10/30: Neil Allen Out
Posted by: Michael
According to the Daily News, bullpen coach Neil Allen was relieved of his position yesterday by Brian Cashman.
It will be interesting to see if the combo of Guidry-Kerrigan will fill the two empty roles in the coaching staff.
Reached at home, GM Brian Cashman confirmed the move and said Allen had been offered a new position within the organization that is not on the major-league level.
Allen's removal means the Yankees now have a bullpen coach vacancy to go along with their opening at pitching coach. Former Yankee Ron Guidry remains the top candidate for that spot, though Joe Kerrigan, whom Cashman hired as a scout earlier this year, is under serious consideration to join the coaching staff in some capacity.
Allen's removal means the Yankees now have a bullpen coach vacancy to go along with their opening at pitching coach. Former Yankee Ron Guidry remains the top candidate for that spot, though Joe Kerrigan, whom Cashman hired as a scout earlier this year, is under serious consideration to join the coaching staff in some capacity.
It will be interesting to see if the combo of Guidry-Kerrigan will fill the two empty roles in the coaching staff.
Posted by: James
Just when you think baseball has gone and turned that proverbial corner from the steroid scandal, we get news, though there is no official confirmation of any kind yet, that an AL outfielder has tested positive for steroids. Deadspin looks like they were the first to post something about this based on the following text in the latest edition of USA Today Sports Weekly:
"An American League outfielder on a postseason team tested positive for steroids, according to his agent, but the player is appealing the results."
10/27: Matsui Apologizes to Torre
Posted by: Patrick
So says Yogi:
No shock to any Yankee fans, really. Matsui is classy.
Funny bit here:
Steve Lombardi notes asks if Yogi should have been the one to reveal this. I agree, he shouldn't have been. But, it's out there now...
Via Steve Lombardi.
... that Hideki Matsui personally apologized to Joe Torre after the Yankees' collapse in the division series. After batting .200 against Anaheim and making the final out in Game 5, the Japanese outfielder told the manager, "I played bad for you. I'm sorry. I hurt the team."
No shock to any Yankee fans, really. Matsui is classy.
Funny bit here:
Why didn't his knees ever give out in 19 years of catching? "I was small. I didn't have to go down too far."
Steve Lombardi notes asks if Yogi should have been the one to reveal this. I agree, he shouldn't have been. But, it's out there now...
Via Steve Lombardi.
10/27: 162 Games Played
Posted by: Patrick
Steve Lombardi mentions the only Yankees to play in 162 games in a season. They were:
Righties:
Bobby Richardson in 1961
Roberto Kelly in 1990
Alex Rodriguez in 2005
Lefties:
Chris Chambliss in 1978
Don Mattingly in 1986
Hideki Matsui in 2003 (163), 2004 and 2005.
Only 6 guys (8 times). Considering how long the Yankees have been around, that seems like a low number to me.
Righties:
Bobby Richardson in 1961
Roberto Kelly in 1990
Alex Rodriguez in 2005
Lefties:
Chris Chambliss in 1978
Don Mattingly in 1986
Hideki Matsui in 2003 (163), 2004 and 2005.
Only 6 guys (8 times). Considering how long the Yankees have been around, that seems like a low number to me.
Posted by: Patrick
Latino Legends team announced:
Congrats.
Alex Rodriguez, Dominican Republic, Shortstop (1994-current): Regarded as one of the best all-around players in the game, Rodriguez shined as a shortstop before moving to third base for the Yankees prior to the 2004 season. Rodriguez was named the AL's MVP in 2003 and he became the youngest player ever to reach the 400-home run plateau in 2005. A two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, Rodriguez is a nine-time All-Star. ...
Mariano Rivera, Panama, Relief Pitcher (1995-current): Regarded as one of the most reliable closers in baseball history, Rivera ranks inside the top 10 in career saves. Before becoming the Yankees full-time closer in 1997, the right-hander set a club record in 1996 for the most strikeouts by a reliever with 130. Rivera, who saved 40 or more games in a season five times and 50 or more twice, led the Yankees to world championships in 1996 and 1998-2000, while winning the 1999 World Series MVP. The seven-time All Star has finished five seasons with an ERA under 2.00 while never completing a season with an ERA above 3.00.
