OPEN LETTER TO ALL YANKEE HATERS.

by The Angry Cube (NWM Staff Writer)

I got something to say to all the haters that say the Yankees buy World Series trophies. Most of this year’s players were either drafted or came up through the minors. Granted the Yankees are in a larger market than most. Which means they have more coin to grab up the big players over other teams, though not all. Other MLB teams have the money. They just choose to keep it in there own pockets, out of greed. Or they invest in poorly researched financial firms with the promise of high returns – again out of greed. But this just goes to prove it takes more than money to win a World Series. It takes a good GM, good scouts, coaches and ownership.

I would love to see how many Mets players on the team have been drafted and or developed compared to the free agent signings. Mets fans can keep hating the Yankees for winning, but that hate should really be more focused on their terrible GM, owners and front office.

PLAYERS DRAFTED BY THE YANKEES:

• Jorge Posada - 24th round of 1990 amateur draft
• Derek Jeter - 1st round (6th pick of 1992 amateur draft)
• #Shelley Duncan - 2nd round of 2001 amateur draft)
• Phil Coke - 26th round of the 2002 amateur draft
• Phil Hughes - 1st round (23rd pick) of 2004 amateur draft
• #Michael Dunn - 33rd round of the 2004 amateur draft
• Brett Gardner - 3rd round of the 2005 amateur draft.
• #Ian Kennedy - 1st round (21st pick) of the 2006 amateur draft.
• Joba Chamberlain - 1st round (41st pick) of the 2006 amateur draft
• #Mark Melancon - 9th round of the 2006 amateur draft
• David Robertson - 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft

PLAYERS NOT DRAFTED BUT CAME UP THROUGH THE MINORS:

Mariano Rivera - amateur free agent in 1990

*Andy Pettitte - amateur free agent in 1991

#Chien-Ming Wang - amateur free agent in 2000

Melky Cabrera - amateur free agent in 2001

Robinson Cano - amateur free agent in 2001

Francisco Cervelli - amateur free agent in 2003

**Ramiro Pena - amateur free agent in 2005

#Juan Miranda - amateur free agent in 2006

*-Pettitte left the team and was re-acquired as a free agent for $16 million dollars in December of 2006.

** Pena replaced Cabrera on the WS roster but did not play.

#-players on the 2009 regular season roster, but not on the post season roster.

FREE ANGENT SIGNINGS AND TRADES:

2009 season:

• Mark Teixeira (8 yrs. $180 million)
• CC Sabathia (7 yrs. $161 million)
• AJ Burnett (5 yrs. 82.5 million)
• Nick Swisher (trade)
• 2006: Johnny Damon
• 2004: Alex Rodriguez (trade)
• 2003: Hideki Matsui

NWM WELCOMES ALL REBUTTALS FROM ANY METS, BOSTON, PHILLIES OR MANCHESTER UNITED FANS.

I WAS A SCANT 782 YARDS FROM THE 2009 WORLD SERIES CHAMPS.

by Biz-Boy (NWM Staff Writer)

Went to the Yankee parade today with some co-workers. Not as much fun navigating through the crowd as I thought it’d be. Damn my 5'4"-ness! Didn't get close enough to see Jeter. Though I did manage to see a few thousand drunk 16-20 ½ yr. olds running around. And got offered no less than 486 official Yankee World Champion Tshirts for only 10 bucks. Here are some pics from this memorable day I won't soon forget.

THE HANGOVER GAME, FOR AGES 35 AND UP.

If your team makes it to the big game in October/ November it can be considered a blessing and a curse. Makes for good TV and horrible next mornings. That is if beers, friends and 25¢ wings are a part of the night as well. Now spry, young 20-somethings (that can bounce back with just a sip of caffeine) don’t really have an issue with booze-fueled sports watching. However, us 35 pluses, might need a little help in the “bright eyed and bushy tailed” department. So here are some hangover remedies I found in my e-searches that might do the trick…

Vitamin C – Guzzle some OJ or slam down some tablets. C is known for breaking down lingering alcohol content in your system.

Go Bananas – Blend a banana with a teaspoon of clear honey and milk. Helps settle the stomach and ups your depleted glucose levels.

