Mayor Bloomberg to fans: Don't boo the Yankees — 'they're trying'

New York Yankees fans, who are still in shock over the Bombers getting blown out by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, got some words of advice from Mayor Michael Bloomberg the morning after the embarrassing four-game sweep.

New York City's general micro-manager took time off from important issues like gun control and the dangers of 32 oz. sodas to defend the $200 million team's lackluster play on the mayor's weekly WOR radio program by putting things into perspective.

Cue the slowly rising dramatic music score.

"My youngest daughter once gave me a lecture about people on the field, the people on the stage, the people writing that book, the people doing radio shows — they're trying," Bloomberg said.

"And if any of us can do better, we can go in that business."

Spoken like a true zillionaire mayor.

The mayor saved his best for the Bronx boo-birds and their criticism of the underachieving players.

"People say A-Rod isn't trying," said Bloomberg.  "He's a guy with enormous pride.  He's got an ego and he's got reason to be — he's a great athlete.  He wants to hit a home run more than the team and the fans want him to hit a home run."

Sounds like Bloomberg just got Alex Rodriguez's vote if the mayor decides to force an extension of term limits again.

Too bad the third baseman might be casting his vote in Miami next election.

Yankees blame sweep on fans booing in the Bronx

There's a lot of blame to pass around for the New York Yankees pathetic showing in the four-game sweep by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series.

You can start with the team's lack of offense or any kind of spunk in the lineup but, if you ask the Yankees players — specifically one — they lost because they never recovered from all the heckling at Yankee Stadium in Game 2.

According to John Harper of the New York Daily News, an unnamed player privately made a far more indicting observation: that the ballclub was affected by the hostility from the fans at Yankee Stadium last weekend.

"I really think the booing spooked a lot of the guys," the (unnamed) player said.  "A lot of the guys hadn't been booed before, and they couldn't believe how nasty it got in the stands,"

Nick Swisher — who already shot back at the fans for blaming him for Derek Jeter's injury and sending nasty tweets about his wife — could be a suspect, but he isn't the only "sensitive" Yankee whose bat disappeared during the four games and got a hearty Bronx Cheer from the fans.

Suspect #2, Alex Rodriguez — who got more action over the dugout than in front of it — summed up the Yankees lack of fight during the four game beat down by suggesting Jeter's Game 1 injury "sucked the life out of us."

The unnamed player said Swisher and A-Rod weren't the only ones affected.

"A lot of the guys were talking about it in the clubhouse," he said.  "I was surprised how much it bothered them.  I really don't think they ever recovered."

The fact of the matter is that, outside of the starting pitching for the first three games, the whole team looked flat and uninspired — never mind looking older than Jim Leyland.

A-Rod — who fans want to put on the first 4-train out of Yankee Stadium faster than any one else — said it's not his fault.

"You can't take one guy," said the fading $114 million, no-trade clause in the lineup. "And say, 'Let's blame him, let's get him, put the coffin on him, knock his as out.'  But at the end of the way I felt the wind was sucked out of us the last two weeks."

Those are just two of the usual suspects in the mystery man lineup.  The Yankees could provide many more culprits where they came from.

The Bronx is booing.

America's tallest man gets custom made $24K sneakers from Reebok

Igor Vovkovinskiy, at 7-feet, 8-inches, is the tallest man in the U.S. and with that distinction comes the problem of finding shoes that fit comfortably.

After undergoing 16 foot surgeries because the Rochester, Minn. giant couldn't find shoes that fit, Reebok came forward and delivered three pairs of size 24, 10E pairs of $25,000 custom-made sneakers on Thursday.

"Wow!" he said as he took his first steps in the tennies which took five months to make.  "It feels so good, like I'm walking on pillows or mattresses."

Vovkovinskiy claims he is a big Minnesota Timberwolves fan — he stands 10 inches taller than Kevin Love — and each pair is emblazoned with Timberwolves-inspired colors and personalized with the name "IGOR" on the bottom of the soles.

The soft-spoken NBA fan started an online fundraising drive earlier this year and raised over $32,000 to purchase new shoes.  After a trip to Reebok headquarters in Canton, Mass.  — where he underwent tests to design the perfect shoe for his pontoon-sized feet — the company came through with the custom skips. And the company foot the bill for the life-changing shoes to boot.

"For so long it hurt to have shoes on," said Vovkovinskiy.  "Every day, I was in pain."

With a whole newfound spring in his step, Vovkovinskiy plans on dropping a few pounds and has set a goal of getting down to 350 pounds from his current 430.

The big guy also hopes he lives a more normal life.

"I'm hoping instead of my height drawing attention, my shoes will," Vovkovskiy said.

Sorry Igor, but you would even stand out in an NBA camp.  But it's all about the shoes.

A-Rod's 'bikini model' got text from second Yankee player

The two Australian women who were reportedly on the other end of Alex Rodriguez's ball-tossing attempt to get their phone numbers say they received text messages from two Yankee players after Saturday's Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.

Kyna Treacy and Katie Quinn were interviewed on Inside Edition and claim that — after A-Rod's pick-up pitch — another player texted them.  They wouldn't name the other player and didn't know which text was from A-Rod.

