Hall of Famer Bubba Crosby rips Yankees
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You remember Bubba Crosby. In three years with the Yankees he hit .223 with 11 extra-base hits in 238 at-bats while striking out 48 times. Despite those torrid stats, he was designated for assignment last summer and stormed out of Joe Torre’s office in Baltimore after some harsh words.
Well, Bubba is with the Reds now and yesterday he blamed all his woes on those mean Yankees.
The Reds are a closer team than the Yankees, he said. Torre never gave him the green light. He was labeled a utility player in New York.
“I knew I could go out there in spring and lead the whole camp in hitting and it wouldn’t matter, I’d still be the fifth outfielder,” he said. “It’s nice to go to an organization that if you produce, you’re going to play.”
Earth to Bubba: The Yankees had better players than you.
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on Wednesday, February 21st, 2007 at 7:30 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Does Bubba really think he will get more playing time with the Reds? Bubba should be happy he had the opportunity to play for the Yankees! Just Shut up Bubba.
This entry gave me the chance to learn the name of the Reds’ International League (AAA) team: The Louisville Bats. Bubba, you may want to make a note, because on Opening Day that’s where you may well be.
Bubba is ok, he did a good job in NY in what he was asked to do. In 2005 had Sheff not run into Bubba–who had great range–the Yanks probably win that series and, just maybe, all of this Arod drama would have never happened.
It’s true. There was a grand conspiracy to keep Bubba down. There couldn’t possibly have been another reason to not have the mascot on the Yankees’ roster…oh wait. Maybe it was this:
.216 .255 .300
I am sorely disappointed in Bubba. Bubba just shut up!! You had a chance to play on the Yankees the Best Sports team and you leave and you rip them. In all honestly you probably never should have played for us!! I was going to wish him luck there but now I’m not so sure I will.
He’s like one of those deluded American Idol contestants, who can’t accept the fact that they really can’t sing. I hope Bubba has fun going out to dinner with all his new teammates. Especially in October.
dissappointing, but also, who cares….
Right now he would be competing with Kevin Thompson who is three times the player he is
I admired Bubba when he was here in NY, because I saw him as the underdog who just needed a chance… he always played hard, which i respected, and honestly going into last season, i was fairly comfortable with him in CF if Damon didnt come our way.
But Damon did, and then Melky proved his worth, and Bubba was not going to get time and ABs over Bernie, so what did he really expect?
Now he’s just looking like a fool… between Unit spoutin’ the other day, and now Bubba saying the clubhouse was dysfunction and it wasnt any fun… maybe these guys should look at themselves to explain why, rather than trying to point the finger at others in the organization?
Bubba Crosby should not be in professional baseball.
And did you hear the latest quote from Gary Sheffield, that Joe Torre “took the fire out of him” in last year’s playoffs?
I’m getting sick and tired of this. Do these guys have nothing better to talk about? Why not focus on the positive — Bubba only had to say that he’s glad he thinks he has a shot to play “hit type of baseball”; Sheffield only had to say, “This is a new year, a new team” or whatever; Johnson could have said, “I’m glad the Yankees honored my request to be traded closer to home where I’m more comfortable.” But none of them knows when to shut the heck up.
Maybe it’s true that athletes never really grow up. They sure sound like a bunch of spoiled little boys.
Silly me, I think he’s right, to a point.
Everything he said was true though. Melky produced, he probably won’t get as much time as he should this year. I don’t know if it was necessarily a bash. Yeah, the Yankees don’t get along as well as other teams – that’s what you get when you pay big money for lots of free agents, less comraderie.
Kind of funny Sheffield would rip Torre since, Torre almost got fired because of his loyalty to Sheffield.
No other manager in the game would have messed with a winning lineup. But, Torre did last year when he not only re-inserted Sheffield into the lineup, but also moved him to a new position to accomodate the move.
All it did was bog down the offense, ruined the infield defense, made it an all or nothing offense again in the post-season, and they were an early out once again.
Sheffield, who hits worse than ARod in the post-season, now says the “fire” was taken out of him? Please, more nonsense from him.
Turning on the guy who almost lost his job for supporting him. Typical Gary Sheffield.
