Rumors are flying in Major League Baseball and New York banking circles that the family that has owned Major League Baseball’s premiere franchise since Cleveland shipbuilder George Steinbrenner purchased the club for $8.8 million in 1973 is exploring the possibility of selling the Yankees.

Multiple baseball and finance sources told the Daily News they are hearing that the team the Steinbrenner family has led to seven World Series titles could be put on the block in the wake of the record sale price of $2.175 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers went for in April.

“There has been chatter all around the banking and financial industries in the city for a couple of weeks now,” one high-level baseball source told The News.

Given the way Hal Steinbrenner is generally framed — a business-first, finance wonk — I’m surprised this narrative hasn’t materialized sooner.

Ben over at River Ave Blues rebuked this one pretty nicely.

Reading the Daily News article closely though, we see the thesis begin to fall apart. The unsourced quotes concern timing. Everyone agrees now would be a great time to sell the Yanks, but “now” is always a great time to sell a baseball team. As baseball is growing with no signs of slowing down, any team — and especially the Yankees — is a valuable commodity. The News’ strongest argument for the sale seemingly is Hal Steinbrenner’s reluctance to hand out large contracts and his hands-off ownership approach. I’m not so sure either of those are negatives.

Of course, the Yankees, as well as Major League Baseball, have adamantly denied the rumors. For the Steinbrenners, let’s be honest, selling the Yankees would surely be a fruitful endeavor, with a possible $3 billion valuation, as reported by the Daily News. However, based off of what we definitively know — via official statements as opposed to unnamed sources — this does not appear to be in the works or remotely upcoming.

We should, though, consider that this may happen one day. Maybe not a year, or 10 years from now, but perhaps one day. If anything, this story allows us to consider that possibility.

CC Sabathia couldn’t hold the lead yesterday and the Yankees fell, 2-5, to the Reds in interleague action.

The Yankees have now lost 6 of their last 8.  Middling is the word to describe the team to date, though inferior pitching, in particular, can be looked at as the primary reason for the recent “streak.” The Yankees have surrendered 39 runs over that stretch.

(Photo by the AP)

This happened in NYC, just hours after the Yankees dropped their second game in Toronto.

He was a very nice guy, I must say. Seemed eager to get in there (even after this).

Hiroki Kuroda gave up 7 ER (5 IP 8 H 3 HR 2 BB 6 K) in the Yankees’ 8-1 loss to Toronto last night.

With his latest performance, what do you think about Kuroda? I think he was a great signing (maybe a bit pricey) and bad starts happen (he was solid the previous 4 games), though I’m interested in hearing your perspective, given what you’ve seen, thus far. Thoughts?

(Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

Thanks to a Mark Teixeira 2-run homer in the 7th inning, the Yankees beat the Orioles last night, 8-5.

The was no celebration, however, as the Yankees also lost Ivan Nova, David Robertson, Raul Ibanez and Clay Rapada to injuries. Of the 4 beat-up Yankees, most concern is squarely focused on Robertson (rib cage soreness) and Nova (right ankle sprain and bruise), as Ibanez and Rapada appear day-to-day. Hopefully neither are lost for extended periods (Robertson will have an MRI this AM).

This just goes to show how quickly “depth” can be thinned (and in just one game)…

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

At 1:05 PM ET, Andy Pettitte will make his much anticipated return to the mound against the Seattle Mariners. With the M’s relatively punchless lineup, this could be a good start for the 39-year old lefty.

While we all wait to see how he does, chew on this for a bit. What do you think?

(AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

New York Yankees 2012 tickets on sale now!

Don’t miss a chance to get out to Yankee Stadium in 2012 because the New York Yankees are looking as dangerous as ever. You can find a large selection of New York Yankees tickets to all the games on the schedule. You don’t want to miss watching Alex Rodgriguez and Derek Jeter as they take aim at ring #29. Joe Girardi and his squad are looking very good and you know that nobody is looking forward to taking the Yanks on. Ace CC Sabathia is looking good in the pinstripes, and with Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes looking sharp as well, this could be a solid year for NY baseball. Lots of big games looking at the schedule this year so make sure you find the perfect Yankee tickets and take in all the Yankees baseball live!