The Japanese Method – Umeboshi pickled plums have pyric acid, which supposedly cleans out the system of beer or sake. Not sure how you eat it. Sorry.

The 2 Blue Pack ­– My personal “Raging Hangover” cure choice. I drink a whole bottle of Gatorade Frost (or blue as I like to call it) followed by a Rice Krispies Treat chaser. All those Gatorade electrolytes does a hurting body good and the RK-treat handles all the glucose issues and then some.

RUMOR HAS IT THESE ARE THE YANKEE TOLERANT BARS IN PHILLY.

Yankee fans span the globe far and wide. Usually they can walk anywhere without fear of persecution, except maybe in Boston and NOW Philly. If you do find yourself in this City of Brotherly Love tonight, here are some bars that’ll show Y-fans a little compassion. Or at the very least, they won’t spit on you.

WARNING: During the regular season it might be fine to display your Yankee pride at these places, but during a World Series it’s best to stick with Yankee box briefs, undershirts or condoms.

THE FIELD HOUSE – 1150 Filbert St

PAT'S PUB – 3884 M St

GREY LODGE PUB – 6235 Frankford Ave

PUB WEBB – 1527 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

CAN'T GET YANKEES TIX? BUY THE GARBAGE.

by Biz-Boy (NWM Staff Writer)

I’d say this definitely falls in the “Ahhh! Why didn’t I think of that,” category. Artist/entrepreneur Justin Gignac has been turning trash into treasure since 2001. Now eight years later he has sold 1,200 of his trademark garbage cubes. Mini 3D squares filled with a sampling of the best NYC garbage. Each one goes for $50, and no two cubes are alike. Justin also sells limited edition cubes from big NYC events like The Republican National Convention, New Year’s Eve and even inaugural trash from opening day at Yankee and Mets stadiums. No telling how much the World Series trash is going to be worth. Depending on who wins of course.

SIMPSON vs. HUDSON (TALE OF THE TAPE)

JESSICA SIMPSON (dated Dallas QB Tony Romo)

2007 – ’08 season highlights:

• (reg. season) – Surprise home loss to Philadelphia Eagles
• (playoffs) – Divisional loss to NY Giants

Romo: plagued with interceptions and overthrown passes in both games Simpson was in attendance.

KATE HUDSON (dating Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez)

2009 season highlights:

• Swept Minnesota Twins to claim AL title
• One win away from beating the Angels and heading to the 2009 World Series.

A-Rod: key RBIs and HRs in both series. Hudson has appeared at all post-season games.

AT AGE 16, RALLY MONKEY REFLECTS ON A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN AND OUT OF THE PARK.

The Rally Monkey sorta made her first unofficial appearance on June 6^th 2000. Two of the ballpark video operators (Dean Fraulino and Jayson Humes) played a clip of the monkey dancing in Ace Ventura during the bottom of the 9th. The Angels were down 5 - 4 to the SF Giants. Of course after the Angels rallied to win, the clip became a huge hit at the park. Which subsequently lead to the hire of the actual capuchin monkey, Katie. Her current Rally role has her busy for the last nine years, recording all sorts of Angel promos and making appearances. However before baseball, Katie was pretty much a staple on the big and small screen throughout the '90s and early 2000s. Some of her most notable projects included:

• Ace Ventura (1994)
  
• Outbreak (1995)
  
• Ace Ventura II: When Nature Calls (1995)
  
• Addicted to Love (1997)
  
• George of the Jungle (1997)
  
• Instinct (1999)
  
• Flintstones II: Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
  
• Numerous appearances on the Tonight Show and Animal Planet.

And the role that made her famous – “Marcel The Monkey” on Friends (1994)...

ANGRY RETIREE OP-ED: F THE SUSHI, GIMMEE A YANKEE GAME WITH CRACKER JACKS!

