Untitled Page

Curtis Granderson News & Rumors

Report: Tigers nearly traded Curtis Granderson to Red Sox in 2009
February 3
Detroit Free Press
 
"Last season, Curtis Granderson peppered baseballs into the right-field seats of Yankee Stadium with ease. But if not for the Boston Red Sox balking at the Tigers asking price in 2009, Granderson very well could have been peppering balls off the left-field Green Monster at Fenway Park. The Wall Street Journal's Daniel Barbarisi reports that before the three-team deal that sent Granderson to the New York Yankees that offseason, the Red Sox were very much interested in Granderson's services."
Granderson: Yankees all set
November 29
New York Post
 
"Though many in and out of the Yankees organization believe the offseason will be empty if another starter isn't added, center fielder Curtis Granderson is comfortable going into next season with the same cast that was eliminated by the Tigers in the ALDS after winning the AL East. "We won the division,'' Granderson said yesterday. "For the most part the team is ready to go. If we keep it healthy, we are ready to go.'' Granderson spoke at the refurbished playground of Woodlawn's P.S. 19 in The Bronx, where he participated in a Wiffle ball home run derby that raised $1,500 for the school."
Granderson induces such sweet sorrow
October 5
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Michael Rosenberg
"You can hate the Yankees, and you can even hate New York, but you can't hate Curtis Granderson. It's impossible. It would be like hating sunshine or vacation. And that makes Tuesday night's game a special brand of excruciation for Tigers fans. The former Tigers centerfielder was at the center of this Yankees victory. With the Yankees clinging to a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Granderson laced a double, scoring Brett Gardner and sending Derek Jeter to third. Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to score Jeter. The score had gone from 2-1 to 4-1. It was a different game."
On electric night, Tigers denied by Grand theft
October 5
Detroit News
 columnist Bob Wojnowski
"A clutch pitch here, a clutch catch there, a whole bunch of hits everywhere. When the big plays had to be made, the Yankees made every one of them, and now the Tigers' biggest plays of the season beckon. Back to New York it goes, and it couldn't have happened in a more brutal, miserable way for the Tigers. They couldn't hit the Yankees' eminently hittable pitcher A.J. Burnett. And when they did hammer the ball, they couldn't get it past their ol' friend in center field, Curtis Granderson. Nice guy, that Granderson. But what he did to his former team was positively ruthless. The Tigers were poised to party. The Yankees were just plain poised, and punishing. New York's 10-1 victory Tuesday"
Yankees keep ALDS vs. Tigers alive with a huge save from Granderson in center
October 5
New York Daily News
 
"When Joe Girardi took that walk to the mound to take the ball from A.J. Burnett with two outs in the sixth inning Tuesday night, one of the most satisfying walks the Yankee manager has probably ever made, all he could think about at that moment was... finally. Finally, in this AL division series, Girardi was in position to use his greatest weapon - the bullpen - with a lead, a 4-1 lead that, of all people, Burnett was now handing over to him. And you know Girardi, at that moment, was fully confident his back-end relief crew of Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera would get those last 10 outs to get the Yankees another game, another game in their own ballyard, and very"
Curtis' catches, clutch hit ensure Game 5
October 5
New York Post
 
"Curtis Granderson's first reaction was to freeze, dead in his tracks, alone on a grand baseball stage with a baseball scraping a clear white path against the black night sky. Heading right at him. "You never know with a ball like that," he would say later. "It can land in front of you. Or it can get some air under it, and go over your head." This one was going over his head. Granderson knew it. A.J. Burnett — the man who had walked the bases loaded, whose work night (if not his continued employment as a Yankee) depended on where the ball landed — knew it. Don Kelly, who had hit the ball? He knew it, right up to the point when Granderson extended his arm, extended his glove, and plucked the"
Burnett, Grandy's glove keep Yanks alive
October 5
New York Post
 