New York General Manager Brian Cashman has done a great job with the roster so expect them to rock out in the American League East in 2012. This looks like another solid year for stud Derek Jeter as he hits the baseball all over the place. With some tough opponents on the 2012 New York Yankees schedule, there are going to be a lot of great baseball games to watch. Looming extra-large on the schedule are the Boston Red Sox, who definitely give it all they got when they take on the Yanks. Be there to see what CC Sabathia, Alex Rodgriguez and Derek Jeter can get going against the Boston Red Sox and get your tickets before its too late. Fans are always looking for cheap New York Yankees baseball tickets and Ticket Liquidator displays a wide selection of them. So don’t wait and find your Yankees tickets before the MLB season is all over.

The New York Yankees have earned their status as the most dominant team in all of sports by winning World Series titles at an astonishing rate, 27 to date to be exact. Yankees fans that have been lucky enough to get tickets to Yankees games throughout the years have rarely been disappointed. New York sports fans are still celebrating the New York Giants 2012 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, the resurgence of the New York Rangers and the Jeremy Lin saga that has gripped the New York Knicks. As New York fans turn to baseball, they have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about a Yankee team that has been the definition of dominance for a long time. Yankees tickets are one of the biggest tickets in all of sports, and you can be sure that they will be flying off the shelves in 2012. Make sure you get out to Yankee Stadium in 2012 and see C.C. Sabathia and the Yanks as they look for another World Series title. Manager Joe Girardi will have his team ready to play, so get all your 2012 New York Yankees tickets today and check out the most dominant team in the history of sports on the world’s biggest stage.

2012 New York Yankees Outlook

The New York Yankees won the American League East pennant in 2011, but were knocked out of the playoffs by the Detroit Tigers and Justin Verlander, so you can be sure that they are looking for revenge in 2012. In New York, it’s World Series or bust, and this 2012 team is locked and loaded for another big year as they chase championship number 28. GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office was relatively quiet in the offseason, with the biggest move being the re-signing of their ace pitcher, C.C. Sabathia. They also traded catcher/DH Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Pineda, a young pitcher who showed signs of brilliance last year in Seattle. The Yanks were also able to unload perennial question mark A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates, clearing up a spot in the rotation. The Yankees, while quiet in the offseason, are still returning one of the best lineups in baseball in 2012 so make sure you get your Yankees tickets and get out to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to watch this team compete for baseball’s crown in 2012.

If you buy baseball tickets for the Yankees in 2012 you will see some familiar faces, and the infield looks like an All-Star team lineup. Starting at first base, you have Mark Texeira, a fearsome hitter and an excellent defensive first baseman. At second base, Robinson Cano is one of the premier players in the game and may be the best second baseman in all of baseball. Cano led the team in batting average last year and looks to pick up where he left off in 2012. The Yankees captain, Derek Jeter returns at shortstop, and remains one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Third base is again occupied by Alex Rodriguez, and he hopes to return to his form as one of the best players in baseball following some chronic injuries in the past few years. It’s no wonder the Yankees earned the nickname “The Bronx Bombers” with this murderer’s row of hitters so make sure you buy your 2012 Yankees tickets to see baseballs flying out of Yankee Stadium in 2012.

Even with arguably the best infield in all of baseball, last year’s home run leader on the Yanks was center fielder Curtis Granderson, who had a career year in 2011. He has already picked up where he left so far in 2012, hitting home runs and doubles in his first Spring Training plate appearances. With 41 HRs and 119 RBIs in 2011, the Yankees announcers’ “The Grandy-man can!” call was heard frequently by Yankee fans last year. The Yankees lost Jorge Posada to retirement in the offseason, but Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli have filled in nicely at catcher. The Yanks also added Raul Ibanez and his bat to an already potent lineup in 2012. Make sure you buy your cheap New York Yankees tickets from Ticket Liquidator this year to catch all the AL East action.

One thing has remained the same for a long time for the Yankees fans, and that is the luxury of hearing “Enter the Sandman” blaring from the Yankee Stadium sound system as the ageless Mariano Rivera charges in from the bullpen to shut down another team with that devastating cut fastball. With setup man David Robertson pitching brilliantly and getting the ball to Mo in 2011, teams better score early against the Yanks because their bullpen usually shuts the door on any comeback plans. Manager Joe Girardi has some decisions to make with the starting pitching in 2012. The only pitchers assured of a spot in the rotation are C.C. Sabathia and the newly acquired Hiroki Kuroda. Four pitchers are competing for the last three spots, including Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes and Pineda. The Yankees pitchers are looking to shut down all comers in 2012, so get those Yanks tickets today to see the pinstripes aim to dominate the American League.

