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.
Posted by: Seamus
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?
