Hah! I Watched The Olympics! Yankees Lose 4-3

Well, there's a reason I decided to watch the Olympics.

It was fun to watch, and I knew that if I decided to watch the Angels-Yankees game I would not be entertained.

I did watch some of the game during the commercial breaks. The game started off nicely, with the Yankees leading 2-0. Well, I don't need to talk about everything else.

Yesterday's loss was one of the most heartwrenching and discouraging losses of the New York Yankees season. Sure, there were some ugly losses, particularly early in the year; the Red Sox pillaging Yankees pitching, the entire 4-game sweep at home against the Tigers, the walk-off single off Mariano Rivera by Gabe Gross to score Johnny Gomes in Tampa Bay. How about the recent game against the Orioles where the Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th, but Wilson Betemit struck out as the Yankees came up just short? Yeah, those weren't fun either.

But you can definitely make a case that last night, when Chone Figgins hit a slow single into right field to sweep the Yankees at Los Angeles, on the day where the Rays won and the Red Sox lost.

The worst part of this loss is that you think to yourself, "Where is this going?". Will the Yankees surge for the rest of the year, motivated by this excruciating loss? Or will they crumble under the pressure of being so far out of the AL East? The Yankees certainly still have a playoff shot, the Wild Card is quite close. But the Yankees will need to play hard and win as many games as they can in order to not only catch up, but to get past the tough Red Sox. Darn you, you stupid Rays!

Anyway, onto our next segment, a new one called Out Of The Draft!

Out Of The Draft

Here, in this new segment we take a look at 3 (as always) players who were drafted this year by the Yankees and see how they're doing, statistically.

#1: David Adams

While he's not the most sparkling draftee talent, he still has the potential to be a solid player. He's not the fastest guy, his speed is below average, but he is a good baserunner. He's got a real solid arm, he has nice hands, but his range is average. He isn't a huge power hitter, but he should top out at around 18-20 homers in his peak. He's got a good approach at the plate, as he goes the other way for contact. He hasn't been doing all that well in Staten Island so far, hitting only .242 with 3 homers and 3 steals. Will he replace Derek Jeter as the new great Yankee shortstop? Probably not. But he does posess enough talent to be a decent starter or a great backup infielder.

#2: David Phelps

David Phelps doesn't have overwhelming stuff. He throws as hard as 90, his breaking pitch is pretty slow. He doesn't have a tremendous out pitch, and his control tops out at good. But he could be a solid starter in the future. He's having a good season so far, with a 2.98 ERA and a 5-2 record in 10 starts (48.1). He probably won't end up an ace, but he has enough potential to be a good, but not great starter of the future.

#3: Daniel Brewer

Daniel Brewer is quite an exciting young outfielder. He's got very good speed and pretty good power. He was the first Bradley Brave ever to hit 20 homers (21) and swipe 40 bases (47). He is in the Bradley Braves' all-time Top 10 in six offensive categories; triples (9, 4th); hit-by-pitches (19, 4th); stolen bases (47, 7th); doubles (47, 7th); runs scored (142, 7th); and total bases (325, 9th). He's been decent in Staten Island, batting .267 with 2 homers and 7 stolen bases. I'm not sure about his defense, but Brewer has played 2nd base, so the Yankees will probably play him a few games in the middle infield. He's got plenty of talent, and we could see him a few years from now making a few all-star appearances in the bigs.

And that's it for Out Of the Draft!

Final Thoughts

Here's today's Bold Statement of the Day, where I say something bold, something that other people wouldn't say because it is quite arguable. Here we go!:

The Yankees will hit 3 home runs today in Minnesota.

Well there you have it! Quite a bold statement for today, but I'll make it. That's it for the blog, be sure to continue to cheer on your Yankees no matter how hard it gets, because that's what a fan does. You don't cheer a team on because they win, you cheer them on because you love the team.

Stay positive, Yankee fans!

-EJ/Kid From New York