"A.J. Burnett picked a wonderful time to get the biggest win of his three-year Yankee career. And he has Curtis Granderson to thank for it. Burnett, the accidental starter in last night's Game 4 of the ALDS, escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the first inning when Granderson made a leaping catch of Don Kelly's drive over the center-fielder's head that negated three walks in the frame. Buoyed by the first of two sensational catches by Granderson, Burnett hurled the Yankees to a 10-1 victory over the Tigers that evened the best-of-five series at 2-2."
Ivan Nova gets 16th win, Curtis Granderson knocks in four runs as Yankees blank Rays, 5-0
September 21
New York Daily News
 
"Ivan Nova screamed into his glove as Robinson Cano's relay throw completed a double play that got the Yankees out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning. Nova was only celebrating the narrow escape, but his happy howl could just as easily serve to commemorate all the progress he's made in his first full year in the majors. And after yet another terrific outing in the Yankees' 5-0 victory over the Rays in front of 46,944 at the Stadium, Nova may have more rejoicing to do, like when the Yanks announce their postseason rotation. After all, how can he not be the No. 2 starter in the playoffs when he's pitching like this? "I don't know about the October rotation," Nova said after throwing"
For Grandy, no nerves of steal
September 20
New York Post
 
"Curtis Granderson has not attempted to steal a base in a month. Granderson has 24 stolen bases this season, swiping them all in his first 123 games played. That gave him a strong shot of reaching 30 steals and joining the 30-30 club for the first time. But the MVP candidate has not attempted to steal since Aug. 21, playing 25 games and counting without trying. Are Granderson's legs heavy this late in the season? "Everything feels good," he said yesterday. "Feel fine. Just haven't had the opportunity to do it." Granderson did smack his 41st homer yesterday, a two-run blast into the right-field stands in the first inning off Twins lefty Scott Diamond. It was Granderson's third homer in seven"
Curtis Granderson is flush with power, but also with strikeouts
September 16
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"The Yankees are a run-scoring juggernaut, though at the middle of it all is a left-handed slugger, capable at any time of hitting a baseball out of the ballpark, and also just as capable of flailing helplessly at a pitch he doesn't expect. There are plenty of home runs — and strikeouts, too — though it's a trade-off the Yankees will gladly make. At least, so long as the homers keep on coming. Reggie Jackson knows the situation well. And a generation later, so does Curtis Granderson, whose breakout season in the Bronx looks like it was ripped from the back of Mr. October's baseball card. All the staples are there: Gaudy home run total (39), the accompanying RBI boost (111), ditto for runs"
Russell Martin hit, Curtis Granderson catch help Yankees take series from Red Sox; Burnett not bad
September 2
New York Daily News
 
"Has a team ever been more excited about its starting pitcher taking a no-decision? A.J. Burnett gave the Yankees a solid performance against the Red Sox, allowing the Bombers to pull out a 4-2 come-from-behind win at Fenway Park last night. The Yankees took two of three this week, marking their first series win in five tries this season against the Red Sox. "Coming into their place and taking two games," Nick Swisher said, "that's a big deal." The Yankees won for only the fourth time in 15 games against the Red Sox this season, yet the two clubs are tied in the loss column, separated by only a half-game in the American League East with less than four weeks to play in the regular season."
Yankees blast way to doubleheader split with Orioles, Curtis Granderson takes MLB home run lead
August 29
New York Daily News
 columnist Mike Lupica
"The Yankees' offense looked like it was still on hurricane watch during the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, but the Bombers busted out Sunday night, showering the outfield seats at Camden Yards with souvenirs. The Yankees belted five home runs in the nightcap, hammering their way to an 8-3 win and a split of the day-night twin bill against the Orioles. Curtis Granderson hit two of the Yankees' five longballs, continuing his assault on American League pitching. Granderson now leads the majors with 38 home runs and 107 RBI, bolstering his MVP résumé with another memorable performance. "It's incredible what he's done this year," Joe Girardi said. "There's been a lot of talk about MVP and"
Curtis Granderson Takes Home Run Lead as Yankees Split Doubleheader
August 29
Bloomberg
 