There is such a thing as addition by subtraction. Randy Johnson and Gary Sheffield’s departures from this team qualify as addition by subtraction.
Bubba? When the day comes I actually care about what a career benchwarmer thinks about his playing status with the Yankees is the day I stop watching baseball.
Bubba is lucky he is even in the major leagues. His words have no value to anybody who knows anything about the sport.
The only thing I miss about Bubba is being able to regularlybut out my Forrest Gump voice.
Do teams have to have wrestling matches in the clubhouse to prove they get along? Do they have to play practical jokes to prove that they get along? Is it a negative to be professional? I thought the Yankees were a much looser bunch last year than they had been before, thanks to adding guys like Damon, Cano and Cabrera to the mix. I am of the opinion that teammates don’t have to act like frat boys in order to ‘get along.’ When was the last time the Cincinnati Reds won a championship?
Agreed, Rich:
250 career ABs. .216-4-20. OBP .255; SA .300; OPS of .555.
Earth to Bubba: Get an OPS over .700, then talk.
Doreen I agree with you. Plus the Yankees for the most part have been older guys so maybe they were past that crap. Also believe it or not the guys do go out to dinner with each other. Mike goes out to dinner with Arod. They don’t have to poor water down each others shirts to prove they get along.
Three words for Bubba: SOUR GRAPES, BABY.
OK Sheff, you were injured most of the year, Cashman got Abreu to play RF — where were you going to play, short field? Putting you at first was trying to accommodate you.
Bubba, you would have a point if this were the KC Royals or Pirates, not a lineup featuring Matsui – LF, Damon – CF, Abreu – RF, Melky 4th OF. You aren’t better than them, and there’s no shame in that; at this point neither is Bernie. (waits for lightning bolt to strike him dead.)
SJ, thats a fair point i hadnt even thought about, and one problem I had with Torre at the end of last season.
You would never think that getting Matsui and Sheffield back from injury would have been a bad thing, but the way the team was playing and the offense had been producing, I was very hesitant about getting them in the lineup. Who knows what would have happened, but Torre did go out of his way to try and get Sheff back in the lineup, for better or worse.
I agree inserting or forcing Sheff back into the lineup hurt this team. They played very well all year without him than he gets forced back into the lineup playing at first no less. I was very uneasy about him being allowed to play again. You can only wonder if we threw the same lineup that won us all those games, if we would have gotten past the tigers.
I will go to my grave believing messing with the lineup killed the Yankees last year in the post-season.
The biggest thing that hurt the offense in the post-season the last 5 years has been the “all or nothing” offense. No hit and run, no basestealing, no contact hitting. Just HR or bust.
Last years lineup was more like the Dynasty Years, especially with Melky in there. It was also a better lineup defensively.
Joe made a huge mistake accomodating Matsui and Sheffield last year and it cost them. For Sheffield to run his mouth about it several months later is just another example of the type of “me first” guy I am glad is off this roster.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Thanks to Bubba Crosby for the biggest laugh I’ve had in weeks.
who cares? i liked bubba and will probably still hope for him to succeed. bubba, sheff, and unit are all sour grapes, and that’s justifiable. i would be too. to admit, “hey, i just wasn’t good enough to produce on the yankees and they had better options than me” is just hurting yourself in the long run. not so sure about their public statements and all, but meh.
Saucy, a classy athlete admits not they weren’t as good, but that there was no room for them there. There is no need to throw insults, simply because you didn’t make the cut.
Well, seeing the way he, Sheff, and Randy Johnson have acted, it sure doesn’t make me sorry we traded such bad personalities.
I agree that it was changing our lineup that cost us the postseason last year. There was a chemistry and a dynamic that had developed and Sheff and Matsui, who are both great players (and I love Matsui, as well, I think he’s a great guy), just missed the development of that chemistry and weren’t a part of it. They weren’t there for the Boston Massacre II. They didn’t partake in the struggle and they shouldn’t have been plugged back in to reap the rewards. I thought Melky should have been playing left and either Guile or Wilson should have been playing first. It seems counterintuitive and perhaps the papers would have really blasted Torre if he took a chance with that while leaving two perennial All Star caliber players on the bench, but I think it would have been the right move.
