Fordham Trounces Rhode Island, 54-7

Fordham Trounces Rhode Island, 54-7

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 14- On Saturday afternoon, the Fordham Rams (2-1) strongly rebounded from a horrendous 50-6 loss to the Villanova Wildcats one week earlier. That loss was the most one-sided defeat suffered by Fordham since the 55-0 drubbing by the Black Knights of Army on October 29, 2011.

Although no athlete enjoys a loss, some realize that it can be a teaching experience for a coach and a learning experience for both the athletes and the coaching staff. This is what happened at Fordham after the loss to Villanova.

Fordham coach Joe Moorhead explained, “We got off the tracks a little last week. It’s unacceptable on every level. Experience sometimes makes the best teacher.”

Moorhead saw the positive reaction of his team almost immediately, “We had a great week of practice. You’re going to play like you practice. They wanted to make a point today.”
What the coach experienced from his team after the preparation was extremely positive, “It was a great bounce back win. I saw the team that I saw on a regular basis every week.”
Senior quarterback Mike Nebrich, who completed 22 of 38 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown, also noted the difference after the previous week’s defeat, “We got back to the little things.”

Despite two interceptions of passes by Nebrich and a Fordham fumble recovered by Rhode Island (0-2), Fordham kept its opponent scoreless in the first quarter. As the quarter neared its conclusion, Fordham’s sensational freshman running back Chase Edmonds rushed for two touchdowns in the space of 95 seconds. At 2:48 he carried the ball 16 yards to score the first points of the contest. At 1:13, Edmonds again passed the goal line after a 10 yard run. Two successful points after touchdown (PAT) kicks by Michael Marando gave Fordham a 14-0 advantage after the first period.

The second quarter was barren of touchdowns, but Marando kicked a 33-yard field goal with 24 seconds left in the first half to raise Fordham’s lead to 17-0.

No additional points were added in the first nine minutes of the second half, but the Fordham Rams then erupted for three scores within 34 seconds. In the longest run of the game, Edmonds went 87 yards for his third touchdown at 11:41. Defensive back Ian Williams recovered a Rhody fumble in the end zone for another Fordham TD 20 seconds later. The highly rated defenseman was not finished as 13 seconds later he tackled a Rhode Island ball carrier in his end zone for a safety.

After the game Williams spoke for the Fordham defense that held the visitors to seven points and 287 yards, “It was a blessing how well we did. The defense did great today. The sky’s the limit for the defense.”

A 41-yard touchdown run by the fantastic freshman Edmonds gave Fordham a 40-0 lead at 9:11 of the third. He scored four TD’s and ran 231 yards, a new record for freshmen at Fordham.

The overwhelming majority of the 6,979 rooters who attended the contest at Jack Coffey Field left the stadium in good spirits after watching the Fordham Rams win its ninth consecutive home game.

The Rams will take a short trip to upper Manhattan next Saturday to face the Columbia Lions.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Chris Young Smashes No Hitter

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Chris Young Smashes No Hitter: Chris Young Smashes No Hitter  Closes Show with Homer #Yankees By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12- On Wednesday night, the...

Chris Young Smashes No Hitter

Chris Young Smashes No Hitter 
Closes Show with Homer
#Yankees

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12- On Wednesday night, the emotions for players and fans of the Tampa Rays and New York Yankees ran the gamut. The third smallest crowd to attend a Yankee game in the Bronx this season (32,627) was put through an emotional roller coaster.

For the first 7.1 innings of the contest, the hero was Rays’ starter Alex Cobb with a strong assist from shortstop Yunel Escobar.

Cobb continued his previous domination over the Yankees by keeping them hitless for the first 7.1 innings. After the first six Yankee batters were retired, Stephen Drew reached base on a two-base error by centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier. Cobb then set down the next 12 Yankee batters before he issued back-to-back walks to Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira in the seventh.  

With one out in the eighth, Chris Young, who was released by the Mets on August 15 and later signed by the Yankees, doubled to deep center to break-up Cobb’s bid for a no-hit game. Despite the very clean hit, after the game, Young praised his opponent on the mound, “Cobb pitched his butt off tonight.”

After Young’s hit, Cobb was removed from the contest. Pinch hitter Martin Prado, on a 3-2 pitch, blasted Bruce Boxberger’s next pitch into the stands in left to put the Yankees on the board. Prado, signed by the Yanks on July 31, is batting .389 since August 16. Yankee manager Joe Girardi remarked of Prado, “He’s been locked in and he’s still locked in.”

Despite not achieving a no-hitter against New York, like his teammate Chris Archer, Cobb has won his last five decisions against the Yankees and lowered his ERA in his seven starts to 1.69. Thus, the two Rays hurlers are deserving of the sobriquet “Yankee killers.”