"Curtis Granderson hit two home runs to push his Major League Baseball-leading total to 38 as the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 yesterday to split a double-header. Granderson went 3-for-5, with a three-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the seventh at Camden Yards in Baltimore. He moved one home run ahead of Toronto's Jose Bautista for the major-league lead and his 107 runs batted in are also the most in baseball. Ivan Nova won his seventh straight start, becoming the first rookie pitcher to do so for the Yankees since Vic Raschi in 1946-47. Nova has won 10 consecutive decisions and has a 14-4 overall record this season. The Yankees hit five home runs in the"
Yankees hit MLB-record 3 grand slams, top A's, 22-9
August 26
New York Daily News
 
"When he got back to the dugout in the eighth inning after hitting the Yankees' third grand slam Thursday, Curtis Granderson peered around a few celebrating teammates to look at the improbable statistic flashing on the Stadium scoreboard that stated the Yanks had just become the first team in history to slug three slams in one game. When he saw it, Granderson had the same reaction several other Yankees did: "Oh, wow!" "This game has been played for a long time, pretty much everything has already happened," added Russell Martin, who hit slam No. 2 in the sixth. "I'm waiting to see who hits four. I don't know if it'll ever happen, we'll see. But three is pretty cool." The Yankees' slam-a-thon"
Curtis Granderson makes case for American League MVP
August 23
New York Daily News
 
"All it took were two sessions in a Texas batting cage last August to transform Curtis Granderson from Bronx bust to AL MVP candidate. With five weeks remaining in the season, Granderson hasn't just worked his way into the MVP conversation, he's emerged as the favorite. "With five weeks to go, I'd say he's the front-runner," one voter said. "But it's a very close race." Granderson leads the league in runs, RBI, total bases, triples and extra-base hits, is second in home runs and slugging percentage and third in OPS. He also ranks in the top 12 in stolen bases, walks and on-base percentage, doing all of this while playing a solid center field. "There's nothing the other candidates have that"
Curtis Granderson hits inside-the-park homer as New York takes series finale
August 22
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to break open a tight game as New York took three of four games with a victory Sunday in front of 41,250 at Target Field. Twins starter Nick Blackburn left the game after 1-1/3 innings because of what the team called a right lateral forearm strain. He gave up one hit and walked four. Granderson, facing reliever Jose Mijares with two outs, lined a drive off the flower bed in right-center and raced home to score after the ball bounced hard back into the outfield, where no one was backing the play. Teixeira then drove his 34th homer of the season well into the left-field stands."
Yankees get back-to-back homers from Granderson, Teixeira to back Ivan Nova in 3-0 win
August 22
New York Daily News
 
"A.J. Burnett's future in the rotation continues to be a hot topic, but there's one thing nobody can debate: Ivan Nova has established himself as one of the Yankees' best starters. Nova won his ninth straight decision, shutting the Twins out over seven innings to lead the Yankees to a 3-0 victory Sunday at Target Field. Nova allowed five hits and walked two, while striking out five to improve to 13-4. Nova is the first Yankees rookie pitcher to win that many games since Ron Davis went 14-2 out of the bullpen in 1979, and the first starter to accomplish the feat since Doc Medich went 14-9 in 1973. "He's been reliable," Joe Girardi said. "This is a kid that got off to a slow start but has"
Granderson keeps making strides in tight AL MVP race
August 22
New York Post
 colunist Mike Vaccaro
"Alex Rodriguez is not going to win the American League's most valuable player award this year. But he's won three of them already, and could easily have won three more. He knows what an MVP season looks like, what it feels like, up close, better than any other player currently playing the sport. And in case his memory had grown sketchy during his six-week sabbatical, his first day back at work yesterday provided a useful refresher course. "In my eyes," Rodriguez said yesterday after going 0-for-5 with one splendid defensive play in the Yankees' 3-0 blanking of the Twins, "Curtis Granderson is the MVP." Rodriguez's may be the most discriminating eyes of all, since he is one of only 10 men"
Yankees' Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson ride stellar weeks to Big Apple honors
August 16
New York Daily News
 