Mariano Rivera, Panama, Relief Pitcher (1995-current): Regarded as one of the most reliable closers in baseball history, Rivera ranks inside the top 10 in career saves. Before becoming the Yankees full-time closer in 1997, the right-hander set a club record in 1996 for the most strikeouts by a reliever with 130. Rivera, who saved 40 or more games in a season five times and 50 or more twice, led the Yankees to world championships in 1996 and 1998-2000, while winning the 1999 World Series MVP. The seven-time All Star has finished five seasons with an ERA under 2.00 while never completing a season with an ERA above 3.00.
Congrats.
10/26: Cashman Accepts 3-Year Deal
Posted by: James
Update: Cashman has accepted the three year deal.
The latest report coming out of ESPN has the Yankees offering Brian Cashman a three-year deal worth over $5 million. Personally, I think Cash will do a good job as GM and in my mind, he should get the opportunity to reconstruct the Yankees without being second-guessed at every turn. That being said, anyone who works for George Steinbrenner's baseball operations knows the deal. You will get a big budget, a very good salary, numerous chances at winning it all and oftentimes the best players in the game. However, with all that good stuff, you have to know that you will be held personally accountable for the things that do go wrong. What's that Spider-Man always says? "With great power comes great responsibility". Hmm, seems to fit pretty well, doesn't it?
For the players that Cashman (or whoever else will be hired if he turns down the job) will be working with, click here to take a look at what they did this past year and what grades they got.
The latest report coming out of ESPN has the Yankees offering Brian Cashman a three-year deal worth over $5 million. Personally, I think Cash will do a good job as GM and in my mind, he should get the opportunity to reconstruct the Yankees without being second-guessed at every turn. That being said, anyone who works for George Steinbrenner's baseball operations knows the deal. You will get a big budget, a very good salary, numerous chances at winning it all and oftentimes the best players in the game. However, with all that good stuff, you have to know that you will be held personally accountable for the things that do go wrong. What's that Spider-Man always says? "With great power comes great responsibility". Hmm, seems to fit pretty well, doesn't it?
For the players that Cashman (or whoever else will be hired if he turns down the job) will be working with, click here to take a look at what they did this past year and what grades they got.
Posted by: James
In the morning: there was news that Yankee pitcher Steven White won player of the week honors in the Arizona Fall League (so far, decidedly a hitter's league). This is a nice little surprise as White has gone 1-1 with a 1.20 ERA (with a .173 batting average against) in four AFL starts so far after coming off a less than stellar season in AA. Hopefully, Steven has started to put a couple of pieces together and is going to start living up to the potential that made him a fourth round pick for the Yankees in 2003.
In the evening: Eric Duncan provided the offense for the Grand Canyon Rafters (quite possibly one of the weirdest names and logos in baseball history - just take a look at the hat in the link!), going 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs, to raise his batting average back over .400 and his OPS over 1.200 (.403 and 1.278 to be exact). His fellow Yankee prospect T.J. Beam (a very good relief prospect) closed out the game going 1 and two-third innings and struck out 4 of the 6 men he faced. All in all, not too shabby.
In the evening: Eric Duncan provided the offense for the Grand Canyon Rafters (quite possibly one of the weirdest names and logos in baseball history - just take a look at the hat in the link!), going 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs, to raise his batting average back over .400 and his OPS over 1.200 (.403 and 1.278 to be exact). His fellow Yankee prospect T.J. Beam (a very good relief prospect) closed out the game going 1 and two-third innings and struck out 4 of the 6 men he faced. All in all, not too shabby.
10/25: Final Out Balls
Posted by: Patrick
USAToday.com tells us where recent World Series ending balls are currently located. The Yankees:
Via Steve Lombardi.
1996
• Where's the ball? Displayed in [Charlie] Hayes' living room.
1998
• Where's the ball? With [Tino] Martinez's glove in a safe-deposit box. "I'm never going to use the glove again," Martinez says.
