call are the races in the A.L. East, the A.L. Central, and the N.L. West. The September stretch drive could be one for the ages.
From Joel Sherman of the Post --
1) No regrets, unlike years past
2) Age isn't just a number
3) Never doubt the power of the glove
4) It helps to hurt Boston
5) Other deals may open
6) Flip on the switch
7) Lucky No. 3
8) Mets still No. 2
9) Were the Yanks good enough before Tex?
10) Manny as a Yank? You serious?
Foxsports.com recently listed their top 10 burning questions for this offseason. Here they are:
10) Can the Dodgers keep themselves in contending shape?
9) How will the Mets fill their holes?
8) Who will pay Mark Teixeira's tab?
7) Which blockbuster trades will go down?
6) Will Boston get younger?
5) Can Milwaukee hang on to CC Sabathia?
4) Where will Manny Ramirez wind up?
3) How will the Yankees spend those dollars?
2) Steady as she goes for the Rays?
1) Who will be the Phillies' GM next season?
We'll re-visit these questions later on in the offseason.
Update: Apparently foxsports.com is not up to date on the times; Ruben Amaro was named the new Phillies' GM in place of Pat Gillick.
Foxsports.com listed its top 10 moments from the 2008 season. Here they are:
10) Junior hits 600th home run
9) Brewers reach the playoffs
8) Josh Hamilton ignites HR derby
7) K-Rod ties then breaks saves record
6) Carlos Zambrano no-hits Houston
5) Jon Lester's no-hitter
4) Yankee Stadium hosts final game
3) Manny traded to L.A.
2) Rays win the ALCS
1) Phillies win the Series
Back in July, Dayn Perry of foxsports.com listed his top 10 questions for the second half. I answered the questions using my own opinions. Here's what I said then:
1) Will Barry Bonds find a new home?
No.
2) Do the South Siders have what it takes?
The White Sox have had a great start, but the Tigers have been playing well since their early season struggles. I don't think they have the talent the Tigers do at this point.
3) Will K-Rod set the saves record?
He is only 19 away from tying the record, and there are still nearly 70 games left. So, yes.
4) Will Josh Hamilton win the Triple Crown?
He's having an MVP type year, but there are other players that will finish higher in average and home runs.
5) Who's next to be traded?
Hopefully it's to the Yankees, because we really need some offensive help.
6) Can the Rays hang on?
No. I think their recent seven-game losing streak was a sign of things to come.
7) Is the Yanks' run over?
Their 50-45 record isn't stunning, but I expect some improvements in the second half. Hopefully it's enough to make the playoffs.
8) Will the N.L. West produce a winning team?
The Diamondbacks are currently in first despite being one game below .500. By the end of the year, I would expect at least one of the west teams to be above .500.
9) What will happen in the N.L. Central?
The Cubs will win the division and the Brewers will win the Wild Card.
10) Can the Mets keep it going?
Yes, they can. They're on the cusp of first place and their team has played well the last few weeks.
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And here is how it actually went down:
1) Will Barry Bonds find a new home?
Barry Bonds did not find a new home.
2) Do the South Siders have what it takes?
Yes, they do. They won the division after beating the Twins in a one-game playoff.
3) Will K-Rod set the saves record?
As Sarah Palin would say, you betcha he did. He finished with 62 saves.
4) Will Josh Hamilton win the Triple Crown?
No, he didn't come close. He led the league in RBI's but his power tapered off towards the end of the year.
5) Who's next to be traded?
Mark Teixiera, CC Sabathia, Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, Ivan Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez- just to name a few. Clearly, this trade deadline lived up to expectations.
6) Can the Rays hang on?
Yeah, they can. They won the division and are currently up 2-1 to the White Sox in the ALDS.
7) Is the Yanks' run over?
Their postseason run is indeed over. They finished behind Tampa and Boston, with an 89-73 clip.
8) Will the N.L. West produce a winning team?
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks were both above .500. The Dodgers now seem to be the favorite to win the pennant.
9) What will happen in the N.L. Central?
The Cubs won the division and the Brewers won the Wild Card.
10) Can the Mets keep it going?
Nope. Once again, they lost a playoff spot on the last day of the season.
Dayn Perry of foxsports.com listed his top 10 questions for the second half. Here they are, with my own predictions below them:
1) Will Barry Bonds find a new home?