"Difficult decisions are what we do here at the New York Player of the Week home office, but sometimes we just can't choose. So we looked at the way Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson played last week and we did what we do when we get to the donut shop and see both the jelly donut and the glazed on special - we take both. So Cano and Granderson, who both provided oodles of offense for the Yankees, share the coveted award, something we'd never do with either of those aforementioned donuts. (Hey, get your own!). Cano was 10-for-20 with two doubles, two homers and a triple. He scored six runs, knocked in six runs and batted .500 with a .524 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage."
Curtis Granderson remains on even keel despite career-high home runs for Yankees center fielder
August 15
New York Daily News
 columnist Wayne Coffey
"He had five home runs in a five-game home stand, and would prefer it if you didn't make a fuss about it. He has 33 homers for the season - tied for the American League lead before Jose Bautista hit No. 34 Sunday - and 47 homers since he and his hitting coach, Kevin Long, went into the laboratory in Texas a year ago, and tells you it's more or less an aberration. In a striped suit and blue tie after the Yankees' finale against the Rays was washed out Sunday, Curtis Granderson, all 185 pounds of him, kept searching for ways to explain why the ball keeps going over the wall, kept telling you he isn't a home run hitter, no matter that his total is a career high. His material is not keeping"
Granderson keeps building his case for MVP
August 14
New York Post
 
"Ask Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson for his AL MVP candidates and he mentions Boston's Adrian Gonzalez, who leads the league in hitting, and Toronto's Jose Bautista, who is tied for the major league lead in home runs. So what's wrong with supporting the candidacy of another guy who, after yesterday's 9-2 rout of the Rays at Yankee Stadium, is tied for the lead in homers, is the runaway leader in runs scored and also was No. 1 in RBIs at the end of the afternoon? That guy is Granderson. "He's been outstanding," said winning pitcher Phil Hughes, the beneficiary of another Granderson homer. "When he's on the field, he's been unbelievable and then there's what he means to this"
Swing change has Yankees' Granderson in MVP race
August 12
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"When the 2011 season started, I pointed out to Joe Girardi yesterday, Curtis Granderson was batting eighth. "Did he?" Girardi said with a smile. "What was I thinking?" Here we are five months later and Granderson is sitting on a career-best 32 home runs and leads the American League in runs (105) and RBI (93) after his two-run, sky-high blast in the sixth inning got the Yankees rolling on their way to a 6-5 victory over the Angels at Yankee Stadium. It has been exactly one year since Granderson rebuilt his swing with hitting coach Kevin Long and the results have been amazing. Since those changes, Granderson, who batted third yesterday, has hit a stunning 46 home runs and driven in 127"
Granderson gets double dose of redemption
August 11
New York Post
 
"In only two pitches, Curtis Granderson found redemption. The All-Star outfielder wasted no time erasing the sting from getting caught stealing for the final out in Tuesday's loss, hitting a three-run homer in the first inning off rookie Garrett Richards last night, propelling the Yankees to a 9-3 win over the Angels at Yankee Stadium. "As soon as I left here, it was done and over with," said Granderson, who homered twice. "Once it's done with you forget about it and get ready for the next one. That's the most important game and the only one you can control." Following walks to Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter to open the inning, Granderson belted a 1-0 fastball from Richards into right-center"
Curtis Granderson is dialed in at the plate like never before
August 11
Newark Star-Ledger
 columnist Jeff Bradley
"Curtis Granderson has this look about him at the plate. It starts with the way he holds the bat, just off the left shoulder, ready to fire straight through the ball. The look is also in his eye. Have you ever seen a hitter with a more laser-like stare as he gathers himself at the plate? And then there's his lower body, steady and balanced. It wasn't always this way. "I think the improvement Granderson has made at the plate this season is on a higher level than anything I've ever seen," said a veteran big league scout. "(Hitting coach) Kevin Long tightened his swing up to a point where it's so finely tuned. He never seems to be fooled by a pitch. And on the rare occasions he is, he shrugs"
Curtis Granderson picked off by Jordan Walden, caught in rundown to end Yankees loss to Angels
August 10
New York Daily News
 
