Aaron Judge uses Brett Gardner's bat-slamming antics as Yankees odd new rallying motion

By Tony Mangia

The Yankees aren't happy with the target MLB umpires have put on Brett Gardner and his recent bat-slamming actions in the dugout but, Aaron Judge may have introduced a new, kinder and albeit less savage, team rallying motion derived from the antics of their fiery left-fielder.

There was a lot of talking about team unity — after Gardner was tossed from Saturday's game against the Cleveland Indians for banging his bat on the dugout ceiling in response to manager Aaron Boone being thrown out for jawing to the home plate ump — before Judge mimicked Gardner's double-handed rant at first base following his third-inning single and again from second base after a Judge double.

"no no it aint a shot at you guys" pic.twitter.com/Zw1O83Nncs

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) August 18, 2019

I'm sure a lot of twisted baseball fans — and probably some indignant and inefficient umpires — will see an indecent double-entendre in the two-handed motion, but — to the easily offended — the gesture might be less naughty than Gardner's in-and-out motion with a bat in a dugout cubbyhole during that same rant. And, if you believe Judge, the jerky up-and-down bat action just might become the Yankees version of the Rally Cap.

Maybe they can call it Gard's Up! or Wood's Up! They are Savages, after all.

"Yeah, he's one of the leaders of this team," said Judge. "We do a lot of crazy things in that dugout when we get on base. Just showing support for him. He's the leader of this team so we're just supporting him."

Gardner had been one of three Yankees kicked out of the game — CC Sabathia was the third — by first base ump Phil Cuzzi on Saturday, so before the game on Sunday, Boone warned his players that the umpires might be watching the dugout for more abuse of his lumber by Gardie and another excuse to toss him from the game.

When the Yankee Stadium Bleacher Creatures did their ritual role call at the start of Sunday's game, Gardner pretended to slam a bat on the dugout ceiling in return. Judge must have been watching and took it as a sign.

Gardy can't stop.

Gardy won't stop. pic.twitter.com/uNEj6bewqr

— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 17, 2019lll

Cuzzi worked home plate during Sunday's loss without incident although the Yankees could be seen shaking their heads at more than a few lousy pitching calls. But, with Gardner's bats on a leash, it didn't come to this... not in the dugout at least.

Here is the full sequence of the Boone ejection. Hot mics galore. pic.twitter.com/R6Vw0qw0qn

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) July 18, 2019 

CC Sabathia's weekend bender at Baltimore hotel led to rehab: Report

Even with three seasons of declining play and a couple of controversial off-the-field incidents this summer, it came as a real shock to everyone Monday when Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia suddenly announced he was headed to rehab instead of joining his teammates in postseason play.

And what led the one-time Yankees ace's decision to dry out? According to a New York Post source, was a weekend-long bender during the team's final road trip to Baltimore was the turning point.

“His drinking got really bad this weekend, and it put him in a really bad place,” said a source close to the team.

      “He was afraid. He felt that if I don’t do this now and go into rehab, I don’t know what is               going to happen.”

The last straw, according to sources, was when Sabathia arrived at the Yankees' team hotel (the Four Seasons) in Baltimore and "spent most of his time pounding drinks" there, looking "out of it" on Friday while the Yankees waited out an eventual rainout at Camden Yards.

It was even worse than that claimed the source:

"He drank every day last week apart from the day he pitched. The tipping point was Friday when he was at the stadium. He carried on drinking Saturday. ... His drinking got really bad this weekend, and it put him in a really bad place. He was afraid. He felt that if I don't do this now and go into rehab, I don't know what is going to happen."

A bartender there told The Post he didn’t personally see CC, but said “We have a strict policy. Whenever sports teams or big names come in, We give them whatever they need, no questions.

“We have 24 hour room service here,” he added. “Whatever happens in their private room is out of our control.”

The 35-year-old Sabathia, a father of four, made the announcement the day before the Bombers’ do-or-die wild-card game Tuesday against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium.

Sabathia was known for helping bring in alcohol for celebrations, including the champagne for Thursday's playoff spot clinching moment and for Alex Rodriguez reaching 3,000 hits for his career.

Sabathia will spend a minimum of 30 days in a Connecticut facility and will miss the entire postseason.