1999
• Where's the ball? [Chad] Curtis gave it to a security guard, Dan Weiss, who helped Curtis and his family when they lived in New York. When Weiss said he wanted to give the ball back, Curtis said he autographed it, "To Dan," and said, "Now what am I going to do with a ball that says, 'To Dan?' He would have never sold it, but I wanted it to have value to him as a friend."
2000
• Where's the ball? [Bernie] Williams had it signed by his teammates and keeps it in his trophy case at home.
• Where's the ball? Displayed in [Charlie] Hayes' living room.
1998
• Where's the ball? With [Tino] Martinez's glove in a safe-deposit box. "I'm never going to use the glove again," Martinez says.
1999
• Where's the ball? [Chad] Curtis gave it to a security guard, Dan Weiss, who helped Curtis and his family when they lived in New York. When Weiss said he wanted to give the ball back, Curtis said he autographed it, "To Dan," and said, "Now what am I going to do with a ball that says, 'To Dan?' He would have never sold it, but I wanted it to have value to him as a friend."
2000
• Where's the ball? [Bernie] Williams had it signed by his teammates and keeps it in his trophy case at home.
Via Steve Lombardi.
Posted by: YB Bloggers
As the 2005 regular season is over and all, we thought we'd rate the each Yankee on his own individual performance for the 2005 season. We rated players who ended the season with the Yankees (no Mike Stanton) and logged significant time over the entire year (no Melky Cabrera). The grades given are an average of the grade given that that player by James, Michael, Patrick and Seamus.
Posted by: Seamus
ESPN is reporting that former Phillies and Padres manager Larry Bowa will in all likelihood be taking the Yankee's third base coaching job in 2006. The agreement seems to be contingent on Brian Cashman settling for a new deal with the Boss in the near future.
Bowa spent his last four full seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He led them to a winning record three out of the four seasons, but never made a postseason appearance.
I certainly don't see how it could hurt us to have a guy like Bowa on our bench. He does seem a bit firy for a 3B coach, but experienced guys like him are always welcome. It is also noted in the article that Luis Sojo is unsure whether he'll return if he is asked to accept a demotion to first base.
"If another organization had called me, I'd have probably told them 'No thanks, I like what I'm doing,'" Bowa told the New York Daily News in a phone interview last weekend. "What happened in Philadelphia kind of turned me off to it all. I thought I did a pretty good job -- we were over .500 three of the four years I was there except for one year when we missed by one game. And then for it to end the way it did, I'm just sort of down on it now.
"But the Yankees, that's a special circumstance. I'd be very selective right now, certainly, but the Yankees are one team that I think I'd enjoy being a part of," Bowa added.
"But the Yankees, that's a special circumstance. I'd be very selective right now, certainly, but the Yankees are one team that I think I'd enjoy being a part of," Bowa added.
Bowa spent his last four full seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He led them to a winning record three out of the four seasons, but never made a postseason appearance.
I certainly don't see how it could hurt us to have a guy like Bowa on our bench. He does seem a bit firy for a 3B coach, but experienced guys like him are always welcome. It is also noted in the article that Luis Sojo is unsure whether he'll return if he is asked to accept a demotion to first base.
10/24: "It's called loyalty."
Posted by: Patrick
Yanks reaching back to get ahead:
Nice quote. I think getting Guidry would be awesome.
Sojo doesn't seem too pleased with the demotion, but than again, who's happy about demotion? We could end up with Mazzilli (Bench), Bowa (3rd) and Guidry (pitching). The getting rid of Roy White after 1 year thing still kind of bugs me, though. But, I guess we don't really have a spot for him now.
Teams have a hitting coach, a pitching coach... why not a fielding coach? White stays on at 1st and Sojo takes the fielding coach job. hehe.
Via Brian MacMillan.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Guidry's interest, which was a question even among Yankees officials as they compiled a list of candidates to replace Mel Stottlemyre.
But Louisiana-based Reggie Ringuet, who is Guidry's longtime agent and attorney, said Friday, "It's certainly something that he's got an interest in doing." ...
The only team Guidry would consider, Ringuet said, was the Yankees. "It's called loyalty," he said.
But Louisiana-based Reggie Ringuet, who is Guidry's longtime agent and attorney, said Friday, "It's certainly something that he's got an interest in doing." ...
