Five years ago this week, on Valentines Day 2007, this blog, Lady At The Bat, was born. A short post about the start of Spring Training that week has evolved into over 750 posts about the Yankees, Major League Baseball and, at times, my life as a Yankee fan. This week I'm taking a look back at some of those posts, and I invite you to do so as well. First up, a post from August...

Today, when most Yankee fans hear the name Bob Watson, they think of the man who was the team's General Manager in 1996, the year they won their first World Championship since 1978. But there is more to him than that.Many years ago, in the early 1980s, Watson was the Yankee First Baseman. He began his career with the Houston Astros and, in 1993 he became the first African-American...

With today being the beginning of Black History Month, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on what this month means to me as a Yankee fan. It didn't take me long to come up with a very special person in Yankee history: Elston Howard.As most Yankee fans know (or, should know), Elston Howard was the first African-American player to don the Yankee pinstripes. He made his...

Ever since the news came down a few weeks ago that Jorge Posada was going to announce his retirement, I have been trying to figure out what to call Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, the two remaining members of the Core Four. Well, I think I have figured it out.People have been coming up with names that just don't sit right with me. My cousin Eddie felt that the name was staring...

I arrived home from work last night to an explosion on my Twitter timeline. Everyone was tweeting about the big trade that went down, sending Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campo. Shocked and saddened, I expressed my feelings as best I could by tweeting: "Did the Yankees really just ruin my weekend?"I really felt that way, but then I got...

Like all other Yankee fans, I experienced a flood of emotions when I learned that longtime catcher Jorge Posada will be announcing in his retirement in a few weeks. I started thinking about Posada's career and I wasn't surprised that my memories of him are not the purely statistical and on-the field variety. I am never able to hold on to those kinds of memories, but I do...

Happy New Year Yankee fans! It's a new year, which means a new baseball season is right around the corner. Are you looking forward to the 2012 season? I have to admit that I'm a little leery about it. I have been thinking about this Yankee team and I feel that, in order for them to be successful this year, certain things have to fall into place. I don't know how many...

As another year comes to a close, I want to wish everyone who has visited the blog over the past 12 months a very happy holiday season. I will be taking a break from posting for the next week so, unless something major happens, I will resume updating the blog shortly after January 1st.In the words of Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, "God bless us. Everyone."

It's funny how Manny Ramirez's reinstatement came around the same time the Ryan Braun news broke. Funny, but sad. We will hear more about Braun in the coming days or weeks, presumably, but Manny has finally decided to talk. He granted an interview to ESPN Deportes which is summarized here.  In it he claims he received bad advice on what to do after the second positive test was...

The off-season continues to be a quiet one for the New York Yankees: a few rumors, a few minor signings but nothing earth-shattering. The team that is doing its best to shatter the earth is, of course, the Miami Marlins. They have been doing it since before the season ended, when they hung Ozzie Guillen on their Christmas tree, otherwise known as their new stadium.They have added...

I don't know why but, when I heard this morning that Bobby Valentine probably will be the next Red Sox manager, I did a double take. Yes, I am aware that his name has been mentioned as a candidate for some time now. But, for some reason, I never thought he would actually get the job.People are calling this a perfect fit. They are saying he will restore order to the Red Sox Clubhouse...

On this Thanksgiving Day Eve, I thought I would take a moment and come up with some things to be thankful for as a baseball fan. So, here they are, in no particular order, 10 Baseball Things To Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving:10.  The new CBA. For years, baseball fans were the ones suffering through work stoppages and threats thereof. Now, with this new agreement, we can be assured...

For a die-hard baseball fan, especially one who doesn't closely follow other sports, the off-season can be a very restless time of the year.  I find myself in that boat right now but, yesterday I welcomed good news via a couple of tweets from a few Yankee beat writers:100 days 'til Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring TrainingPitchers and Catchers report date: 2/19First Workout...

As the off-season continues to heat up, Yankees GM Brian Cashman's plans to talk to the agents of CJ Wilson, Roy Oswalt and Mark Buehrle have made news.  They've also made me wary. The only one of the three that I think has some promise is Buehrle. I just hope that, if they make an offer to him, it isn't for too much money or too many years.Another of Cashman's plans this month...

Now that the World Series is over and the congratulatory remarks have been made to those comeback kids in St Louis, the Cardinals, the off-season is ready to begin. For the New York Yankees, that means several things, first and foremost, the contract of CC Sabathia.In case you have been living under a rock, Sabathia can opt out of his 7-year, $161 million contract next week. He...

This year's World Series hasn't been at the top of my list of things to do.  In fact, it hasn't been on the list at all. My continuing  heartache over the Yankees' elimination a few weeks ago has pretty much assured my obliviousness to this year's Fall classic. Anyone claiming that baseball is just a regional sport will get no argument out of me.Unless, of course, you mention...

This year's American League MVP race was more interesting than it has been in a long time. Many candidates emerged as the season progressed, and the old debate about whether a pitcher should be considered was taken up again, thanks to Justin Verlander's outstanding year. I don't envy the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). They had a tough job in front of them and it...

The Detroit Tigers lost the 2011 American League Championship Series in 6 games. Had their ace, Justin Verlander, pitched more than once in the series, it's possible that Motown would be headed to either St Louis or Milwaukee for the World Series. But, there will be no chance at a ring for Verlander. What Verlander does have a chance at is the American league Cy Young Award. Did...

The next BBA award I get the pleasure of voting for is the Goose Gossage Award for Top Reliever. As a Yankee fan it is so tempting to vote for Mariano Rivera to win it, especially after he became the all-time saves leader. However, the award is for the 2011 season only, not for a lifetime of work. With that in mind, here are my votes:1st Place: Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers. After...

Last week I posted my ballot for the first BBA award of the season, the Connie Mack award for Top Manager. Today I make my choice for the top rookie in the American League, The Willie Mays Award.Like the previous award I have to put three names on the ballot. Here are my three:1st Place: Jeremy Hellickson, Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays. Hellickson is my choice to win the award because...

I am very pleased to announce that this blog has been nominated for Shape Magazine's Best Blogger Award!The award nominees are divided into six categories, and Lady At The Bat (LATB) is one of 20 sports blogs (all written by women) to be nominated. There will be six finalists and one grand prize winner.I'm not sure who nominated me but, thank you very much, whoever you are!Now comes...

I won't lie. First-round exits are no fun. They're sickening, frustrating, and downright embarrassing, and I'm speaking as a fan. Imagine how the members of the 2011 New York Yankees feel. There is another emotion to add to the list: Anger. I'm not angry with the Yankees, per se. I'm angry with two other populations that have ties to the team. First, I'm angry with the media. Throughout...

With no Yankees playoff action tonight, I thought it would be a good time to start working on my ballots for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) End of Season Awards. First up: The Connie Mack Award for Top Manager.As a Yankee blogger I am only required to put together a ballot for the American League winner, along with a second and third place finisher. So, here is my ballot:1st...

So the collapse of the 2011 Red Sox is complete.  After all the talk at the beginning of the season and after their dominance of the Yankees all season long, they are going home and not going to the postseason. It goes down as the greatest collapse in MLB history. How could it happen? All the so-called analysts are all over ESPN, MLB Network and other outlets, offering up explanations...

As anyone who has read this blog knows, I hate the Boston Red Sox.  Nothing would be be more satisfying than to see Red Sox Nation crying their eyes out over their team not making the playoffs this year. So you can imagine how good I felt last night in the first inning of the night portion of the day-night doubleheader, when the Yankees scored 3 runs off John Lackey. But they were...