The right-hander, with only one earned run, pitched his 12th consecutive start in which he has given up two runs or less, the longest current streak in the majors and tied for third place in baseball history. His mark has only been exceeded by Felix Hernandez (17) this year and Al Benton (15) in 1945. His 12 games tied three other pitchers, ZachGreinke (2008-9), Barry Moore (1969), and Babe Ruth (1916), one of the greatest lefty hurlers before becoming the greatest slugger in MLB history.

The batting hero for Tampa, if the lead had held up was Yunel Escobar, who knocked in all the team’s four runs on two home runs. The shortstop’s power was highly unexpected as he had not homered in his last 56 games and Wednesday’s contest was his first career multi-home run game.

The final hero of the game, Chris Young, was probably a shock and disappointment to any fans of the Mets. The Yanks were trailing, 4-2, as the bottom of the ninth began. Chase Headley, the lead-off batter was hit in the chin by a pitch. The next batter, Ichiro Suzuki, doubled. After one man was retired, Young put a 0-1 pitch into the seats in left to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory.

The new Yankee outfielder was elated by his home run, “You feel like you’re floating on a cloud.” When asked by a reporter if this was his best moment of the season, he responded, “Definitely.”

Young is batting .500 (6 for 12) since joining the Yankees. Girardi opined, “It’s amazing how things can turn around so quick for a player. The game never makes sense.”

Girardi also told reporters of a comment made by Derk Jeter in the eighth inning, “We’re going to get two in the eighth and three in the ninth.” The words affirmed Girardi’s opinion of Jeter, “That’s what makes him so special. He believes we can overcome everything.”

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): What has made Chris Young a hero in the Bronx?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): What has made Chris Young a hero in the Bronx?: What has made Chris Young a hero in the Bronx? #ChrisYoung By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12- So what has been the differen...

What has made Chris Young a hero in the Bronx?

What has made Chris Young a hero in the Bronx?
#ChrisYoung

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12- So what has been the difference for Chris Young since moving to the other side of town with the New York Yankees?  Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium he was a triple shy of the cycle and drove in two runs with a solo home run and RBI double in the eighth inning, as the Yankees got the comeback win over Tanpa Bay.

Young did something he was not able to do with the cross-town Mets, a one-year free agent deal of $7.5 million that led to his release on August 15th.

Then there were the heroics Thursday night. Young was the hero breaking up the no-hit bid of Rays’ right-hander Alex Cobb with a double in the eighth inning. And it got better.

Young became the latest Yankees hero in their last at bat when he drove a 96-mile fastball to the stands in left. The sixth walk-off home run of his career and three-run shot kept the Yankees slim playoff chances alive for another day.

So here is the prevailing question: Why has Chris Young suddenly found the magic in Yankees pinstripes when it appeared he was a complete failure on the other side of town?

Baseball is that game of questions and will always leave one perplexed. Young, and of course those Mets fans who wanted him out of town, may also be asking the same question.

Ask the manager. Joe Girardi has been around the game long enough to also try and answer the perplexing question. And Chris Young may not even have a conception about his revivial with a different team in New York, though a change of uniform as they say can sometimes be good for a ballplayer.

In this case, a change and move from Flushing to the Bronx has apparently been the answer for Chris Young. One can debate that the dimensions of Yankee Stadium are a perfect formula for Young, as opposed to the supposed you can’t drive the ball theory that is not made for the hitter at Citi Field.

"He's done an awful lot,” Girardi said. “They said he was a talented player who had a rough year this year. It's amazing how things can turn around for a player. That's a huge hit for us."

A huge hit for Young, one he could not get in Flushing for a good portion of  his baseball season in New York. The fact he has become a hero in the Bronx has Mets fans offering their displeasure on social media.

But in the end, Chris Young still deserved an opportunity with the Yankees or another team, whether to make a statement for himself, that his time at Citi Field was a fluke and that the skills were still there.

And it is almost certain that Girardi will have Young inserted again in left field Friday afternoon, in one or two games of a day-night doubleheader down in Baltimore. The Yankees need this type of production with 18-games remaining, trailing by four-games for that second wild card. Young has found the stroke and could be a catalyst to getting runs they have had trouble compiling all season.  
 
“It feels like you’re floating on a cloud,” Young said about the home run, trotting the bases and getting mobbed by his new teammates at home plate. He did not experience that during his time with the Mets, and this new opportunity is like floating on a cloud.

Again as he said the night before, “This is baseball. Funny how things work out. It did not work out with them (Mets) and I get this opportunity. The fans have to understand this is a business and now I am here trying to be a part of helping this team get to the post season.”