"In a most unorthodox ending to a baseball game, Curtis Granderson was caught stealing to end Tuesday night's game, after Angels closer Jordan Walden got the Yankee center fielder to take the bait on one too many pickoff attempts. After the Bombers put runners on the corners with two outs, and with Mark Teixeira representing the winning run at the plate, Walden did a third-to-first pickoff move three times. The third attempt was the charm, as Granderson broke for second base and was caught in a rundown, ending in a 1-6-3 putout. "Our aggressiveness has won us a lot of ballgames," Joe Girardi said. "They did a third-to-first move and got (Granderson). It's going to happen every once in"
The numbers speak well of Granderson
August 6
Boston Globe
 columnist Bob Ryan
"The numbers don't lie. Or do they? By all standard statistical measurement, Curtis Granderson is having a sensational year, perhaps even an MVP year. The 30-year-old Yankees center fielder entered last night's game with the Red Sox first among American Leaguers in runs (98), tied for first in extra-base hits (55), first in triples (9), second in slugging percentage (.570), second in runs batted in (85), third in homers (28), and tied for second in total bases (232). That would lead someone to ask if he's ever swung the bat better. "Actually, I've probably never swung it worse,'' he claims. "I have not been as consistent as I'd like.'' He went on to talk about his strikeouts, and let the"
Curtis Granderson feels he must curtail strikeout total despite strong statistics
July 25
New York Daily News
 
"You wouldn't know it to look at his numbers: first in the American League in runs scored, second in the league in homers, third in RBI. But Curtis Granderson says he's still a work in progress - and that he still has a long way to tweak his game. Granderson, who launched a second-deck two-run homer in the fifth that gave the Yankees a three-run lead in their eventual 7-5 victory over the A's Sunday, didn't think much of his first homer since July 5. It was his other at-bats Sunday that had him preoccupied. "Not huge by any means," Granderson said of his 27th homer, three more than he had last year and three shy of the career-best 30 he hit with the Tigers in 2009. "But at the same time"
Yankees' Curtis Granderson given a rest against the Rays tonight
July 22
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Before leaving Tropicana Field on Wednesday night, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had a feeling that it was time to give Curtis Granderson a breather, especially after watching his center fielder get roughed up the last two days. But he didn't make up his mind until he called Granderson before tonight's game against the Rays. Granderson said his right shin was fine after fouling a ball off of it on Wednesday night. But when asked about his bat, Granderson asked to take batting practice before giving an answer, a sure sign for Girardi that a day off would help. "That kind of gave me the heads up that it was sore," Girardi said of Granderson, who took a David Price fastball off his back. "He's"
Yankees' Curtis Granderson provides homer, highlight catch against Tampa Bay Rays
July 21
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Yankees manager Joe Girardi summed up centerfielder Curtis Granderson's night Wednesday perfectly: "It started off great," he said. "And ended up as an 'ouch.' " Granderson delivered the biggest hit of a 4-0 Yankees win in the top of the first, ripping a two-run homer off Rays left-hander David Price. But in making the game's biggest catch, Granderson ran into the centerfield wall to rob Evan Longoria of extra bases in the fifth. Granderson later fouled a pitch off his right calf and got hit by a pitch in the eighth. "He's a little beat up," Girardi said. But Granderson played a key role in beating the Rays, bouncing back nicely from Tuesday, when his miscue, losing the ball in Tropicana"
Granderson homers, makes stellar catch as Freddy Garcia and Yankees shut out Rays, 4-0
July 21
New York Daily News
 