The only team Guidry would consider, Ringuet said, was the Yankees. "It's called loyalty," he said.
Nice quote. I think getting Guidry would be awesome.
Sojo doesn't seem too pleased with the demotion, but than again, who's happy about demotion? We could end up with Mazzilli (Bench), Bowa (3rd) and Guidry (pitching). The getting rid of Roy White after 1 year thing still kind of bugs me, though. But, I guess we don't really have a spot for him now.
Teams have a hitting coach, a pitching coach... why not a fielding coach? White stays on at 1st and Sojo takes the fielding coach job. hehe.
Via Brian MacMillan.
Posted by: Patrick
According to Moose Skowron:
Funny that he should say that. I've always joked with my brother that the Babe had a performance enhancer ("what do you think Beer is?). heh.
Via Brian MacMillan.
Maris hit his record-breaking 61 home runs that year, and Mantle added 54. Skowron produced a career-high 28 long balls, giving the trio an impressive total of 143. The secret to their success, according to Skowron, was a special liquid refreshment.
"We drank a lot of beer," Skowron said with a laugh. "I've never played on a greater team."
"We drank a lot of beer," Skowron said with a laugh. "I've never played on a greater team."
Funny that he should say that. I've always joked with my brother that the Babe had a performance enhancer ("what do you think Beer is?). heh.
Via Brian MacMillan.
Posted by: David
As Yankees fans we probably all want to forget about 2005 and look forward to 2006. However, as I look back on the season, the Yankees did have some outstanding individual performaces.
A-Rod is a strong possibility for MVP. His performance during the playoffs was not up to MVP status, but it is only the regular season that is considered.
Mariano Rivera could easily win the Cy Young Award. His strongest competition should come from Bartolo Colon, but he certainly did not have a lights out season.
Robinson Cano is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. His performance during the month of September was outstanding and he proved to be a great clutch hitter. Remember the Grand Slam he hit against the Devil Rays to tie that game that the Yankees eventually won. He made some blunders both in the field and on the bases but I think the Yankees have a potential superstar in the making.
Was 2005 Joe Torre's best managing job? Just think his pitching staff was decimated for most of the year with losing Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. Even Randy Johnson missed a few starts with an ailing knee or back.
Ozzie Guillen should provide stiff competition but remember the White Sox did not play well in September and the votes were turned in before the start of the playoffs.
Brian Cashman should receive strong consideration for Executive of the Year. He pulled off great deals in acquiring Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small and even Al Leiter. He didn't give up any of the Yankees young talent and without the names mentioned above the Yankees wouldn't have been close to the playoffs.
Jason Giambi was already named the AL Comeback Player of the Year.
Tell me what you think!
A-Rod is a strong possibility for MVP. His performance during the playoffs was not up to MVP status, but it is only the regular season that is considered.
Mariano Rivera could easily win the Cy Young Award. His strongest competition should come from Bartolo Colon, but he certainly did not have a lights out season.
Robinson Cano is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. His performance during the month of September was outstanding and he proved to be a great clutch hitter. Remember the Grand Slam he hit against the Devil Rays to tie that game that the Yankees eventually won. He made some blunders both in the field and on the bases but I think the Yankees have a potential superstar in the making.
Was 2005 Joe Torre's best managing job? Just think his pitching staff was decimated for most of the year with losing Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. Even Randy Johnson missed a few starts with an ailing knee or back.
Ozzie Guillen should provide stiff competition but remember the White Sox did not play well in September and the votes were turned in before the start of the playoffs.
Brian Cashman should receive strong consideration for Executive of the Year. He pulled off great deals in acquiring Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small and even Al Leiter. He didn't give up any of the Yankees young talent and without the names mentioned above the Yankees wouldn't have been close to the playoffs.
Jason Giambi was already named the AL Comeback Player of the Year.
Tell me what you think!
Posted by: David
Its been a long time since you have heard from me. I'm pleased to say that I have recovered from surgery.