So the other prevailing question is: Did Mets GM Sandy Alderson pull the plug too soon on Young and why was Young signed early during that free agent period for a minimal price when power hitter Nelson Cruz, who signed a late and lucrative deal with the Orioles was still on the board?

The issue of Cruz not coming to the Mets, and Young  signing for less money to be an important cog in the Mets lineup, is of course always a matter of baseball economics from the Mets point of view.

The Yankees, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. Give Young a minor league stint and the Mets are picking up a good portion of that contract now that he is on the big league roster.

But Chris Young has done better with his new surroundings. It is baseball and why they call this a funny game ,where the unknown is bound to happen. He is happy and so are the Yankees as they have found a productive bat in their lineup at a crucuial and important time.

Mets manager Terry Collins said more than once in his post game meetings with the media about the struggles of Chris Young, “He will become the hitter we all know and it is a matter of adjusting.”

Chris Young may not know the reason for his late season heroics with the Yankees. What matters though are the heroics coming at the right time for a team on the other side of town,

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso  www.newyorksportsexaminer,com

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Spark of life for Yankees?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Spark of life for Yankees?: A night of success for Chris Young in pinstripes By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 11-Chris Young never lived up to expectation...

Spark of life for Yankees?

A night of success for Chris Young in pinstripes

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 11-Chris Young never lived up to expectations on the other side of town with the New York Mets- perhaps one of the major failures of a free agent in Flushing with a one-year $7.5 million contract. He became public enemy number one with the fans at Citi Field until his release on August 15th.

A week or so later the Yankees signed him to a minor league contract and when rosters expanded September 1 he was in the Bronx and on the bench. It did not take him long to make an impact for the Yankees who are fighting to stay alive for a post season spot as the second wild card in the American League.

Young never avoided the media on the other side of town when he had an 0-for-4 night, or taking the collar four times. Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium after going  3-for-4 with two runs batted in, and a game tying home run, meeting the media was easier.

After the Yankees come from behind 8-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays that kept their playoff hopes alive, and the first time this season they overcame a four run deficit for a win, Young spoke freely and did not have any negative thoughts about his former team.

And in case you did not notice, all of a sudden the Mets have quietly got back into the NL wild card hunt after sweeping three games from the Rockies and winning seven of their last eight games.

“The opportunity to get back in the game was huge for us,” Young said. His first home run as a Yankee in the fourth inning tied the game and made him the second player to hit a home run during the season as a player for the Yankees and Mets joining Dave Kingman in 1977.

Young was not aware that he made some New York baseball history. He is content and all of a sudden became an important contributor in the Yankees outfield that has been decimated with injuries.

Once a crowded outfield when the rosters expanded, Young got the call to start in left because Carlos Beltran was scratched from the lineup with a recurring right elbow issue that may shut him down in the remaining games of the season.

Brett Gardner has been out of the lineup the past week with a bad right calf and Martin Prado, who can play the outfield is day-to-day with a bad hamstring.  

“It’s a fresh start for me,” Young said. “Whatever happened in the past is not on my mind. You do your own and help this team as soon as possible.”

He has adapted to being on the other side of town and could see more playing time, though fans of the Mets will never understand what went wrong ont he other side of town. Maybe it is the awareness of putting on Yankees pinstripes, because what Young did Wednesday night was something that never came to fruition wearing the other New York baseball uniform.

With the Mets, Young batted .205, hit eight-home runs with 28 runs batted in during a span of 88-games.

“You’re in your own bubble  here ,” he said. And about his former team, Young admits he is not paying attention though he keeps in touch with some of the guys he used to go to war with.

“Great group of guys (Mets) over there. It doesn’t suprise me at all. When you have a good major league team anything can happen. I dont take anything away from those guys over there.

Yes, Chris Young was praising his former team and from the comments there is a sense of loyalty and belief that the Mets are capable of pulling off a marvelous run to that wild card. Though that is highly improbable based on what the Mets accomplish the next four games at Citi Field against the first place Washington Nationals.

Said Young, “Think if I was in the same situation with another team to play with the Yankees and be in postiion is a great feeling. To be surrounded by all these other great players is the main focus.”

“Fun to see Chris contribute here and make a difference,” said Mark Teixeira who drove in the Yankees go ahead run in the fifth inning with his 19th career triple.

Young was not going to hide from the question, his new surroundings in the Bronx. “Just worrying about where I am now,” he said, and he was aware of the role of being on a crowded bench,

“Opportunity has come because guys are down. When you get your opportunity you try and do your part and try and make a difference.”

And on this night, Chris Young made a difference for the New York Yankees and for one more game gave their slim playoff chances some hope.

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso  www.newyorksportsexaminer.com