No.
2) Do the South Siders have what it takes?
The White Sox have had a great start, but the Tigers have been playing well since their early season struggles. I don't think they have the talent the Tigers do at this point.
3) Will K-Rod set the saves record?
He is only 19 away from tying the record, and there are still nearly 70 games left. So, yes.
4) Will Josh Hamilton win the Triple Crown?
He's having an MVP type year, but there are other players that will finish higher in average and home runs.
5) Who's next to be traded?
Hopefully it's to the Yankees, because we really need some offensive help.
6) Can the Rays hang on?
No. I think their recent seven-game losing streak was a sign of things to come.
7) Is the Yanks' run over?
Their 50-45 record isn't stunning, but I expect some improvements in the second half. Hopefully it's enough to make the playoffs.
8) Will the N.L. West produce a winning team?
The Diamondbacks are currently in first despite being one game below .500. By the end of the year, I would expect at least one of the west teams to be above .500.
9) What will happen in the N.L. Central?
The Cubs will win the division and the Brewers will win the Wild Card.
10) Can the Mets keep it going?
Yes, they can. They're on the cusp of first place and their team has played well the last few weeks.
July 4th, 1939- "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth"
In terms of "classic" moments, this was a no-brainer for number 1. Gehrig's speech transcended baseball and still exists in Yankee lore 69 years later.
It was a heartbreaking moment that made the Yankees grander than Ruth's bat, larger than the largest stadium in the game, classier than pinstripes. It is the high mark for grace under pressure for all of sport.
As Gehrig gave the speech, few knew that he was dying. At the time, it was just a snapshot that would not take focus for two years, after he died from the disease that took his name.
No marketing expert planned Gehrig's farewell. No agent wrote the speech and no beer company sponsored the event. Gehrig didn't even want to speak. "I'd have rather struck out in the ninth with the score tied, two down and the bases loaded than walk out there before all those grand people. It's the only time I've been frightened on a ball field," he told reporters after the game.
When it was time for Gehrig to speak, he sputtered. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his eyes while staring at his feet. But at manager Joe McCarthy's urging, Gehrig came forward and collected himself.
After the speech, Babe Ruth came to Gehrig and threw an arm around him, whispering in his ear and ending their feud.
For those few who knew that Gehrig was dying, the moment was almost too much to bear. The luckiest man on the face of the Earth.
"I've always wondered how a dying man could call himself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth," said Mickey Mantle. It's part of the legacy of the speech that makes it the most classic moment in Yankees history.
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Meanwhile, pitchers and catchers report this week. It's been a long journey since Jorge Posada struck out against Joe Borowski in Game 4 of the ALDS. But Yankee baseball is finally returning.
October 8, 1956- For One Day, Perfection
The night before Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, Yankee pitcher Don Larsen, after having dinner and cocktails with some friends, boasted that he would throw a no hitter if he pitched the next day.
Larsen had blown a six-run lead in Game 2, so he didn't know whether he would start Game 5. But manager Casey Stengel gave Larsen the ball for the start. "If you don't pitch well, you're gone," said Stengel.
In front of 64,000+, Larsen ended up throwing the only perfect game in World Series history. Twenty-seven up, 27 down, no runs, no hits, no errors, nobody left on. "I'd never had had such good control," said Larsen.
It helped that his teammates were close to perfect, too. Third baseman Andy Carey nearly made an error on a Jackie Robinson line drive, but shortstop Gil McDougald picked it up and threw out the speedy Robinson by half a step. Then, in the fifth inning, Mickey Mantle made a spectacular catch in center field. Mantle also hit an early home run to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. That was all Larsen needed.
Larsen actually violated one of baseball's biggest taboos. In the seventh inning, he started to talk about the no-hitter. He sat down to Mantle and said, "Slick, wouldn't it be something if I threw a no-hitter in the World Series?" Mantle gave him the cold shoulder.
In the bottom of the ninth, Larsen struck out Dale Mitchell looking, and the celebration had begun. Catcher Yogi Berra jumped into Larsen's arms, setting up one of the most iconic images in baseball history.
"Not a day goes by when I don't think about it," said Larsen in 2002.
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Any guesses for classic moment number 1?