CC Sabathia enters alcohol rehab, will miss playoffs: Report

After three straight injury-plagued seasons of increasingly declining pitching — and a couple of out-of-character off-the-field incidents this season — CC Sabathia has reportedly entered a rehab facility for alcohol abuse and will be missing the New York Yankees's first trip to the playoffs since 2012, reported the New York Daily News.

The one-time Yankees ace has checked himself into an alcohol rehab facility Monday, in what is a shocking development that comes one day before the Bombers open the playoffs against the Astros at the Stadium.

In a statement released by the team Monday Sabathia said:

"Today I am checking myself into an alcohol rehabilitation center to receive the professional care and assistance needed to treat my disease.

"I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series. It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, and I want to be a better man, father and player.

"I want to thank the New York Yankees organization for their encouragement and understanding. Their support gives me great stregnth and has allowed me to move forward with this decision with a clear mind."

"As difficult as this decision is to share publicly, I don't want to run and hide. But for now please respect my family's need for privacy as we work through this challenge together.

"Being an adult means being accountable. Being a baseball player means that others look up to you. I want my kids - and others who may have become fans of mine over the years - to know that I am not too big of a man to ask for help. I want to hold my head up high, have a full heart and be the type of person again that I can be proud of. And that's exactly what I am going to do.

"I am looking forward to being out on the field with my team next season playing the game that brings me so much happiness."

Sabathia is expected to be in treatment for a month, a source told the News, which would keep him out of the Yankees’ playoff rotation for as long as the team plays this postseason.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that the team is supporting Sabathia fully as he enters rehab. He said that Sabathia called him around 1 p.m. Sunday and told him of his plan to seek treatment. 

“It wasn’t a phone call I was expecting,” said Cashman. “Wasn’t expecting this type of press conference today.”

Sabathia ran into a bit of trouble during a Yankees road trip in August when TMZ released a video of the lefty involved in a street fight in Toronto.

The video shows the 6-7 Sabathia, wearing bright red shoes, yelling and pointing at someone before a few friends, who are holding him back, get him into a taxi cab.

He also found himself being accused of smoking a blunt when he was photographed lighting up a cigar on an Atlanta balcony this summer.

Sabathia finished the season 6-10 with an ERA of 4.73 in 29 starts, including the final game against the Boston Red Sox when he threw five innings of one-run ball, helping the Yankees clinch their elusive Wild Card bid after losing the previous three attempts.

He has two years and $50 million remaining on the eight-year, $186 million contract he signed prior to the 2009 season.

CC Sabathia may face drug test for Instagram photo: Report

CC Sabathia could possibly face additional drug screening for marijuana after he posted a photograph on his Instagram account showing him standing on the balcony of his hotel room in Atlanta over the weekend smoking what appeared to be either a small, brown cigar, cigarette — or a joint.

The photograph arrived in wife Amber Sabathia’s email account Saturday morning, according to the Yankees pitcher, accompanied by a for sale sign.

Sabathia told reporters Saturday before the Yankees played the Braves that he was smoking a small cigar, not pot, and had declined to negotiate with the seller of the photo.

“Somebody emailed Amber (his wife) this morning and said they had pictures of me doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing. I said, ‘I wasn’t doing anything I wasn’t supposed to be doing.’ So that’s why I put that picture out,” said Sabathia.

According to the New York Daily News, sources said the incident triggered interest from Major League Baseball, whose collectively bargained drug policy requires MLB’s drug treatment board to interview players suspected of using marijuana or other “drugs of abuse.”

If the treatment board determines there is indeed reasonable cause, the player is required to undergo drug testing within 24 hours.

The penalties for marijuana use are fairly minimal: Players are penalized for pot only if they fail to meet with the treatment board or the board determines that the player has refused to comply with a treatment program. They can also be subject to a series of fines, which according to the language of the drug program “shall be progressive and which shall not exceed $35,000 for any particular violation.”

The commissioner can impose discipline “without limitations” on players if he believes their marijuana use represents a threat to the safety of other players.

CC Sabathia: I was smoking cigar in photo, not a blunt: Report

Apparently, it’s nothing more than a cigar claims CC Sabathia after the Yankees ace posted a picture, taken by an unknown photographer, on Instagram early Saturday afternoon showing him smoking what looks like a funny, little brown cigarette on the balcony of an Atlanta hotel.