“I knew I could go out there in spring and lead the whole camp in hitting and it wouldn’t matter, I’d still be the fifth outfielder.”
Wait, was that quote from Bubba Crosby or Bernie Williams?
Bubba will especially appreciate his teammates’ camaraderie and closeness when he plays golf with them during the playoffs.
Everyone that leaves the Yankees seems to complain about Torre. Maybe it’s because Torre’s hard to get along with if you’re not a superstar, or maybe it’s just anger at the fact they couldn’t get playing time on a team full of good players, but either way, everyone takes their shots at the Yankees.
If Bubba thinks he can get a starting job with Freel, Junior and Dunn in the outfield already, he’s nuts. He’ll be a fourth outfielder at best.
better than 5th i suppose. i mean really, all you can do is laugh.
who is this Bubba Crosby guy everyone is talking about? What does he do?
Speaking of old Yanks on the Reds, whatever happened to Brandon Clausen? Wasn’t he supposed to be a pretty good pitcher. Last i knew he was losing a bunch for the Reds but haven’t heard of him lately? Any insight? Also another good move by CashMAN by tradin him for Aaron Bleepin Boone. Worked out for the Yanks I would say
Everyone that leaves the Yankees rips either Torre or the team in general. I give their words 10-20% truth and the rest hard feelings.
If Bubba thinks he can get a starting job with Freel, Junior and Dunn in the outfield already, he’s nuts. He’ll be a fourth outfielder at best.
One of the reasons the Reds don’t get taken seriously is that they sign players like Bubba.
Bubba is like Erstad or Eckstein Lite. He’s got grit, determination, heart, and no talent.
Fast forward to November and this LoHud Yankee’s Blog exclusive interview…
Peter Abraham: “Bubba, how does it feel to be the MVP of the NL and the first man in over 25 years to hit for the Triple Crown by leading the league in HRs, RBIs and Batting Average?”
Bubba Crosby: “It feels great, Peter. I just feel sorry for Joe that he never saw this in me. And I’m glad I helped bring a World Series to the Reds by hitting the game winning homer off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium.”
Just talke to Clay Bellinger.Said he couldve been a HOF SS but Torre kept playing that skinny Michigan kid ahead of him.
Hey Bubba, you do remember you’re Bubba Crosby right? Just want to make that clear.
What cracks me up the most was Bubba’s comment about basestealing.
Bubba had awful baserunning instincts. Anyone else remember a play where he ended up running into an out because he and Giambi (?) were both standing at 2nd base?
Bubba could not steal bases either
Of course we’ll miss his ‘bellyful of guts’
Bubba “automatic-out” Crosby was a fan favorite because of his grit and, in part, because we remember the tear he went on that spring training that year, despite the fact that it never came to fruition when it counted, but we pulled for him thinking if he got more time he could do it for real….. then when injuries gave him some time a couple years ago, he didn’t, so he remains the “bench player at best” he’ll always be, and shouldn’t be bitter about not getting time in place of better players. I guess he has a right to be bitter towards Torre for that nick-name he gave him, but hardly has a leg to stand on complaining he should have played more.
I was rooting for Bubba when he was a Yankee, and hoping he could hit .361 like he did in the minors but it just didn’t work out. As I remember he was getting some playing time last year, but then got an injured hamstring, that’s the way it goes. Let’s see what he can deliver now. It’s time for him to put up or shut up.
You gotta love a guy praising the chemistry on a team that just finished in the bottom half of its division while ripping a team that won the division for the 9th straight time. Yes, chemistry was the issue, Bubba. Now how about that piece of land you were interested in?
Seriously… “these guys suck so bad, there’s no pressure and they made me part of their jokes and even invited me to dinner, woo hoo!!”
loser.
Wasn’t Bubba in that awful “Benchwarmers” movie, the guy with the peanut butter dragon or whatever it was……
NickB…Claussen was released from the Reds after last season…yeah, it worked out for the Yanks. The deal bascially became:
Claussen, Soriano, and Alex Arias
for
AROD and a dagger to stab Sox fans with
How was that a rip? It was the truth..if he hit .490 he still wasn’t going to play…how could he.