On June 24th, I had a Grand Mal seizure due to a brain tumor. The tumor was found to be benign and was removed via surgery on August 3rd. The seizure resulted in me dislocating both shoulders and breaking the humerus bone on my right side. I am still in physical therapy for my shoulders and have come quite far since I started around mid-August. My right shoulder is just about back to normal and my left one is about 65% to 70% with regard to the range of motion.
I started back to work on September 19th and am full time except for the time I spend in physical therapy. However, I am not permitted to drive yet but am expecting to return to driving early next month.
Thank you for your concerns and prayers for both myself and my family. I look forward to writing for this site and MarianoRivera.com over the off season.
As a diehard Yankees fan, it is disappointing to accept anything but a World Series Championship, but I did enjoy the way the team fought to get into the playoffs. I'm looking forward to a new campaign for 2006 and hopefully getting another ring.
Again, thank you for your prayers and concerns.
David Williams
On June 24th, I had a Grand Mal seizure due to a brain tumor. The tumor was found to be benign and was removed via surgery on August 3rd. The seizure resulted in me dislocating both shoulders and breaking the humerus bone on my right side. I am still in physical therapy for my shoulders and have come quite far since I started around mid-August. My right shoulder is just about back to normal and my left one is about 65% to 70% with regard to the range of motion.
I started back to work on September 19th and am full time except for the time I spend in physical therapy. However, I am not permitted to drive yet but am expecting to return to driving early next month.
Thank you for your concerns and prayers for both myself and my family. I look forward to writing for this site and MarianoRivera.com over the off season.
As a diehard Yankees fan, it is disappointing to accept anything but a World Series Championship, but I did enjoy the way the team fought to get into the playoffs. I'm looking forward to a new campaign for 2006 and hopefully getting another ring.
Again, thank you for your prayers and concerns.
David Williams
Posted by: Michael
Today is Charles Edward "Whitey" Ford's birthday.
Happy 77th Whitey!
From his website:
236-106 career record
2.74 lifetime ERA
.690 lifetime win percentage
8 WORLD TITLES
Wikipedia has some good information on him as well (highlights):
He was given the name Whitey in the minor leagues for his blond almost white hair.
He was given the title, "Chairman of the Board" for his ability to remain calm and in command during intense pressure situations.
He was given the nickname, "Slick" for his craftiness on the mound.
Happy 77th Whitey!
From his website:
236-106 career record
2.74 lifetime ERA
.690 lifetime win percentage
8 WORLD TITLES
Wikipedia has some good information on him as well (highlights):
He was given the name Whitey in the minor leagues for his blond almost white hair.
He was given the title, "Chairman of the Board" for his ability to remain calm and in command during intense pressure situations.
He was given the nickname, "Slick" for his craftiness on the mound.
10/20: Bowa Being Waved Home?
Posted by: James
Well, it looks like the Yankees have set their sights on Larry Bowa as their main option for the third-base coach job. Bowa, who has yet to make up his mind, replaced Terry Francona as the skipper of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2001 and had a .522 winning percentage (337-308) in his four seasons with the Phillies. He does have experience at the job but time will tell if he is as good as Luis Sojo in getting runners thrown out at the plate (yeah, as much as I love Louie - not a big fan of him as the third base coach.)
My main question about this is: Will Bowa fit into the Yankee clubhouse? Bowa is known as a pretty fiery guy and there have been times where he has clashed (both privately and publicly) with players. Heck, he got Scott Rolen run out of town and Rolen was the cornerstone of the Phillies back then. Of course, this is a far smaller role than his managerial gig with the Phils so who knows, maybe he has mellowed some. As it stands, this would pave the way for what I originally thought would happen with the Yankee coaching staff. A new coach would take over third, Louis Sojo takes over first, new hitting & pitching coach and Donnie on the bench with Joe (potentially being groomed). That could still work out to be the case even though Lee Mazzilli could find himself in that mix too. Who knew the Yankee coaching staff could be so convoluted?
My main question about this is: Will Bowa fit into the Yankee clubhouse? Bowa is known as a pretty fiery guy and there have been times where he has clashed (both privately and publicly) with players. Heck, he got Scott Rolen run out of town and Rolen was the cornerstone of the Phillies back then. Of course, this is a far smaller role than his managerial gig with the Phils so who knows, maybe he has mellowed some. As it stands, this would pave the way for what I originally thought would happen with the Yankee coaching staff. A new coach would take over third, Louis Sojo takes over first, new hitting & pitching coach and Donnie on the bench with Joe (potentially being groomed). That could still work out to be the case even though Lee Mazzilli could find himself in that mix too. Who knew the Yankee coaching staff could be so convoluted?
