July 24 – Happy Birthday Joe Oliver
Today is the 48th birthday of Major League Baseball’s controversial career home run leader and son of a former-Yankee, Barry Bonds. Exactly one year after Bonds came into this world, today’s Pinstripe Birthday celebrant was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe Oliver played just 12 games of his 13-year big league career in a Yankee uniform as a backup catcher during the 2001 season. He spent his most productive big league seasons with the Reds and started behind the plate for Lou Piniella’s 1990 World Champion Cincinnati team. He caught 1,033 games in thirteen big league seasons. He hit the last of his 102 big league home runs in a Yankee uniform against the great Greg Maddux. No other member of the Yankee family was born on this date.
Will Yankee Fans Go Kookie for Suzuki?
Ichiro Suzuki became a Yankee yesterday (July 23, 2012.) That move caused me to stay awake until early this morning so I could watch the Wizard from Japan play his first game in pinstripes against his former Seattle teammates. He laced a hit up the middle in his first-ever Yankee at bat, with one-out in the third inning and then stole second, where he was stranded. Suzuki was hitless in his last three at bats, though he hit the ball on the screws in two of them but came up empty. Thanks to Ichiro’s countryman, Hiroki Kuroda, the Bombers broke their four-game losing streak by beating the Mariners, 4-1.
I admit to being shocked when I received a fan message from Yankees.com announcing the deal, yesterday. I never imagined Cashman would go after him. The question of course is how will the transaction work out for New York? My guess is it can’t hurt them. Yes, the Yanks gave up two decent pitching prospects in DJ Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, but neither is considered can’t-miss-type-hurlers. In return, they received an aging living legend, in the final year of his contract, who can still hit, run and throw at a better-than-average big league level. With Brett Gardner probably out for the year, Suzuki will assure the Yankee offense or defense doesn’t miss him and if the move rejuvenates Ichiro’s game, watch out postseason. By the way, Suzuki shares Robinson Cano’s October 22nd birthday.