On the Instagram account, Sabathia said he was smoking a cigar, but skeptics said otherwise,

Yankees' CC Sabathia laughs off a photographer's attempt at extortion. http://t.co/6QejVpX2S3 pic.twitter.com/lDAUKlbOHK

— theScore (@theScore) August 30, 2015

“I wear [a Cavaliers] jersey to sleep, so I don’t know if it was [Saturday] or [Friday],’’ Sabathia said after someone contacted his wife beforehand about the photo, but insists it wasn't anything other than tobacco.

"Somebody emailed Amber this morning and said they had pictures of me doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing," Sabathia said before Saturday night's game against the Braves. "And I said, 'I wasn't doing anything I wasn't supposed to be doing.' That's why I put that picture up."

Sabathia, on the 15-day disabled list with right knee inflammation, said he posted the picture before discussing it with his publicist. 

A little more than an hour after he spoke with reporters, the photo of Sabathia — in the white Cavaliers LeBron James jersey — was removed, replaced by one of him sleeping with the caption: "I was told I had to take the pic down by a NY newspaper who bought it $$$."

The caption on the original photo read: "Shout out to the Paparazzi for catching me on the smallest balcony ever trying to relax with my 4 kids driving me crazy!"

Marijuana or not, this is the second time in the last two weeks that Sabathia has been at the center of an off-field controversy. On August 17, gossip website TMZ posted a video of him involved in a street fight outside a club in Toronto. In that clip, Sabathia had to be restrained and pushed into a taxi cab before being hauled away.

You go gangsta.

Yankees' Bryan Mitchell has nose broken by line-drive to face (VIDEO)

There was a scary scene at Yankee Stadium after New York Yankees pitcher Bryan Mitchell was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of the Minnesota Twins' Eduardo Nunez.

Mitchell, the rookie who was a rotation replacement for CC Sabathia, has been diagnosed with a "small nasal fracture," after taking the liner off his face in the second inning of Monday’s game. 

After a few tense moments, Mitchell was able to walk of the mound with the help of a trainer.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com described the bloody scene:

Yankees RHP Bryan Mitchell struck in the face with a line drive. Bloody scene here at the Stadium. He has left the game.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) August 17, 2015

"You're sick, sick to your stomach, praying for the best," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said after the dramatic 8-7 10th-inning win.. "You're just hoping for the best outcome. When I went out there, I was like, 'Are you all right?' And he said, 'I'm all right, I just need to get off the field.' So it was good that he was responsive."

Mitchell was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for further evaluation right after the injury. He will be placed on the DL, but thankful things didn't turn out worse.

CC Sabathia has to be held back during Toronto street brawl (VIDEO)

The Yankees weren’t just battling the Blue Jays for first place in Toronto this weekend — they were mixing it up with some fans as well.

A video posted on TMZSports.com Monday afternoon shows Yanks starter CC Sabathia getting into a shouting match outside a Toronto nightclub early Saturday morning.

The incident took place outside the EFS Nightclub where CC was seen relaxing with fans earlier in the night.

The video shows the 6-7 Sabathia, wearing bright red shoes, yelling and pointing at someone before a few friends, who are holding him back, get him into a taxi cab, according to the website.

If you look closely at the video below, you can see someone other than Sabathia walking around with a bright red shoe in his hand.

A representative for Sabathia told the New York Daily News Monday the pitcher had no comment.

Sabathia was slated to pitch Monday against the Twins at Yankee Stadium, but the Yanks announced earlier in the day that Bryan Mitchell would pitch Monday with Sabathia now going Tuesday.

A source said that Sabathia, and the rest of the Yankee starters, being pushed back a day had nothing to do with the incident in Toronto.

CC Sabathia explains four-letter message to David Ortiz after strikeout (VIDEO)

There was a tense moment between the Red Sox and Yankees Thursday night after CC Sabathia loaded the bases and had to face his old nemesis Boston slugger David Ortiz during the fifth-inning of a 1-1 game.

Not 2004 Red Sox-Yankees tension mind you, but intriguing still the same.

And after his inning-ending strikeout of Ortiz, just about everybody could read Sabathia's lips after he flexed, did a little jig and yelled at Ortiz: "Get the f**k out of here!" 