Posted by: James
Pretty much right after stopping talks with Yankees brass and turning down any Yanks offers, it looks like Leo Mazzone has come to terms with the Orioles. This should certainly make for an interesting storyline throughout the season, especially if the Yankees staff struggles and Baltimore starts pitching well to go along with their hitting. Sabernomics author J.C. Bradbury wrote a pretty in-depth article over at the Baseball Analysts about how much effect that Mazzone has had on pitchers during his tenure with the Braves.
His bottom line: "Starters and relievers pitched worse both before and after playing for Mazzone. Something good was clearly happening when pitchers played for the Braves." Looking at the stats, this certainly seems true as pitchers under Mazzone shaved 0.625 off their ERAs when pitching for him. It would have been nice to have him... it would have been almost as nice if he had stayed out of the AL East though. Now, let's hope that he doesn't help Daniel Cabrera harness his stuff or make Erik Bedard into a more effective pitcher than he is (or convince B.J. Ryan to stick around). If he does that... well, the Orioles just got a whole lot more interesting.
His bottom line: "Starters and relievers pitched worse both before and after playing for Mazzone. Something good was clearly happening when pitchers played for the Braves." Looking at the stats, this certainly seems true as pitchers under Mazzone shaved 0.625 off their ERAs when pitching for him. It would have been nice to have him... it would have been almost as nice if he had stayed out of the AL East though. Now, let's hope that he doesn't help Daniel Cabrera harness his stuff or make Erik Bedard into a more effective pitcher than he is (or convince B.J. Ryan to stick around). If he does that... well, the Orioles just got a whole lot more interesting.
From Newsday:
Oh well, I was actually quite surprised to hear his name was out there in the first place. The article also mentions Dave Righetti and Ron Guidry as being candidates for the job. Also, I didn't realize until about a week ago when I saw it mentioned here that Joe Kerrigan was in our organization as a scout. Was he really that bad of a pitching coach? He does have Major League experience, so I don't think it would be all that bad to give him a shot if we can't snatch Righetti or Guidry. Honestly I really don't know enough about anybody as a pitching coach to offer an opinion. Any thoughts?
Leo Mazzone decided earlier this morning to end discussions with the Yankees, according to a person familiar with the renowned Braves' pitching coach's thinking.
The Yankees' window to speak with Mazzone was apparently up sometime yesterday and they received a 24-hour extension, but talks didn't progress far enough.
The Yankees' window to speak with Mazzone was apparently up sometime yesterday and they received a 24-hour extension, but talks didn't progress far enough.
Oh well, I was actually quite surprised to hear his name was out there in the first place. The article also mentions Dave Righetti and Ron Guidry as being candidates for the job. Also, I didn't realize until about a week ago when I saw it mentioned here that Joe Kerrigan was in our organization as a scout. Was he really that bad of a pitching coach? He does have Major League experience, so I don't think it would be all that bad to give him a shot if we can't snatch Righetti or Guidry. Honestly I really don't know enough about anybody as a pitching coach to offer an opinion. Any thoughts?
Posted by: James
Joe Girardi has agreed in principle to be the manager of the Florida Marlins. He also had talks with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but it looks all but done that he will be added on as the skipper in Florida.
Honestly, I don't know how Joe went from former major league catcher (with a great triple against Greg Maddux in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series - my lasting memory of him) to a primo head-coaching candidate so quickly. If I remember correctly, he was also talked about heavily for a couple of jobs last year as well. It seems somewhat odd that Girardi has to wait practically no time before his day in the sun... but the hiring of other former Yankee coaches took a good long time in coming (ex. 11 years on the Yankee coaching staff for Willie Randolph before his shot). Regardless, Joe inherits a pretty nice situation in Florida with a solid, mostly young, team that fell just a bit short of the wildcard in a very competitive NL East. I wish him well and hope to see some good coaching battles between two well-liked former Yankee coaches.
