A Weekend With The Bleacher Creatures. By Mike Lindsley

There are certain things you have to do at Yankee Stadium. Monument Park. Peak through the rightfield crack from the Subway. Watch batting practice. Stay for the 7th inning stretch. Take the tour of the House that Ruth Built. Add a game with the Bleacher Creatures to the list. I finally did it. August 2 and 3 against the Angels. "Bald Vinny" is the ring leader. The Creatures stand up and follow his lead in the top of the first inning. Then he proceeds with a fast clap and then….. "Melky…Melky…Melky…" Melky Cabrera, the Yankee centerfielder, salutes the pinstripe loyalists in Section 39 and 41. The Bleacher Creatures go around and around the diamond until every Yankee salutes them. It really is cool. Old Timers' Day on August 2 was even cooler. All the Yankee greats received a nice hand and a roll call just like the current Yankees. Willie Randolph, fresh after being fired by the crosstown Mets, was even there, and the Bleacher Creatures yelled loudly in Willie's favor. They also yelled: "**** the Mets….****the Mets…" Ah…New York. Goose Gossage, Reggie Jackson, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra were the final four names called. The Bleacher Creatures couldn't stop cheering as if it were 1978 or 1956. The ones who attend the games out there have an appreciation for Yankee history and it is great to see. The best moment of the weekend came when Bobby Abreu couldn't get to a fly ball down the line that landed fair during the Saturday game. It looked like Abreu didn't really try hard for the ball as it bounced into the stands for a ground rule double. Unacceptable for the Bleacher Creatures. On Old Timers' Day, their chant was fitting after Abreu's blunder: "Paul O'Neil….Paul O'Neil…Paul O'Neil…" BRUTAL. After the game, "Bald Vinny" heads across the street and sells his t-shirts. The signs say $10 a piece or 3 for $25. He makes a killing on "Bleacher Creature" t-shirts and anything anti-Boston Red Sox. For some of Vinny's t-shirts visit www.baldvinny.com. Be sure to buy a bleacher ticket at Yankee Stadium. It will be a great experience and well worth your time.

Fine in '09. By Mike Lindsley

If the Yankees do the right thing(s) in the offseason, they will be able to contend AND rebuild in 2009. Let's assume (assume being the key and only word) that they spend some of that $80 million coming off the books. That is also assuming they let Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina and Bobby Abreu go at the end of 2008. The Yanks will need another trusted arm in the rotation, so let's also assume they bring back Andy Pettitte for one final year in pinstripes. In terms of free agents, the two big fish are first baseman Mark Teixeira, who the Angels recently acquired for a World Series run, and CC Sabathia, who the Milwaukee Brewers grabbed for the same reason. If the Yanks sign those two, plus keep the kids in Scranton and the lower minor leagues, they can win it all in 2009 and be good for years to come, even with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in the twilight of their careers. Keep in mind the Yankees have three guys who will DH quite often in 2009; Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. The Yanks should rotate Matsui, Damon and Brett Gardner in the outfield. Jorge Posada could play a few games at first base, but Mark Teixeira would play at least 150 games at the position. One example of this rotation of players: Posada is the DH, Damon in left and Jose Molina at catcher with Matsui on the bench. Here is a breakdown of the 2009 Yankees. Projected roster/lineup: 1-Damon (LF) 2-Jeter (SS) 3-Cano (2B) 4-Rodriguez (3B) 5-Teixeira (1B) 6-Matsui (DH) 7-Posada (C) 8-Nady (RF) 9-Cabrera (CF) Pitching rotation: 1-C.C. Sabathia 2-Joba Chamberlain 3-Chien-Ming Wang 4-Phil Hughes 5-Andy Pettitte Bullpen: David Robertson Brian Bruney Darrell Rasner Ian Kennedy Jose Veras Edwar Ramirez Damaso Marte Mariano Rivera Bench: Jose Molina (C) Shelly Duncan (1B/DH) Brett Gardner (OF)