He was what he was.
Now he’s happy to be with a team who doesn’t have three more talented OF’s in front of him what’s the big deal?
Why do all you guys have your panties in a bunch?
Bubba seemed like a nice guy whom you wanted to pull for, ala “Rudy”. In the end, two words come to mind: reality bites. Good luck in Cincy, Crosby.
If he hit .490, he’d have played. He had the defense but his bat was garbage in all but a couple weeks of big league play. If he hit .490, he’s in center field right now instead of Johnny Damon (and I’m glad that’s not the case, Damon’s impact in the clubhouse and his leadership is valuable). Cashman would have been a lot more than “ok” going into ST last year with Bubba as his CF.
W.I.P.
Precisely. As Baseball Prospectus put it: Bubba’s popularity grew when he played less.
Bubba bothered me more than most players who really sucked. He had a sixth sense for the TV camera and would always try to strike a pose when he knew it was on him. Brutal in a superstar, ridiculous in a Bubba.
I wish I could say something witty and funny like the rest of the posts, but all I have is…I pulled for Bubba as a Yankee because he was an underdog. But honestly, what kind of Yankee great has the name “Bubba”? I guess Cincy is a promotion, where he can be the 4th outfielder and maybe hit .218 instead of .216 as a 5th outfielder. Maybe he’ll get to play center and then they’ll pinch-hit Griffey? Yeah, Bubba. Good luck being a starter there!
Rudy had his moment in the sun and he reveled in it. True underdog style. Bubba should rent it.
Go Irish.
Well, while I do agree Bubba’s comments were out of line, I must disagree with those who said adding Matsui and Sheffield cost us the postseason because of a change in chemistry. It was quite clear that lack of good pitching was the one that bit us in the ass.
I think it was both, but definitely more the pitching than anything. Giving up 8 runs a game is not going to win anything.
I never liked this guy. He tried to make every play look like it was spectacular and was a show off. Not to mention how big of a jerk he was in Spring Training of 2006. Good riddance.
I enjoyed the article. I didn’t see it as a rip at all. Everyone knows the Yankees are a very corporate team. So what? What did he say that was so bad?
I think he was right to pick an NL team. The NL style of play suits his talents better. If he makes the roster, he’ll get plenty of playing time. Narron loves to switch his lineups around and use everyone.
Whether he’ll make the roster is another story. He’ll be competing against a bunch of others, including Rule 5 acquisition Josh Hamilton, who must be kept on the 25-man roster all year if the Reds want to keep him.
Someone correct me if i’m wrong but didn’t we have something like 9 innings where we didn’t score a run?? You can’t blame the pitching there. They could give up zero runs and it still wouldn’t matter.
C. Trent Rosecrans, author of the Crosby article, has posted a clarification to Blogging the Bombers.
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in no way did bubba ‘rip’ torre and the yankees. he just said it was different.
he was saying in the national league a fifth outfielder — especially one on jerry narron’s squad — is going to get a lot more at-bats than a fifth outfielder on an american league team.
this was unused, but better sums up the tone of the interview
“It was an honor that Joe had enough faith and trust in me to throw me out there. In 05 I started three of the five games of the postseason. But if an offensive situation came up and it was me or Bernie Williams, Bernie was going to hit. I understood that role.”
i didn’t even see it as being an anti-yankee rant, which some people are taking it as here. bubba said he knew his place in new york and he enjoyed his time there and his time as a yankee, but thought his skills were better suited to the national league
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Trent also writes the Reds blog for the Cincinnati Post.
Being a Reds fan, and seeing as how Freel only has one speed, which is somewhere slightly above rocketman, my guess is Bubba (if he sticks) will get a fair share of at bats.
Brent,
I too am a Reds fan, and you forgot to mention Griffey’s annual trip to the DL. Coupled with the aforementioned Freel, 4th and 5th outfielders on the Reds are a necessity. However, I really don’t see Bubba as making the 25 man roster. Jeff Conine’s in front of him, and sounds like Josh Hamilton only needs to keep flexing his biceps to make the team. Then there’s Chris Denorfia as well. Gonna be tough for Bubba.