"undefined"
Granderson's lost fly ball does in Yanks
July 20
New York Post
 
"It's easy to blame Tropicana Field's gray ceiling for the Yankees' 3-2 loss to the Rays last night. That's because Curtis Granderson lost a routine fly ball to center in the seventh inning that fueled a two-run, game-winning rally. Yet, you would be remiss if you didn't mention Boone Logan turning a sure, inning-ending double-play comebacker into a run-scoring error that tied the score. And it wouldn't be right to gloss over the Yankees getting six hits and getting one runner into scoring position across the final six frames. "You don't like to lose games like this," manager Joe Girardi said after the roof, Logan and a listless lineup led to the defeat in front of 22,780. The freakish loss"
Yankees' Curtis Granderson working his way into MVP race
July 12
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"All-Star Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson took a moment the other day to ponder the meaning of value. It's a tricky concept, of course, one that can be defined in so many ways. It's a word that comes under scrutiny every baseball season, especially as the time nears to decide which players have established themselves as most valuable. Granderson views the Most Valuable Player as "a mix between who the best player is and obviously who's helping their team out the most," a description that he said ruled him out of consideration. "There's a lot of other players that are well beyond where I'm at at this point," Granderson said. The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is one. At the All-Star break,"
Granderson outclasses the crowd in first half
July 10
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Phil Rogers
"The psychoanalyst Helene Deutsch once said "the ultimate goal of all research is not objectivity, but truth.'' It's in that spirit that we conclude Curtis Granderson should be the American League's first-half Most Valuable Player. A crowd of players deserves consideration. The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is once again putting up the biggest numbers with a majors-leading 29 home runs (all numbers are entering the weekend), and Adrian Gonzalez has carried the Red Sox with league-leading totals in average (.351) and RBIs (76). Paul Konerko (.316-22-64) has been a beacon of light for the White Sox, and Miguel Cabrera has been as good as usual for the Tigers. But at the moment, this is"
Stars and snubs for the Yanks
July 4
New York Post
 
"The Yankees had a half-dozen representatives named to the All-Star team yesterday, including starters Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and injured Derek Jeter. And they could've had more. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and David Robertson were snubbed from the June 12 game in Phoenix. C Russell Martin and closer Mariano Rivera were named to the American League team as reserves, and Joe Girardi said he has no problems with Jeter -- expected back in the lineup tonight -- playing. But the biggest shock was the omission of Sabathia, who has a 3.05 ERA and is tied for the major league lead in wins with 11. AL manager Ron Washington, whose Rangers beat the Yankees in last year's"
Curtis' HR jumpstarts Yankees
July 3
New York Post
 
"For five-plus innings, the Yankees were shut out by Mets starter Dillon Gee, smothered by his changeup and offspeed pitches. That is until Curtis Granderson, who had dismissed the notion that it was impossible to hit home runs in Citi Field, went deep to open the door for a four-run sixth, and a 5-2 Bombers win. Granderson's first home run since June 14 -- a span of 48 at-bats -- could hardly have been more timely, breaking open a scoreless pitcher's duel. With one out in the sixth, he went down and crushed an 83-mph 1-2 changeup into the bullpen in right-center. That was followed by Robinson Cano's two-RBI triple and Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly, and the Bombers cruised to their seventh"
Making a Grand run at history
June 26
New York Post
 
"Curtis Granderson could end up scoring more runs in a season than any Yankee in almost 75 years. The star center fielder scored two more times in yesterday's 8-3 win over the Rockies to give him a major league-best 68 runs on the year. He's on pace now to score 146 runs, which would match Rickey Henderson's MLB-best 146 for the Yankees in 1985. No Yankee has scored more than that since Joe DiMaggio crossed the plate 151 time in 1937. Babe Ruth holds the Yankees record with 177 runs scored in 1921. Asked if he knew who was leading the majors in runs scored, Granderson replied, "No clue." When told it was him, he admitted he's pleased to be crossing the plate so often. "It's always a big"
Granderson is singing 0-fer blues
June 9
New York Post
 
"Through the first 54 games this season, Curtis Granderson had two games where he racked up three strikeouts, but then came the last five games. Two more games with three strikeouts. Granderson, who has been the Yankees' best player, is in a pretty severe slump. Granderson went 0-for-5 in last night's 11-6 loss to the Red Sox at the Stadium, and he's now in a 2-for-25 rut. In those 25 at-bats, he's struck out 12 times. "Just baseball," Granderson said before the game and adding that there was nothing he could point to as a reason for his recent struggles. To be fair, Granderson has had six rough games, not 30 rough games, but he also has just one homer in his last 14 games, which could be a"
No homers needed for Grand finale
May 25
New York Post
 
