When I was a little kid, coloring books were still really popular. Nowadays, with the spread of the Internet and new forms of electronic entertainment, it seems like books are taking a real hit. Sad to think that, 20 years ago, a nice new book could be someones prized possession for the week or month or year it takes to complete. In today’s society, kids are using the Internet before they can even understand many of the words on the screen.

But every once in a while something comes along that brings us back, to that stinky paper smell that we love. In 1997 it was Harry Potter, and in 2003 it was The Da Vinci Code. Well another six years have gone by, and there’s a new must read on the shelves. The New York Yankees Coloring & Activity Book by Peg Connery-Boyd and Brendan Fitzgerald is the new feel good book of the year! Talk about a crowning achievement for children’s literature. This is the best coloring book I have ever seen. The crossword …

The Yankees’ major league record of 18 straight errorless games came to an end this week. They also lost a game started by Carl Pavano, whose record of four straight years of stealing the Yankees’ money came to a halt this year (I haven’t seen somebody do less in that amount of time since the four years I spent in junior high school). There was a revolving door on the local teams’ pitching staffs the last few days: Chien-Ming Wang is back in the rotation (do they want a do-over on that decision?), with Phil Hughes heading out to the bullpen (he wasn’t demoted, though, he was just “relocated”); J.J. Putz, on the other hand, was demoted to the seventh inning (but now may be out for the season; who knew that the crown jewel of the Seattle trade would turn out to be Jeremy Reed?), and Bobby Parnell will work the eighth. And more roster moves were needed by the Mets, as the injuries continued to pile …

Since the Yankees are over .500, I’m feeling the pinstripe bandwagon right now. Let’s talk about someone who doesn’t get enough credit, and that man is Derek Jeter.

Over the past decade, analysts and statisticians alike have given their opinion on why Derek Jeter is OVERrated……

Sabermetrics can kiss my ass.

First, let’s take our cap off to the CAPTAIN of the NEW YORK YANKEES, the greatest franchise in the history of professional sports. There have only been 11 captains in the Yankee’s 108 year history. Names like Gehrig, Ruth, Munson, Guidry, Mattingly, and of course, Derek Jeter.

What player in this league could keep so many big, overpriced ego’s in check? Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi.

Bill James. This guy has never picked up a bat in his life, yet somehow his mathematical calculations say that Derek Jeter is the worst shortstop in the league. Here’s an interesting point. James’ Range Factor, which is essentially the BCS of baseball statistics, puts Rafael Furcal as the SS with …

On the eve of what could be the Yankee’s first double-digit game wining streak in quite some time, I’m beginning to see that old Yankee fire burning again. The team is HOT, and critics can finally see the impact of A-Rod’s return to the lineup. Everybody is seeing better pitches to hit, and Rodriguez himself has been En Fuego’.  This also happens to be about the time when angry fans of sub-.500 small market teams begin to revolt against Yankee capitalism. Hank “The Bank” Steinbrenner has shown that he is willing to make a big splash, and what could possibly ever cause a bigger uproar than signing the steroid filled home run machine that is Barry Bonds.

Okay, so you guys are probably saying “this kid is an idiot” and “why destroy team chemistry with a guy like Bonds?”

762 Home Runs. That’s why.

Barry Bonds is one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, period. Steroids or not, there is no way to deny his unparallelled …

The Yankees are red hot, with a nine-game winning streak that included three walk-off wins in a row over the weekend. And they’re having so much fun, that they’ll be starring in a 1970s-like summer replacement series, The Yankees’ Summertime Funtime Razzle Dazzle Variety Hour, which will co-star Charo. The Mets’ season, on the other hand, is  going right down the toilet. And speaking of toilets, here’s a tip of the cap to the Mets fan of the week. This faithful Met follower got her arm stuck in a toilet at Citi Field trying to retrieve her gold tooth, which fell in the commode. The Mets finally have working toilets in their stadium, but the fans don’t know how to use them. How did her tooth fall in there anyway? Maybe she caught a case of the yips from Mike Pelfrey. A plumber stated, “People have probably been getting their hands stuck in toilets as long as there have been toilets.” If I had a …

Is there anything more heartwarming than a cheating, lying, adulterous phony hitting a home run on the first pitch he faces after coming off the disabled list? I couldn’t stop crying when Alex Rodriguez smashed his storybook-like four-bagger against the Orioles on Friday night. The last time I wept like that was at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life (or was it Planet of the Apes?). Speaking of disgraced drug cheats, Roger Clemens came out of the woodwork this week and is still in complete denial about his steroid use. He also denied ever playing for the Blue Jays. When presented with proof, he stated, “I don’t think the Toronto Blue Jays even exist, so I couldn’t have possibly played for them. Besides, I don’t even know where Toronto is.”

Winner

CC Sabathia: The Yankees’ big-money ace is beginning to look like an ace. He tossed a complete-game shutout against Baltimore on Friday, and last night pitched eight innings only allowing two runs to earn …

Just over a month into the season, it is obvious that the Yankees have the necessary pieces to make it back to the postseason.  However, with a lineup that changes daily, and a starter that should be in the bullpen, the Yankees will never come into rhythm.