Remembering Bobby Murcer. By Mike Lindsley

If you had never before met him, you heard about how cool the guy was. How personal he was. How he took time out to get to know you, no matter who you were. Three years ago, Bobby Murcer spoke at the District 8 Diamond Dinner in Syracuse and did one heck of a job. He talked about Little League and how important it had been. He talked to kids about doing the right thing, about always working hard and why all of those youngsters should listen to their parents, coaches and teachers. I met him that night. He came on Pinstripe Passion the week before. His classy demeanor and niceness blew me away. The great Bobby Murcer was actually in front of me. "Hi Bobby, Mike Lindsley, you came on my show, Pinstripe Passion, last week," I said to him. "Thanks for coming on." "No problem Mike." "I was happy to do it. You do a nice job." Wow. Bobby Murcer told little old me that I do a nice job. Maybe Alex Rodriguez should have spent a few more minutes around Bobby Murcer and learned some manners. Keep in mind he also read a liner for me: "Hi this is Bobby Murcer and you're listening to Pinstripe Passion on 620 WHEN." The "W" had that great Oklahoma accent in it: "Dub-YA…H-E-N" he proceeded to say. Now every time the liner plays, I think about Bobby Murcer and how he took some extra time to do that for me. From the player who had a little Mickey Mantle in him to the broadcaster to the man who showed up for Old Timers' Day, Bobby Murcer was a class act. Honorable, honest and appreciative of everything in life. Which is why it is a shame that the Yankees traded him for Bobby Bonds. Murcer returned to New York only after the team had gotten back to their glory years of winning it all in 1977 and 1978. Certain guys in pinstripes should win a ring just because of who they are and what they mean to the franchise. Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez are not those guys. Don Mattingly was. So was Bobby Murcer. How many people in today's day in age or in history really do EVERYTHING by the book? Everything. Bobby Murcer was that guy. He wanted to do everything the right way, treat people the right way and handle everything as best as he could. His best friend in the whole wide world happened to be #15. Thurman Munson died on August 2, 1979 while trying to land his personal airplane. On August 6, 1979, Bobby Murcer gave a eulogy at Munson's funeral. That night he drove in all five Yankee runs (three-run homer in the 7th inning and two-run single in the 9th inning) to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Murcer won the game in Munson's honor just after he said good-bye to the Yankee captain. That was Bobby Murcer. Bobby Murcer only hit 252 home runs. Only had 1,043 RBI. His batting average was an average .277. But his dedication to his family, friends, fans, baseball and the Yankees goes way beyond any baseball statistic. The baseball world lost a giant on July 12, 2008. The Yankees lost one of their own. There aren't many players and people left like Bobby Murcer

MCFARLANE TOYS ANNOUNCES DHL ALL STAR FANFEST EXCLUSIVES: DEREK JETER & DON MATTINGLY; TODD MCFARLANE TO SIGN

TEMPE, Ariz. – As Major League Baseball heads to the Bronx this summer, fans prepare for a season's tribute to the final season at beloved Yankee Stadium. McFarlane Toys is no different; we plan to honor the pinstripes with a pair of All Star figures for the last two captains of the New York Yankees: Derek Jeter in an all new pose and Don Mattingly in New York's road grey uniform. McFarlane's two exclusive figures have a limited production run of 6,000 figures of Jeter and 4,000 of Mattingly. The figures will cost $15 each, or $25 for the set of two. Both figures feature special All-Star packaging. TODD MCFARLANE SIGNING EVENT On Monday, July 14th from 3:30-5PM, Todd McFarlane will be making a special appearance at the FanFest to sign autographs and talk with fans. The All-Star FanFest is located in New York's Javits Center from July 11-15. For more information about the event and the exclusives, log on to McFarlane.com. The DHL All-Star FanFest is the largest baseball fan event in the nation and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for families and fans of all ages. To find out more, call 800-449-3267 or visit MLB.com.