My Favorite NY Yankee (Game 3: Yankees Vs. Twins)

There are lots of great sports options for the TV clicker tonight. Since I don't have three TV's set up in my living room, I'm going to have to find a place to watch all the games tonight. Preferably, a place with the biggest and best HD as well as great food. Yes, I want my cake and I want to eat it too. The Buffalo Sabres play their home opener at 7:05 and the Yankees/Twins game should start around 8:37. That means a late dinner for me as I'll be catching both games at a before mentioned HD TV/food/sports mecca.

Since it's the MLB Playoffs, I'm a bit more excited about the Yanks playing tonight. It should be interesting to see what they get out of their 3rd starter in Phil Hughes. Between the Yanks and Sabres tonight, you would think a sports fan would have enough, but that's just not the case with this sports fan. I'll also be keeping an eye on the Florida St. versus Miami matchup tonight. This will take some clever charm and sweet talking by me to get all the TV's switched to all the games I want to watch, but I'm up to the challenge.

Since the Yanks are playing tonight, I thought I'd show off a card of my favorite pinstriped player, Paul O'neill. You all know I collect many sets and players, but it really doesn't get much better than this 1999 E-X Century Essential Credentials 16 of 44 card for me. I'm a huge fan of the Credentials cards from all sports. They usually feature some funky colors on an acetate card stock. I try to pick one up every now and then, but they can get expensive. This O'neill cost me just under $11.00 which isn't too bad. After all, he is my favorite Yankee ever. Enjoy the sports smorgasbord tonight as well as… "Every Bounce of the Ball".

1999 E-X Century Essential Credentials O'neill 16/44

What Three Active Pitchers Have Beaten Every MLB Team?

There are between 330-360 active pitchers in MLB today (Formula: 30 teams x 11 and/or 12 pitchers per team). Out of those 330-360 active pitchers, only three have managed to beat every team in MLB during their careers. Sure, you can take the easy way out and Google Search the answer, but it would be so much more fun to test your sports knowledge and take a guess. I'll give you one out of those three pitchers right now.

Javier Vazquez of the NY Yankees completed the feat a few weeks ago on July 21, 2010. The Yanks traded my favorite Yankee at the time Melky Cabrera. I was sadden to see Melky go as he was one of those role players that provided the glue during the World Series run last year, but Vazquez has been a pleasant surprise after a slow start. With a 9-8 record and 4.22 ERA, he's not making a run at the AL Cy Young Award, but he's been very solid as the Yankees 5th starter.

Here's a 1999 SkyBox Autographics card I recently purchased for $2.99 including shipping. Not too bad for an on-card auto of a current player on my favorite MLB team. I love those old school Expos logos too.

Oh, I almost forgot. I'll leave a comment in a day or two on who the other two active players are who have beaten all 30 MLB teams, so take your guesses.

"The Boss" Passes Away at the Age of 80

As I'm sure many of you have heard by now, New York Yankees principle owner, George Steinbrenner, passed away at the age of 80 this morning from a massive heart attack. There's really no middle ground when it comes to sports fans' opinions of Mr. Steinbrenner, you either hated him or loved him. He was referred to as "The Boss", and rightfully so. Steinbrenner became the N.Y. Yankees principle owner in 1973 when he and a group of investors bought the storied franchise for a ridiculous $8.7 million from a desperate CBS Corporation. He told the media that he'd be a behind the scenes owner, but was anything other than behind the scenes. "Big Stein" micromanaged the Yankees franchise for more than 30 years. During that time period, the team won seven World Series Titles and 11 American League pennants.

Whether you hated Steinbrenner or loved him, his influence on the game is undeniable. From leading the way during the beginnings of free agency with James "Catfish" Hunter and Reggie Jackson to the inception of the team's own TV/Media Network called YES (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network), Steinbrenner changed America's pastime forever.

It's only fitting that "The Boss" would pass on the day of MLB's All-Star game as no ones star shined brighter than Mr. George Steinbrenner's. He was a sports and popular culture icon. George Steinbrenner was 80 years old: July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010. He'll surely be missed.