Honestly, I don't know how Joe went from former major league catcher (with a great triple against Greg Maddux in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series - my lasting memory of him) to a primo head-coaching candidate so quickly. If I remember correctly, he was also talked about heavily for a couple of jobs last year as well. It seems somewhat odd that Girardi has to wait practically no time before his day in the sun... but the hiring of other former Yankee coaches took a good long time in coming (ex. 11 years on the Yankee coaching staff for Willie Randolph before his shot). Regardless, Joe inherits a pretty nice situation in Florida with a solid, mostly young, team that fell just a bit short of the wildcard in a very competitive NL East. I wish him well and hope to see some good coaching battles between two well-liked former Yankee coaches.
10/18: Felix on the Juice
It looks like Felix Heredia is the latest MLB player to be suspended for steroids. Hey, he's not as sexy as a 500 HR hitter but hey, it's still a story. Felix didn't exactly have a stellar year in pinstripes last year but I still remember the one night he came on in relief and did the job. Yankees up by one against the Red Sox, 8th inning, bases loaded and David Ortiz at bat... and Heredia struck him right out. I was there, way up in the left field bleachers and the cheer and ovation that he got was second only to the roar that greeted Mariano when he came in to close down the game. It was probably the highest point of Heredia's Yankee career and a great night for the Yanks.
10/18: Torre to Return
Posted by: Patrick
Right off the wire:
Cool. Good to see.
Joe Torre considered resigning last week, then decided during a meeting with owner George Steinbrenner to return next season as manager of the New York Yankees. ...
"I just wanted to pretty much clear the air on everything that was part of my unhappiness or anger or whatever you want to call it, frustration. I guess you can put all those things under the same heading," Torre said.
Torre wanted to make sure Steinbrenner wanted him back.
"I had to not only hear it, but hear the tone in which it was said," he said.
"I just wanted to pretty much clear the air on everything that was part of my unhappiness or anger or whatever you want to call it, frustration. I guess you can put all those things under the same heading," Torre said.
Torre wanted to make sure Steinbrenner wanted him back.
"I had to not only hear it, but hear the tone in which it was said," he said.
Cool. Good to see.
Posted by: Patrick
We'll be interviewing the author of the Bat Boy book, Matthew McGough, here at YanksBlog.com. If you had any questions that you'd like us to ask him, please e-mail me at patrick@ifroggy.com or leave a comment.
He was around the Yankees team during the entire '92 and '93 seasons. So, if you had any questions about those on the coaching staff or on the team at that time, those would be welcome - as well as any other questions, obviously.
Thanks.
He was around the Yankees team during the entire '92 and '93 seasons. So, if you had any questions about those on the coaching staff or on the team at that time, those would be welcome - as well as any other questions, obviously.
Thanks.
10/18: Cy Young on MSN = Mo
Posted by: Patrick
Check it out.
Kind of funny. I imagine it'll go away, but for the moment... the movement is getting a boost. Jen lended her support and Pride of the Yankees mentioned the program. It's not too late to show your support.
Kind of funny. I imagine it'll go away, but for the moment... the movement is getting a boost. Jen lended her support and Pride of the Yankees mentioned the program. It's not too late to show your support.
Posted by: YB Bloggers
Patrick: In this day of all access via the internet and TV, one place that the average fan remains without access to is the locker room. We get a brief glimpse into it through various journalists and on TV when your team wins something and they’re in there showering each other with champagne. It’s an area that not many, besides coaches, players, executives and owners, receive constant and daily access to. One group of people that does get that access is the clubhouse staff. This includes bat boys. Of us Yankee fans, who wouldn’t have wanted to be a Yankees bat boy in their youth (listen to me, I’m 20 years old for pete sake – I’m still young!)? I know I would have loved it. Matthew McGough got that opportunity. For two years – the 1992 and 1993 seasons) – as well as a brief return stint for the ’98 postseason. Bat Boy is a memoir of this time and the TV show Clubhouse was based on his book with McGough serving as a producer.
10/17: Bernie for Baines?
Posted by: Patrick