If you thought a little NFL lockout was going to keep Rex Ryan from leading the Jets to TOTAL VICTORY, you've got another thing coming. Because Rex Ryan carries a big stick, hits it out of the park, and never says die...or something. The coach said at the NFL league meetings, “They talk about walk softly and carry a big stick. I love that. I agree with that 100 percent. But I guess I feel more like Babe Ruth. I’m going to walk softly, I’m going to carry that big stick and then I’m going to point and then I’m going to hit it over the fence." more ›

This week the Yankees officially began moving from their old digs into the new Yankee Stadium. The process began Monday when members of the 1998 championship team helped move home plate, the pitching rubber and pails of dirt across the street into the new ballpark. more ›

The Yankees closed Yankee Stadium last night with a star-studded pregame ceremony that ranged from poignant to super cheesy. Dressing up actors as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other deceased Yankees was ridiculous, but seeing Yogi Berra standing at home plate and wearing his uniform was great. more ›

This week’s Sports Illustrated pays homage to The Stadium, The Cathedral In The Bronx, The House That Ruth Built. Tom Verducci, writing as Yankee Stadium itself, recounts some of the things that took place inside the stadium walls - a place that has seen so much history in its 85 years that it truly is an iconic location. more ›

• Yankees 5 Toronto 1: If they had lost the Yankees would have been in a tie for third place, but they won and for a second, everything seems right in their world again. It is probably a fleeting moment, because the deficit is just too big, but for now the Yankees have life again. Andy Pettitte was good, shutting down the Blue Jays over seven innings and Derek Jeter crept closer to Babe Ruth in the hits department. Baltimore and Boston lost which helps, but there is still a lot of ground to recover and very little time to do so.
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How much would you pay for a sweaty, worn-in baseball hat? What if it were Babe Ruth's? Yesterday one of the player's old navy-blue flannel caps went for $328,000 at auction (nearly double what it was expected to bring in); the auction of Yankee memorabilia was held at the Javits Center. The NY Post notes that the hat is one of three in existence that the Babe wore during games, and his initials (G.H. for George Herman) are embroidered inside. One of the other caps belongs to ex-Yankee David Wells, who got his for a mere $35K. more ›

"Speedy," starring Harold Lloyd as a less-than-safe NYC driver, was released in 1928 and illustrates how New Yorkers gained their reputation as being somewhat reckless. The above clip features Babe Ruth himself requesting Lloyd the cabbie to get him to Yankee stadium in a hurry, and then soon regretting it as Speedy is more interested in chatting up his sports idol than keeping his eyes on the road. more ›

The city's last privately owned island was sold to the federal government for $2 million. South Brother Island, a 7-acre island (just west of Rikers Island), will be turned over to the city's Parks and Recreation Department and will remain, as amNew York reports, "significant nesting colony for several types of shore birds, including Egrets, Cormorant, and Night Herons." According to the NY Times, the deal, which was "brokered by the Trust for Public... more ›

• Yankees 16, Royals 8: It was bound to happen and it took a little while, but Alex Rodriguez became the 22nd player in Major League history to hit 500 career home runs and the youngest player to reach that mark. A-Rod got it done early in the game, hitting a three-run shot in the 1st inning of yesterday's win against the Royals, which is the same team he hit #499 off of on July 25th. For future trivia usage, A-Rod hit the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Kyle Davies into the left field stands and he becomes the 3rd player to reach the milestone in a Yankees uniform (Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle). Like the first inning, the rest of the game was a run-fest, with the two teams combining for 33 hits. The Yankees are now 10 games over .500 for the first time this season. Nationally, #500 for A-Rod is overshadowed by Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron's career mark of 755 in San Diego, a mark that Rodriguez should break if he stays healthy and continues to play. Bonds had 180 fewer home runs when he was Rodriguez's age.
• Cubs 6, Mets 2: Perhaps John Maine didn't get enough work in his last outting when he pitched a rain-shortened 5-inning complete game. He didn't even last that long in yesterday's game. Maine was pulled after only 2 2/3 innings as he allowed 6 Cubs runs in the 3rd inning, all with two outs. That was all the Mets would give up, but it was also all the Cubs would need. In the inning, Maine hit one batter, walked three, and gave up four hits. It was his first loss in three starts. Ted Lilly held the Mets to only two runs, both on Moises Alou solo home runs, over 7 2/3 innings.
• Cyclones 7, Tigers 2: The Cyclones avenged an extra inning loss Friday night with an easy win Saturday. They broke open the tie game, scoring 5 total runs in the 5th and 6th innings.