"Curtis Granderson didn't need the longball to beat the Blue Jays last night. The Yankees center fielder — who has been on a power binge that has him second in baseball with 16 home runs — went 4-for-5 with three singles, a double, two runs, and the game-tying RBI in the bottom of the ninth. One batter later, he scored the winning run on a Mark Teixeira single in the Yankees' 5-4 walk-off win. "I tried to get something that I could handle," Granderson said of his final at-bat. "It's one of those things where I may or may not get something that was my pitch. I may have to be disciplined enough where I lay off his pitch. But I'm just trying to go and put the ball into play." The four hits"
Bautista, Grandy are 'pop' stars
May 24
New York Post
 
"The guy with the most home runs in the majors since last Aug. 14, Toronto's Jose Bautista, swears he does not step to the plate thinking homer. And the guy with the second-most homers in that span, Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson, says the same. So where the heck are all these homers -- 37 for Bautista (19 this season, including one last night) and 30 for Granderson (16 this season) -- coming from? "I'm more patient, which has led to hitting counts," said Bautista, who staked the Blue Jays to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of a 7-3 victory over the Yankees at the Stadium, depositing an 0-1 fastball from Bartolo Colon in the Jays' bullpen in left-center. "It's more timing. It's"
Granderson OK with Girardi's bunt sign
May 23
New York Post
 
"Curtis Granderson understood it and had no issue with manager Joe Girardi's decision. He was happy to set up Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. "No problem at all," Granderson said of being told to sacrifice bunt yesterday in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 9-3 win over the Mets. "I bat second, I'm known for being able to get sacrifices down, I've been doing that my whole career. Definitely not a surprise by any means." Well, to be fair, it was by some means. Granderson is the Yankees' two-hitter and he has speed. But he ranks second in the majors with 16 homers — in the first inning yesterday he drilled a solo blast off Mike Pelfrey. With the game tied at 3-3, with"
Granderson gives credit to Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long for 2011 home run surge
May 22
New York Daily News
 
"So why is Curtis Granderson suddenly such a lethal weapon against lefthanded pitching? Granderson said it dates back to hitting coach Kevin Long tinkering with his mechanics last August during a road trip in Texas, and it continues with daily batting practice encounters with Long. "It's been working with Kevin Long and the ability of him to throw lefthanded BP day in and day out," said Granderson, who launched his 15th homer of the season Saturday night with a leadoff shot in the sixth inning of the Yankees' 7-3 victory. "But it's constantly battling, trusting what we've been working on, the changes that we made, definitely never second-guessing what Kevin Long and myself started on last"
Curtis Granderson's change is producing power for Yankees
May 8
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"As he took swings in the indoor batting cages before Friday's game, a few of his teammates noted the significance of where they stood, and felt the need to remind Curtis Granderson. It was here that Granderson made his final preparations before unveiling his new, scaled-down swing in a game against the Rangers in Aug. 2009. Looking back, the moment could prove to be pivotal in shaping Granderson's career. When Granderson arrived via trade to the Yankees, he was already an accomplished player with the Tigers, an American League All-Star in center field. At age 29, Granderson had already reached the point where most players have ended any major development. Nevertheless, Granderson appears"
Granderson's slams, Nova's super night stop Yankees' skid
May 7
New York Post
 
"A team in dire need of something, anything to end a three-game bender, will take help from any locker. And with all the stars in the Yankees' universe, the smart money would have been on Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira or Derek Jeter delivering last night. Instead, it was rookie right-hander Ivan Nova and center fielder Curtis Granderson who played the big parts in the Yankees' 4-1 win over the Rangers in front of 49,069 at Rangers Ballpark. "We needed a lift after losing three in a row in Detroit," manager Joe Girardi said. Nova, backed by two home runs from Granderson (a two-run blast into the second deck in right-center in the first and a solo shot in the seventh), fed the"
Yankees' Curtis Granderson hits two home runs in 4-1 win over Rangers, Mariano Rivera gets the save
May 7
New York Daily News
 