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

It's nice to know that some things last. Consider Cracker Jack. It's been around since 1896 according to the NY Times. And it has withstood the changes in taste, especially at baseball games. Did you know you can get all sorts of food at ball games now? Sushi, lobster rolls, cheese steaks, fish tacos--even Rocky Mountain oysters (for those who don't know, these are bull testicles). But the old standby Cracker Jack prevails. When the Yankees tried to replace it with another brand, the fans rebelled and Cracker Jack was back. To all you modern gourmets remember the old days still have some meaning: LONG LIVE CRACKER JACKS! AND 25¢ BRIDGE TOLLS!

YANKEE FANS! DON’T JUST ROOT, PUT A VOODOO CURSE ON THE OTHER TEAM.

by Biz-Boy (NWM Staff Writer)

Seems like the Yanks are once again on the road to destiny. KNOCK ON WOOD. As a fan all we can do is sit back watch, hope and pray. Or can we do more? Well if you have the The Sports Fan Voodoo Kit you know the answer to that question. For $16.44 (on Amazon) here’s what you get…

• 64 page voodoo curse book (complete with spells for injuries and all kinds of mishaps.)
• authentic voodoo stick pins
• multi-sport themed voodoo doll (includes good and bad luck phrases to use.)

THE LIGHTS ARE ON IN OCTOBER.

by Jose Antonio Otero (NWM Staff Writer)

As the leaves change color and begin to clutter the sidewalks it only means one thing. It is fall and the lights will be on tonight. 

For the past fifteen years or so since a skinny kid from Kalamazoo wearing number "2" came to town, it has almost been a right of passage.



When the sun goes down on these cool autumn nights, you see the traffic build almost to a complete halt under the 4 train on Mt. Eden. Plates from Connecticut, New Jersey and from as far as Ontario become the normal on the Jerome Avenue exit of I95. That can only mean one thing... October baseball at Yankee Stadium.



For as far back as I can remember, those lights meant that the Yankees were fighting for another championship. Business is booming in the Bronx and only those from the outer boroughs would be the ones filling the seats on River Ave. Those who are "fortunate" enough to live right across the street from the stadium would have to spend two months worth of wages to get a seat in the lights.



I live right around the corner from the I95 exit, about a 20 minute walk from the Stadium. The only way many of the people in the Bronx could see a playoff game in person would be from standing on the roof-tops surrounding the stadium looking down into the bowl where the little square patch of green is speckled with white and black dots. So small but those lights shine like no other.


The storefronts all have TV's in the windows. All of the radios are tuned into the game, and everyone is aware of every play as it happens. The roar of the crowd could be heard all the way from my coop, about a mile and a half away. It can be heard over the trains, sirens and the planes overhead. That explosion of the cheering fans letting the world know that we scored a run, one step closer to the final destination.


The blimps circle that cone of light at the bottom of the hill in the shadow of the Bronx Courthouse on the Grand Concourse. Entire buildings shake as the F-15's buzz the "House that Ruth Built" and George tore down. Every window in my house rattled from the fly-over. Those lights can be seen anywhere in the Bronx, most of Manhattan and even in New Jersey. 



Those lights... those wonderful lights. They represent the best and the worst that The Bronx has to offer. Forget the Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Poe Park, Fordham University and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. It is October and the lights are on!

6 QUESTIONS FOR A BASEBALL HOT DOG VENDOR.

His name is Charlie, but everyone who knows him best calls him CJ. During the off-season he works construction. However come April, CJ works the dawg route at a major league NY ballpark. He’s been a hot dog vendor for 3 seasons. Here are his six questions.

So do you get a commission or is it just a straight salary? Actually it’s a bit of both. We’re on the books as a salaried employee, but we also make 13-16% commission on each dog we deal out.

How much can a top dog seller make per season? The good ones could bring in as much as 30K, but they gotta hustle.

What’s the most hot dogs you’ve ever sold in one game? I’d probably say about 161. My average is more like in the 140s.

So do you get good exercise lugging that hot dog case around? It weighs about 40lbs, I’m climbing stadium stairs – so yeah I’m getting my cardio and strength training in each and every gameday.

Did you ever catch a foul ball? No, but I got knocked over by a guy who did. Lost about 6 hot dogs that day.

What’s the most best and worst part of the job? Seeing the games for free and bun splitting.

INSTEAD OF BASEBALL WATCH DEATH OF A CABBAGE PATCH KID.