Upon A-Rod’s return from the disabled list possibly as soon as this Friday, the lineup should look like and stay as follows:

Johnny Damon – LF

Derek Jeter – SS

Mark Teixeira – 1B

Alex Rodriguez – 3B

Robinson Cano – 2B

Hideki Matsui – DH

Nick Swisher – RF

Jose Molina – C (when Jorge Posada returns from the DL, Posada moves up one spot, and Swisher slides down.  This allows Swisher who is a high OBP guy, and Cabrera to set the stage for the top of the lineup by being on base a lot)

Melky Cabrera – CF

This lineup will allow the Yankees to have the necessary balance by allowing everyone in it the comfort of knowing where they are going to hit and most importantly placing them in slots that they are best suited …

In watching the Yankees first four home games this past weekend, you cannot help but notice the many lower level patches of seats which are vacant for each and every game.

Were the Yankees really serious in believing that even hardcore fans would pay anywhere from $300 to $2,625 a seat just to watch a baseball game?

Corporate America cannot even afford these outrageous prices.   

Fans are left with no other choice but to stay home or look around for middle or upper deck seats.  The problem however is that these seats have already been purchased by season ticket holders who could no longer afford their lower level seats.

This has resulted in fans within these levels to be relocated to different sections that they have been in for years or a reduction in games within their current seats.

Prices should have remained the same or, at the very worst, slightly increased in line with general inflation. The Yankees could have then counted on a sure sellout for every home game …

The bigs news this week was, of course, the opening of Citi Field along with the new Yankee Stadium. And that means we’ll have a whole slew of firsts: First hit, first run scored, first home run. In Citi Field, things got off to an ominous start for the Mets when Padre Jody Gerut became the first batter, got the first hit and smashed the first home run all at once. The Mets even heard their first boos as the ball sailed over the fence. David Wright hit the first Mets home run. Mike Pelfrey was the first pitcher in Citi Field to fall off the mound. Ryan Church was the first outfielder to drop a fly ball. The first in-game interviewee was Ralph Kiner. The first in-booth guest was Tom Seaver. The first player to score all the way from first base on a passed ball was Jose Reyes. And the first balk, which let in the game-winning run, was committed by Pedro Feliciano. Somehow losing on a balk …

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.

1. Yogi Berra (1951, ‘54, ‘55), Elston Howard (1963) and Thurman Munson (1976) have all won the MVP.

2. Munson is the only Yankee catcher to win the Rookie of the Year award. He won in 1970.

3. Jake Gibbs caught the most games (311) for the Yanks from 1967 to 1969.

4. Jorge Posada is second on the list of most home runs be a Yankee catcher, with 222.

5. Bill Dickey is second on the list of games played by Yankee catchers, with 1,789.

6. Mike Stanley played for the Yanks (1992-’95, ‘97) and Red Sox (1996-’97, ‘98-’00) two different times with each team.

7. Pat Collins appeared in 92 games for the 1927 Yankees.

8. Jerry Narron was the starting catcher for the Yankees the day after Thurman Munson tragically died.

9. Elrod Hendricks was the catcher the Yanks received from Baltimore in a 10-player trade in 1976. New York also acquired Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman in exchange for Rudy May, Tippy Martinez, …

See how much you know about all the great (and maybe not-so-great) catchers in Yankees history. The answers will be posted tomorrow.

1. How many Yankee catchers have won the MVP?

2. How many Yankee catchers have won the Rookie of the Year award?

3. In the years between when Elston Howard was a regular and Thurman Munson took over (1967-1969), who caught the most games for the Yanks?

4. Yogi Berra has hit the most career home runs of any Yankee catcher. Who is second?

5. Yogi Berra has played in the most games of any Yankee catcher. Who is second?

6. This catcher played for the Yankees and Red Sox two different times for each team.

7. This catcher caught the most games for the 1927 Yankees.

8. Who was the starting catcher for the Yankees the day after Thurman Munson tragically died?

9. This catcher was traded by Baltimore to New York in a 10-player deal in 1976.

10. This catcher was named to the Sporting News All-Star team in 1980.

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.

1. Andy Stankiewicz played for the Yankees in the early 1990s and was traded to Houston for Xavier Hernandez.

2. Mets second baseman Felix Millan’s major league career ended when he got into a fight with Ed Ott and the Pirates catcher slammed him to the ground.

3. Bucky Dent co-starred in the made-for-TV movie The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 1979.

4. Bud Harrelson played 13 seasons for the Mets yet hit only one homer at Shea.

5. Walt “No Neck” Williams spent his last two years with the Yankees in 1974-75.

6. Melvin Mora scored the winning run for the Mets on the last day of the 1999 season.

7. The Yankees traded Bobby Bonds to the Angels for Mickey Rivers (and Ed Figueroa) after the 1975 season.

8. Wally Backman won the Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year award in 2004.

9. The Mets traded Jesse Orosco to St. Louis for Joe McEwing in 2000.

10. Billy Martin played himself (as the Tigers manager) in …