"They just wanted to know if we had enjoyed the game, what we did for work and who we are, basically ... and would we be interested in coming back next Sunday," Treacy told the magazine television show.

Sounds like whoever the Yankee player is, he's an optimist.  The Yankees are already down, 3-0, in the best-of-seven ALCS — and only a miracle would have them still playing in a Game 7.

Treacy went on to say that the women didn't even recognize that it was Alex Rodriguez holding the pen when a ball was passed to them by a ballboy with the message, "Hope you're enjoying the game.  Would you please write down your numbers."

After a quick look over, the two aspiring models figured out he was the player who used to date actress Cameron Diaz.  I guess they don't know who Torrie Wilson is and it's probably better if they never meet.

They said they later received text messages from two different numbers asking for more information about themselves but claim they don't know the other player's identity.

"It's a little bit of fun and it's a mystery," said Quinn.

A-Rod has called the alleged incident laughable and claims he is focused on helping the team in the playoffs.

The Yankee third baseman's nine years in pinstripes look like they could be coming to an end.  Hopefully, these two models 15 minutes is almost up too.

Girardi almost accidently put A-Rod in Game 4 lineup

A-Rod's in the lineup. A-Rod's out of the lineup.  Make up your mind.

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland had to do a quick double-take after he received two different New York Yankee lineup cards before Game 4 of the ALCS Wednesday afternoon.

 The first one listing Alex Rodriguez batting sixth and playing third base.  But then, a courier from the Yankee clubhouse brought a second lineup to Leyland's office — the one that was officially released which omitted both A-Rod and Curtis Granderson and had Eric Chavez at third base, hitting sixth, Brett Gardner in center field and Nick Swisher back in right field after being benched the night before, writes Bill Madden of The New York Daily News.

"Is something else going on over there with A-Rod?" Leyland asked the Daily News before the game was postponed because of rain.  "I got two lineups from them, one with him in it and the second one with him out."

Things are a teeny-bit hectic over in the Yankees clubhouse but manager Joe Girardi explained the mixup was a mistake on his part and not a last-minute decision to give his struggling third baseman another shot.

"We talked about some different lineups during the day," Girardi said.  "And when I handed the lineup to (third base coach Robbie Thompson), I didn't realize which one it was.  It was actually a mistake on my part.  We had people in different spots.  So I called over there (to Leyland) and told them we gave them the wrong one."

Girardi has gone through one of the toughest weeks of his career and probably deserves a pass for his gaffe.  He lost the Yankees captain Derek Jeter in Game 1, has had to bench three prominent starters and watched his team fall into a 3-0 hole in the best-of -seven series.

On Tuesday, he buried his dad.  He's earned that pass.

Referee flags school band for playing too loud

A Texas middle school football team was penalized for the band in the stands doing what it supposed to do — play the team's fight song.

A referee threw the flag and told the student band he wanted quiet during the game and warned the Hudson Middle School's band director that he would keep throwing flags as long as the kids kept playing too loud.

The stunned band members packed up their brass instruments and drums and left before halftime.

They sure take their football seriously in the Lone Star State.



Students and parents were outraged at the official's maverick call.

"Hudson had the ball, our band started to play ... and that's when the ref threw the flag," said one mom.  "I know a lot of parents will say football is more important than the band, but us band parents, we don't believe that."

If there is any justice to this story it's that the official was ordered to leave the field before halftime too. Garland ISD, the local school district, told the officiating organization to never assign that referee to any other events in the district.

"This was a first," said the Garland ISD spokesman Chris Moore.  "First and last time it happens here."

Moore said the Garland ISD does not have a policy regarding bands playing at games and it appears that the ref was enforcing an NCAA rule set for college football games.

A-Rod the racehorse strikes out again

It hasn't been a very good week for anyone or anything named A-Rod.

While the New York Yankees slugger got benched at Comerica Park during the ALCS, his equine counterpart finished seventh in an eight-horse field at Belmont Park on Wednesday.

In his first start since Feb. 18, the four-legged A-Rod — a 4-year-old gelding who shares the nickname with baseball's Alex Rodriguez at an unfortunate time — broke last from the gate and trailed most of the race.  He finished 10-1/4 lengths behind the winning horse Orsonian in the sixth race.

"A-Rod is slumbering at the back of the pack," track announcer Tom Durkin.  Joe Girardi couldn't have said it better.

The 28-1 longshot managed to catch a fading Tazered in the final yards and earned $267 for its owner Peggy Vandervoot.  A-Rod's career earnings have now reached $58,422 and include two wins in 18 races.  The horse's .111 average is just a nose behind the third baseman's .130 playoff average in the playoffs this season.

The two-legged A-Rod is 3-for-23  down the stretch this year.

"He started slow and stayed slow," said the horse's jockey Mike Luzzi — an avid Yankees fan.  "I guess the grass is better."

Both of A-Rod's trips to the winner's circle have come after racing on turf courses.

At least this frisky "A-Rod" can throw salt blocks requesting stable stall numbers to the fillies and he won't care who says neigh.