"At least Curtis Granderson isn't in a slump. Granderson belted two home runs, rescuing an otherwise lifeless lineup in a 4-1 win over the struggling Texas Rangers Friday night. The center fielder had been slated to hit ninth before Nick Swisher was scratched with a bad head cold, a development that wound up working out well. While the rest of the Yankee hitters remained mired in quicksand, the Bombers also received an exciting performance from Ivan Nova. The rookie turned in the best game of his young career, pitching into the eighth inning for the first time. The win snapped the Bombers' season-high three-game losing streak. "We needed a lift after the way we played in Detroit (losing"
Curtis Granderson gets it right against lefties
May 3
Detroit News
 
"Curtis Granderson needed a change. No, not another change in teams, which the center fielder faced after the 2009 season when the Tigers sent him to the Yankees in a three-team deal that brought Austin Jackson and Phil Coke over from New York. The change Granderson needed was with his hitting stance. Hitting, after all, was the reason the Tigers believed Granderson was expendable. "There was a strong history where a guy quite frankly didn't handle left-handed pitching very well," Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said Monday, before the opener of a four-game series. "I just looked at film and talked to him. We really had to get to the meat and potatoes of this thing." Of the 30 home runs"
Coming through in Grand' fashion
May 2
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"Curtis Granderson cannot tell a lie. The Yankees' centerfielder can't remember how to tie his necktie. "I get it OK as the season goes along, Tex [Mark Teixeira] is good showing me," Granderson said, unabashed upon handing his tie to a clubhouse attendant following yesterday's 5-2 victory over the Jays in The Bronx in which his three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth broke, well, a tie. "But I kind of forget during the off-season." Granderson's muscle memory may be compromised as it relates to sartorial matters, but it couldn't be sharper regarding his approach at home plate. The Yankees will take the trade-off. For Granderson's blow into the right-field grandstand off Jesse Litsch was"
Curtis Granderson homers, Ivan Nova earns second win as YankeesBlue Jays 5-2 to take series
May 2
New York Daily News
 
"Curtis Granderson was in the middle of answering questions from a pack of reporters Sunday after the Yankees' 5-2 victory over Toronto when he passed a striped tie through a tangle of notebooks and television cameras to a clubhouse attendant, who walked a few paces away and began knotting the tie. Granderson is going "through a little tie slump," he said, laughing. He blames an offseason of casual outfits. But who cares if his Windsor knots aren't crisp? He's acing pretty much everything else these days and his pinch-knotter makes him look stylish enough to board the team charter. Granderson snapped a 2-2 tie by slamming a three-run homer in the fifth inning off Jesse Litsch at the"
Curtis Granderson powering through a strong early season
April 23
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Curtis Granderson never understood all the chatter about his power potential. He looked at himself in the mirror, saw a 6-1 sprinter's frame, and wondered how anybody could see the makings of a slugger. Sure, he hit 30 home runs in 2009, despite playing half of his games in the notoriously spacious Comerica Park. But he never bought into the theories that sprouted up after his trade to the Yankees, the ones that predicted gaudy home run numbers thanks to Yankee Stadium's friendly right-field porch. Could he hit 40 one season? "It's hard for me to see that because of how small I am," Granderson said this week. Of course, Granderson is answering those questions again now that he's already"
Granderson has the right stuff
April 3
Baltimore Sun
 columnist Phil Rogers
"Curtis Granderson has been a Yankee for one season and a handful of days. It seems like he has been in the Bronx forever. That's because Granderson is a rare breed - a highly skilled pro who is naturally aware of the world outside the clubhouse walls and works to forge alliances. The Tigers replaced him with an excellent center fielder/leadoff man in Austin Jackson but he didn't really take his place. You can't. Like Derek Jeter, he plays so much bigger than his statistics, which can be dissected to show he's little more than an average player. Really? Yankees manager Joe Girardi certainly doesn't think Granderson is little more than an average player. He told reporters in spring training"