It would be quite a boost for the Yankees if they could get this CC Sabathia back. pic.twitter.com/Uu4p2JDFUh

— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) August 7, 2015

After the Yankees' 2-1 victory, Sabathia, for his part, said it wasn't personal. The 35-year-old righty, who has been tentative on the mound, said he was more pumped up Thursday than he'd been in a while.

"Obviously I was a little fired up and I think that little passion can be an issue," he said. "It's a fine line with me, so I'm going to have to be careful. But it worked for me tonight."

At least Big Papi took the celebration in stride:

Ortiz didn't mind Sabathia screaming: "When I go deep, I put on my show, too."

— Brian MacPherson (@brianmacp) August 7, 2015

These days you take whatever fireworks in the old rivalry you can get.

Could Brett Gardner's white spikes get him fined?

When Brett Gardner raced back to make a nice leaping grab off the bat of Austin Jackson in the top of the third inning Sunday at Yankee Stadium, it seems the only thing everyone noticed was his shoes.

The All-Star looked pretty spiffy in his pair of all-white New Balance cleats and here they are:

Brett Gardner made a nice leaping catch. But who cares when he’s wearing these fresh cleats: http://t.co/YD9rRvmKpe pic.twitter.com/2RXqXcXu7D

— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 19, 2015

But Gardner's fashion choice could lead to a possible warning or fine.

According to MLB rules, uniforms have to comply with certain rules regarding color, and because Gardner was the only Yankee wearing completely white spikes, he could be disciplined.

“Just a one-time thing, man,” Gardner said Sunday night at a Carlos Beltran charity event. “Just today. Won’t happen again. Some guys wanted me to wear them. CC [Sabathia] was pitching today, and he was excited about them. So I said, ‘Why not?’

A few years ago, umpire Joe West told CC Sabathia to remove his gray spikes at Fenway Park because they didn’t conform to other shoes worn by Yankees players.

Gardner, who wore the shoes the whole game, didn’t get a hit in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Mariners, but he used them to walk twice and score the tying run in the sixth.

“It was a big win today, nothing to do with the cleats, and that’s it,” said the stylin' Gardy.

And everyone thinks it's duh shoes.

Chris Young's reaction to Mike Trout robbing him of hit is priceless (VIDEO)

Mike Trout made three sparkling defensive plays and hit a home run off CC Sabathia in the Angels' victory over the Yankees Monday night. And even the Yankees players had to marvel at Trout's skills with the glove and bat — all except one.

Chris Young thought he had an extra-base hit after hitting the ball deep to centerfield ...twice. And both times, Trout was there to say, "Not in my house."

It’s hard not to love @MikeTrout … unless you’re @CY24_7. pic.twitter.com/7ro4PtKKY7

— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) June 30, 2015

Young is visibly upset at being robbed the second time and his reaction is priceless.

Both of those hits could have brought home a run for the Yankees had they got by Trout. And since the Angels beat the Yankees 4-1, the catches were instrumental in the Angels win.

Here's the one-man wrecking crew at work:

CC Sabathia held back after Astros' Brett Oberholtzer throws at A-Rod (VIDEO)

Houston Astros pitcher Brett Oberholtzer got rocked early by the New York Yankees on Saturday, allowing a grand slam to catcher Brian McCann and a two-run dinger to outfielder Chris Young — all before he was out of the second inning. So the frustrated lefty took out his anger out on Alex Rodriguez by intentionally throwing a fastball at A-Rod's midsection.

CC Sabathia took offense at the bush league tactic and the Yankees pitcher had to be held back by manager Joe Girardi after the big guy hopped out of the dugout.

Oberholtzer, who just took a beating from McCann and Young, wanted no part of CC's wrath and meekly retreated to the Astros dugout — without even waiting for the umpire to give him the thumb.

It'll be interesting to see what happens the next time CC and Oberholtzer meet in a big league park.

Or not. Since Obie was almost immediately sent down to Triple-A.

.@Astros option LHP Brett Oberholtzer to Triple-A Fresno.

— MLBRosterMoves (@MLBRosterMoves) June 28, 2015

Yankees won't sign free-agent James Shields because of A-Rod: Report

As if Yankee fans need another reason to vilify Alex Rodriguez, along comes this little tid-bid of info coming from Brian Cashman on Wednesday afternoon.