Yankees Team Information:

• Full Name: New York Yankees
• Year Established: 1901
• League and Division: American League East
• Yankees Home Field: Yankee Stadium
• Yankee Stadium Capacity: 52,325
• Year Established: 1901
• Yankees World Series Titles: 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2010
• Formerly Known As: Baltimore Orioles and New York Highlanders
• Fun Fact: The Yankees team dress code forbids long hair and facial hair below the lip.
• Nickname: Yanks
• Manager: Joe Girardi
• General Manager: Brian Cashman
• Rival: The Boston Red Sox
• Official Yankees Site

2012 New York Yankees Schedule

The Yankees open up the 2012 season against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on April 6. Ticket Liquidator will have all the Rays vs. Yanks tickets you need if you want to head out to sunny Florida and catch your first glimpse of the 2012 New York Yankees. The Yankees then travel to Camden Yard to take on the Baltimore Orioles before coming back to Yankee Stadium for their home opener on April 13 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and their free agent addition, Albert Pujols. Tickets for the 2012 New York Yankees home opener against the Angels will be selling like crazy, so make sure you get yours today. All of baseball will be watching to see what Pujols does in an Angels uniform, and what better stage is there than Yankee Stadium to see C.C. Sabathia and Albert Pujols face off?

The Yankees head down to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers and Josh Hamilton from April 23-April 25. The Rangers have represented the American League in the last two World Series, and the New York Yankees are looking to change that in 2012. Yankees vs. Rangers tickets will be hotter than the Texas climate, so make sure you get yours now! The Yanks close out the first month of the season at home against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, the Detroit Tigers, from April 27-29. The Tigers won’t be any easier to beat in 2012 with the addition of fearsome hitter Prince Fielder. Yankees fans will have revenge on their minds in 2012, and they will be lining up in droves for Yankees vs. Tigers tickets. The Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who won the AL East Wildcard last year from May 8-May 10 at Yankee Stadium. Make sure you get all your Rays vs. Yankees tickets to see Evan Longoria and the Rays take on the Yankees rotation in Yankee Stadium.

2012 New York Yankees Interleague Schedule

The Yankees interleague schedule includes game against the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. The Subway Series against the Mets starts at Yankee Stadium from June 8-June 10. Yankees and Mets fans alike will hop on the subway to head down to Yankee Stadium for this inter-state rivalry, so get your Yankees vs. Mets tickets today. The Yanks play the Braves at home from June 18-June 20, and Ticket Liquidator has all the Braves vs. Yankees tickets you need. Grab some Yankees vs. Nationals tickets to see the Yanks travel to DC to take on Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals from June 15-June 17. The 2012 New York Yankees interleague schedule is packed with exciting matchups this year, so make sure you get all your Yankees interleague tickets from Ticket Liquidator today!

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 2012

Yankees fans are sure to be looking forward to a trip to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox for the first time in 2012 from April 20-April 22. Red Sox vs. Yankees tickets are one of the most sought after tickets in all of sports, and there is no love lost between these bitter rivals. The Yanks play the Red Sox again at Fenway from July 6-July 8. The Boston Red Sox first trip to Yankee Stadium is not until July 27-July 29, and they return again from August 17-August 19. The 2012 season closes with a three-game set against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, which could have major playoff implications if the teams are fighting for the Division or a wild card spot from October 1-October 3. What better way to close out the 2012 Major League Baseball season then to catch the greatest rivalry in all of sports with Yankees vs. Red Sox tickets at Yankee Stadium?

New Yankee Stadium

The Bronx Bombers play ball in the New Yankee Stadium. The billion-dollar New Yankee Stadium is still a sight to behold, and during the past few years thousands of fans got acquainted with the new digs. If you haven’t seen it in person yet then you definitely want to make 2012 the year you get out there. World-class food, flat-screen TVs and a Yankee museum await you once you get Yankee baseball tickets for a pass into the stadium. Get some Yankees tickets now to see the New Yankee Stadium and enjoy a game in style. We have the best selection of Yankee Stadium tickets so check out what’s available. There has been a lot of talk about this new home for the Yankees, so you can bet that New York Yankee tickets are going to be a hot item all summer long. The New Yankee Stadium cost nearly $1.6 billion to build and the Yankee stadium capacity can hold 52,325 of the craziest baseball fans in sports. Don’t pass up a chance at being one and get your new York Yankees tickets today.