• As baseball takes it's yearly break to play a somewhat meaningless game, there was so much mutual respect between Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez that we almost think that Barry and A-Rod should get a room. With Bonds on the verge of Hank Aaron’s record of 755 career home runs, Bonds said that when Rodriguez breaks his in the future, he'll be there. “And when you do, you don’t have to worry about calling me. I’ll call you. If you want me there, I’ll be there. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.” Bonds, who is 42, is only four homers away from tying Aaron and Rodriguez is at 494 career home runs at the age of 31. What did A-Rod say about Barry? “I love Barry. I’m one of his biggest fans. If you think about his work on the field over the last 20 years, it’s been second to none, maybe Babe Ruth or the all-time greats."
• Speaking of A-Rod, Shaun Powell thinks that it's no longer a question of whether Rodriguez is good enough for the Yankees next year, but a question whether the Yankees are good enough for A-Rod. Rodriguez can opt-out of the final years of his contract, making him a free agent next year. Powell's reasoning? The Yankees are no longer contenders, but a team that's headed in the wrong direction. A team that has less of a chance to win a title than the Indians, Tigers, or Brewers.
• Down in the Minor Leagues, Lastings Milledge is on the mend from his strained ligaments and could return the the bigs after the All-Star break. Milledge is lighting it up with AA Binghamton, hitting .435, with three home runs, a double, a triple and eight RBI. L Millz, who last made news when rapping, is heading to the Cyclones to keep playing through the All-Star break. Milledge's recovery couldn't come sooner for the Mets, who have three outfielders on the DL.

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg traveled back to his Massachusetts roots and gave the commencement speech at Tufts University. Bloomberg, who grew up in Medford, name checked various haunts in the hood, tried to seem with it by mentioning Busta Rhymes, Ali G, and Salma Hayek, and reminded kids to call their mother. He also discussed free speech, in what the Sun called a nod to the Minutemen incident at Columbia:

The fourth lesson is, in the words of Ali G, 'Respect.' Don't worry, I'm not going to start quoting Borat. Respect is so important - especially in times of conflict. You all know what I'm talking about. In December, The Primary Source printed some things that much of this community ardently disagreed with - that many considered quite offensive. But instead of suppressing the publication - and despite the emotion of the moment - you respected their right to express themselves. more ›

Mets fans, your wait is finally over. No, not because it's Spring Training, and not because of a World Championship, but because one member of the New York Mets will finally be enshrined in...Madame Tussauds. The 204-figure museum, which bills itself as "New York's most famous tourist attraction" (get it? famous), will unveil its first wax Mets figure on April 2. The house of wax already has five Yankees figures - Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle (under repair), and George Steinbrenner. more ›

The History Channel is creating a wild, NYC-centric float for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to its press release:

Designed to mirror a child's tin wind-up toy, The History Channel float will feature a giant replica of New York City's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building. In addition, the float will reveal through its wind-up motion, iconic dates, celebrations and locations, tracing the history of New York City. Through the artistry of the Macy's Parade Studio team, the float will feature landmark events throughout history from the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty to Babe Ruth's defining moments at Yankee Stadium, to the world-famous World War II "Kiss" in Times Square, all helping to bring history to life.

Dear lord, it's only mid-September but already the amount of new releases flooding theaters is getting a bit overwhelming. more ›

On a weekend where Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for 2nd on the list of career home runs, two mets tied records of their own. Tom Glavine tied Dennis Eckersley for 35th place with career strike out number 2,401 and Carlos Delgado tied Harold Baines for 49th with his 384th career home run. 56,205 fans were on hand on a bitterly cold night to watch the Mets defeat the Yankees 4-3. more ›

Sometimes a team can win, but yet lose in the grand scheme of things. That's what happened to the Mets yesterday afternoon. While they defeated the Giants 9-7 in 11 innings and won a series for the first time at Pac Bell SBC AT&T Park, Brian Bannister went down with a hamstring injury in the 6th inning. Bannister, a rookie that helped the Mets in their hot start, had to be helped off the field after lying on the ground after scoring a run in the 6th. more ›

Paul Boocock, Actor and Writer more ›

Is it just Gothamist, or do you too, after looking at the practically sepia-toned artist's renderings of the new Yankee Stadium, imagine that if the architects, Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, and Yankees could have, they would put drawings of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio as pedestrian and passerbys? Clearly, the drawings are meant to be nostalgic, a reclamation of their storied past, but they are also super nostalgic. Versus the sleek designs you see for most other new sports arenas; baseball seems to be the only sport where the past is as important as the future. more ›

Wells has always been a fan favorite at Yankee Stadium, but with his antics, he could be a perfect target for the bleacher creatures. Pitching perfect games drunk, wearing Babe Ruth's hat during a game and asking for his number, getting in fights, being so round that his uniform is hardly buttoned. more ›

Kenny Kramer, Entrepreneur / Wacky Next-Door Neighbor more ›

Nicole Beland, Writer/Girl Next Door more ›

After the record setting in the 4th inning, the Yankee Stadium crowd showed its appreciation. Following the game, Williams said, "That was great. That meant a lot. Obviously I haven't been playing the way I'm capable of so far, and the fact that the fans are very supportive and remember is just great. It was a great feeling." Now Williams can add 2,000 hit club to his resume which includes a jazz album. more ›

Tom Vaught, Bartender more ›