The Yankees general manager claims that James Shields, one of the most desirable starting pitchers available in free agency this offseason, will not be contacted by the team. 

And the reason the Bombers — just one elbow away from a rotation disaster — are taking a pass on Shields?

Because of the high-priced A-Rod who is returning to the team and inflating the organization's payroll this year.

Via NJ.com:

"We in fact had some contracts coming back on with Alex Rodriguez returning from his suspension,"Cashman said on WPAT-AM radio in an interview. "That was $21 million dollars coming back on the payroll...We'll still have about the second-highest payroll and I don't see it going any higher."

"Typically, when we're aggressive in the winter with a lot of big-time contracts is when big contracts are coming off (the payroll). This winter wasn't that case," he added.
The Yankees did spend heavily on Andrew Miller, investing $36 million on the reliever. But that has been it for their spending.

Their rotation does have some questions. CC Sabathia is coming off two consecutive down seasons. Hiroki Kuroda is gone. And Masahiro Tanaka is still a mystery as he avoided surgery and continues to pitch despite a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow.

"He certainly may need Tommy John at some point and maybe sooner (rather) than later," Cashman said of Tanaka. "We just don't know. It's a complete guessing game. He made two starts before the season ended on us. It's just hard to predict what's going to happen, but we're certainly hopeful he can return to what he was prior to the injury."

Hopefully A-Rod has been working on a splitter.

CC Sabathia out until at least July: Brian Cashman

Things already looked pretty bleak for the New York Yankees starting rotation even before CC Sabathia received a stem cell treatment injection in his inflamed right knee from Dr. James Andrews late last week.

The Yankees were informed that even if the process worked on the "degenerative changes," it would be a minimum of six weeks before the slimmed down lefthander could return. Now the team has resigned themselves to that fact.

“It will be no sooner than six weeks from now,” Cashman told the N.Y. Post in discussing a potential return date for the 33-year-old workhorse.

Sabathia was to stop using crutches Monday and begin therapy in a pool Tuesday, according to Cashman. The hope is to steadily build strength in the knee and then put Sabathia through an abridged spring training to get him back on the mound.

“Our dialogue with Andrews has been good and the small sample of stem cell procedures, the results are very successful,” Cashman said. “But he has to be pain free before strengthening, so there is a way to go. Because he is a starter it will take longer. I have no idea how long it will be and if it will be successful. We are hoping it is six weeks to a major league return.”

Not that the Yankees haven't become accustomed to bad news on the medical front.

 With Ivan Nova out for the season following Tommy John surgery and Micheal Pineda out until the middle of June, pinning a winning season on a rotation which now includes David Phelps, Vidal Nuno and Chase Whitley joining Masahiro Tanaka and Hiroki Kuroda looks like a stretch.

And Cashman is reportedly thinking trade but "nothing has materialized."

"Generally at this time of year, nothing materializes," Cashman said. "We will keep an eye out to see if something does."

Experienced hurlers like the Phillies' Cliff Lee or the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija are rumored to be high on the list of potential acquisitions using catcher Gary Sanchez and pitchers Dellin Betances or Adam Warren as trade bait.

Girardi would be 'shocked' if CC returns to mound by May 26: Report

CC Sabathia will probably hanging around the Yankee Stadium training room when the Yankees take on the Pirates during Sunday's doubleheader, but that might be as close as he gets to the mound for a while.

Manager Joe Girardi said his injured starter, who was diagnosed with “degenerative changes” in his right knee, was flying back to New York Saturday after receiving cortisone and stem cell injections into the knee, but it’s becoming more apparent that the lefthander will spend more than the minimum 15 days on the disabled list.

“I would be kind of shocked,” Girardi said when asked if Sabathia could return when eligible on May 26. “There hasn’t been a lot of history on this, but because they want the procedure to obviously be as successful as possible, he is on crutches. And it’s not because the knee is sore, they just don’t want him to put any weight on it. My guess is we’ll evaluate him Monday or Tuesday and see where he’s at and go from there.”

There’s no time frame for Sabathia’s return and the 33-year-old hurler probably won’t be rushing back into action when he dumps the crutches.

"They don't want any weight on it," said Girardi. "My guess is we'll evaluate him Monday or Tuesday and see where we're at."

 Until he gets a better idea from the doctors and the training staff, Girardi isn’t going to worry about when Sabathia will return.