AL East Competition

As solid as this Yankees team is, competition in the AL East could be the toughest ever, as the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays could be the three best teams in the bigs. Baseball in New York would not be the same without Red Sox Yankees tickets, as the term “bad blood” does not begin to describe a rivalry that reaches back more than 100 years. The Yankees are hoping that they will return to the early part of this decade and and come out on top of the division. But now, its not just the Red Sox they need to worry about. Now you’ve got the Tampa Bay Rays, which are looking to prove that their World Series appearance in 2008 was no fluke. Get your Rays Yankees tickets today and watch how the Yankees handle the still-green team. Then you have to watch the Yankees take on the rest of the AL, so get your Yankees Orioles tickets and Yankees Blue Jays tickets to see some games the Yankees should win handily. Its not going to be an easy 162 game-season, but with the support of Yankee ticket holders the Bronx Bombers are ready to roll.

More Yankee baseball talk:

One of the perennial topics in baseball is the Yankee payroll. Much is made in baseball talk of the astounding Derek Jeter salary numbers or CC Sabathia salary, but Yankee fans are happy to point out the team brings in the most amount of revenue. Its not the Yankees fault the Rays can’t sell out their stadium. So sure, the 2011 Yankees payroll, hovering near $200 million once again, will be the subject of plenty of Yankee-bashing talk, but at the end of the day the scoreboard says it all. Yankees salaries are higher than others for a reason, the front office expects a winner. Yankee salaries are always a topic on conversation, and that doesn’t seem likely to change as long as fans are buying Yankees tickets, and the bleacher creatures are in the stands.

The Yankees are the original glitz and glam MLB franchise. When people think “baseball” they picture the pinstripes, the top hat on the baseball bat, and the red, white and blue doodle-dandy colors of America’s biggest MLB team. Their record-breaking number of World Series wins, plus the proximity of one of the planet’s most exciting cities, adds up to a classic sporting venue by anyone’s standards. The Yankees nemesis, of course, is the Boston Red Sox, and clashes between them and the Sox are legendary. You can find great deals on Yankees Red Sox tickets right here on TicketLiquidator.

How to find Yankees tickets

New Yorkers demand the very best from their sports teams, and the Yankees are possibly the team from the Big Apple most scrutinized and criticized by fans. The price of Yankees tickets is immensely variable, and if you’re a Yankee you’ll doubtless be navigating this site in search of a cheap baseball tickets bargain. Sometimes people use terms such as “baseball tickets New York” when they search for Yankees seats, or if they cement phrases together, like newyorkyankees.com, they believe this will find them Yankees baseball tickets more easily. But the truth is that plain and simple “yankees ticket”, rather than newyorkyankees, will probably be more efficient. Either way you will be looking for the very same thing – pieces of sacred paper that will place you on the bleachers of the New Yankee stadium which first opened for 2009 baseball season.

After a long season, and if the Yankees are still in it in October, New York Yankees playoffs tickets will be available, as are Yankees tickets to regular season games. We at TL recognize that NY Yankees tickets are a sought-after commodity in the Big Apple, and we strive to genuinely bring you New York Yankees tickets as cheaply as we can. The 2012 Yankee schedule is also available here, so when it’s time to grab those Yankees-Red Sox tickets (or indeed any Yankees baseball tickets), you’ll know we’ve done the groundwork to liquidate cheap Yankees tickets right here, in one place, for you the customer. If the Yanks make it past the first round, then we’ll have New York Yankees ALCS tickets as well. We’ll have everything you need at every stage of the playoffs including New York Yankees World Series tickets if they make it. Come and see history be made; buy Yankees tickets. Yankee Stadium needs you! Support your Yankees live!

For more, check out the box. Hughes scattered 6 hits and gave up 1 ER over 7 2/3 (1 BB, 4 K)…

(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

• Led by CC Sabathia, the Yankees beat the Twins last night, 8-4.
• A-Rod is with the Yankees, but won’t be in the lineup until at least Saturday.

As you know, Alex had surgery on July 11 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

YANKEES
Brett Gardner LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez SS
CC Sabathia LHP

CUBS
Reed Johnson CF
Starlin Castro SS
Jeff Baker 1B
Aramis Ramirez 3B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Geovany Soto C
Lou Montanez RF
D.J. LeMahieu 2B
Randy Wells SP

Hope you’re all having a nice Father’s Day / Sunday. Enjoy!