“To me, you focus on the guys that are in the room, and that’s what I try to do all the time,” he said. "You’ve got to win with the guys in the room."

"For now," that means keeping Chase Whitley in the rotation.

King Felix blocks basepath, leaves game with tweaked back as Yankees rally for win

Felix Hernandez was cruising along for six innings against the New York Yankees until a series of odd mishaps forced the Seattle Mariners starter to exit the game with a 3-1 lead.

King Felix's exit was preceded by a play at first base when he blocked the baseline and appeared to be pushed by Lyle Overbay as he raced to first. Overbay's push was incidental and was more of a courtesy  tap than a shove.

Hernandez, however, appeared to hurt himself later in the sixth when he fielded a comebacker, pivoted and threw to second for a forceout. The Seattle ace twice kicked his left leg near the mound, trying to get loose, and seemed to mouth the word "ouch" a few times.

Up to then, Hernandez had outpitched CC Sabathia in the first matchup between the former Cy Young Award winners.

Manager Eric Wedge and a trainer visited Hernandez and left him in. Overbay followed with an RBI double that made it 3-1. There was no announcement on whether Hernandez had tweaked something, was injured, or why he was pulled after 97 pitches.

Hernandez's removal gave the Yankees the opening they needed and Robinson Cano later hit a two-run double, Lyle Overbay delivered a tie-breaking sacrifice fly and the Bronx Bombers rallied to beat the Mariners 4-3 Tuesday night.

Hernandez allowed one earned run in another strong outing at Yankee Stadium, and leads the AL with a 1.53 ERA. Sabathia, who had won his last eight starts against Seattle, struck out 10 in 6 1-3 innings while giving up 10 hits.

Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer for Seattle in his return to Yankee Stadium. New York star Curtis Granderson came off the disabled list and went 0 for 3 with a walk in his season debut.

Down 3-1, the Yankees rallied for three runs in the seventh to win for the seventh time in eight games.

18-month-old girl can recite the names, numbers of Yankee greats — adorably

If you haven't had your fill of cuteness today this video of an adorable 18-month-old girl reciting the the names of New York Yankees legends could sweeten your coffee. Red Sox fans don't lose your lunch.

The parents cue the little tyke with a player's number, then she names the Yankee who wore it. The little doll in a Yankees hat has trouble pronouncing "Mattingly" and "Sabathia" and, sort of grimaces when she says Billy Martin.

When the little girl is asked "Who's the captain of the New York Yankees?" she adorably says "Daddy," before she gets all giggly — as a lot of women are prone — when she says Derek Jeter's name.

Wonder if she know's Horace Clarke's number?



[Via Sportsgrid]

Yankees turn rare triple play against Orioles in 5-2 win

The New York Yankees turned a dramatic triple play in the eighth inning of Friday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles in a match-up full of wild plays.

In the seventh inning, Adam Jones dropped Vernon Wells' fly ball while blowing a bubble for a game-changing, three-run error, that helped New York beat the O's, 5-2, for its fourth straight win.

In front of a freezing Yankee Stadium crowd, New York turned the rare triple play after Baltimore started the eighth with two singles off CC Sabathia (2-1), and Manny Machado hit a sharp low liner at second baseman Robinson Cano.

Cano tossed it to shortstop Jayson Nix for the forceout at second. Nick Markakis, thinking the ball was going to be caught by Cano, got trapped in a rundown between second and third base.

Third baseman Kevin Youkilis tagged Markakis and then threw to first baseman Lyle Overbay when Machado ranged too far off the bag. Overbay then threw to Cano, who tagged Machado, setting off a giant celebration by New York.

That is 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 if you’re scoring the game at home and probably the last one like that you'll ever see.

CC Sabathia was superb for the Yankees. The big leftie went eight innings, struck out nine and gave up one earned run.

The last triple play by the Yankees was on April 22, 2010 against the Oakland A's.

Derek Jeter goes booty-less in Tampa

It looks like Derek Jeter's post-surgery rehabbing is coming along right on schedule and his offseason prediction that he expects to be ready for Opening day in the Bronx is not a forgone boast.

Tuesday, the New York Yankees shortstop was pictured for the first time without a special boot to protect his repaired left ankle that he fractured during the ALCS.

Jeter, who underwent surgery in October, was spotted outside the Yankees spring training complex in Tampa — where he has been slowly rehabilitating his ankle with an underwater treadmill since the beginning of the month.

The Captain has not  — and will not — step on the diamond to field ground balls until he has passed a few tests to insure that he hasn't suffered any setbacks.

General manager Brian  Cashman said Jeter — along with other rehabbing veterans Mariano Rivera and CC Sabathia — will be brought along slowly throughout spring training camp.

From Tuesday's photo, it looks as if Jeter has lost the extra poundage he put on in the first few weeks of rehab and even had a friendly wave for the cameraman.  A photo of the chubbier Jeter went viral earlier this winter.

"I thought it was pretty funny," Jeter said of the photo.  "I guess there's a lot of things you can do with a picture.  People were telling me I lost a lot of weight and then two days later I'm on the front page of the New York Post."

The slimmer version of Jeter only made the back page today.

CC Sabathia really wants a 'Doc McStuffins' doll for Xmas

Someone tell Brian Cashman that the return of Mariano Rivera and the acquisition of Kevin Youkilis as Christmas gifts for CC Sabathia just won't do.

Those two things are only stocking stuffers compared to what the New York Yankees big lefty really wants — a 'Doc McStuffins' doll.

Preschoolers seem to be turning the Disney TV show's animated star into this year's Elmo (minus the rap sheet) and the dolls are about as rare as an A-Rod hit in the playoffs.

And if you are a millionaire major league star and still striking out at the toy store,  fans might want to rethink snagging one of the Doc McStuffins "Time for your Checkup" doll or her plush friend Lambie before they promise one to their kid.

"You can't find them anywhere," CC's wife, Amber, told the New York Daily News. "We were at Toys 'R' Us asking them to look in the back."

Facebook and Twitter have been overrun with desperate shoppers trying to locate the coveted toys before their kids wake up Christmas morning with tears in their eyes.  The $34.99 doll is fetching up to $130 on the social websites.

"It is almost impossible to find Doc McStuffins," said Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. "My guess is that they didn't have a lot of production lined up for the first year run."

CC might better off shopping for a Catcher McStuffins.  He's going to need a new battery-mate and it might be easier to find.

A-Rod benched for winner-take-all Game 5

Alex Rodriguez will be on the bench at Yankee Stadium Friday afternoon when the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles play a winner-take-all ALDS Game 5 with a shot to get to the ALCS game on the line.

Rodriguez — one of the all-time great sluggers — will be replaced at third base by Eric Chavez. Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced the drastic, but logical, decision a few hours before the 5 p.m. start time.

Raul Ibanez — the hero of Game 3 — will be in the lineup as the designated hitter and Derek Jeter has recovered enough from the bone bruise in his left foot to start at shortstop.

This has to be a serious blow to the ego of A-Rod — who was pinch-hit for by Ibanez in the ninth inning of Game 3 and watched the journeyman player swat two home runs to almost single-handedly win the game for the Yankees.  Rodriguez took the demotion in stride and, after the game, even said he cheered for his replacement.  Tonight's benching might be tougher to swallow.

Rodriguez has struggled in the first four games of the series and is just 2-for-16 with nine strikeouts batting in the third and fifth spots of the lineup.  He joins a Yankee power outage that includes Curtis Granderson (1-for-16), Nick Swisher (2-for-15) and Robinson Cano (2-for-18).  All four players have come up small in big situations.

The Yankees' crushing 2-1 extra-inning loss Thursday, on J.J. Hardy's double in the 13th inning of Game 4, tied the series and has compelled Girardi to put his $29 million star on the pine.

Baltimore will put righthander Jason Hammel on the mound tonight.  Rodriguez's poor record against right handed pitchers gave Girardi all the ammunition the manager needed to bench A-Rod.  Over the past three postseasons, Rodriguez is batting an anemic .167 overall.

The Yankees will counter with their ace, CC Sabathia.  The big man is 6-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 playoff starts with New York.

"It's playoff baseball and the games are extremely tight.  Usually the difference in these games is one hit.  That basically has been the difference," said Girardi.  "It's been very good pitching.  They controlled the bats for the most part, and it's come down to one hit."

The Yankees dropped a decisive Game 5 to the Detroit Tigers last year and Girardi knows tonight's Game 5 is do or die and no place for sentimentality.