Comments on: Reds making plans for next season

By: Rich Myers

Rich Myers — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:14:46 +0000

Hey Mel

“Cash overriding Torre is the only way that Phelps makes the team over Philips.”

If you’ve got inside info like this you should start your own blog my friend. I think you don’t have a clue where any of the Yankee braintrust stand on Minky’s caddie/ RH pinch-hitter.

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:29:30 +0000

You know, I think what made those 90′s teams enjoyable was that Rizzuto was still calling the games.

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:08:44 +0000

Wolf – it was the Yanks…

Top five teams most games won during the 1980′s N.Y. YANKEES 854, Detroit Tigers 839, Kansas City Royals 826, St. Louis Cardinals 825 and Los Angles Dodgers 825

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What.....980's

I remember them finishing 2nd and 3rd for a stretch back then so that’s when they could’ve racked up the wins. (Remember this was before the 3 divisions and the wild card, so you could win 90 games every year and still go home.) Also, in ’95 Montreal had some kid named Pedro Martinez pitching for them.

And pat m – Maddux played us like a fiddle during FA back then. The big signing that turned it around for the Yanks was Jimmy Key in ’93.

By: Wolf In Pinstripes

Wolf In Pinstripes — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:40:53 +0000

For me, having watched the success of the ’76-’81 teams to build on is what made it possible to endure the 80′s. I knew we’d return to prominence again someday, but it was a long 15 years or so to wait. I remember being so pissed the year of the strike, because we were playing so damned well. Funny that Montreal of all teams had the best record overall when the strike hit. And don’t even get me started on the ’95 loss to Seattle. I don’t know if my heart ached more for Mattingly that year or the next when we won it all a year after he retired.

Oddly enough, I seem to remember reading that the Yanks had the best overall record through the 80′s despite the lack of pennants. Can somebody confirm or deny that for me?

By: pat m

pat m — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:37:15 +0000

one comment to add about the early 90s: with things being run so poorly upstairs, free agents took a pass on signing. Case in point: Greg Maddux. None of the top level players wanted to come here, which left the Yanks with risks like Steve Howe.
Thank God for Howie Spira! and Gene Michael, of course.

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:18:57 +0000

And one more thing – if you think it’s tough being the same division as the Red Sox now, think how much it sucked in the mid-80′s when they were one of the better teams in the East.

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:15:20 +0000

Pretty much. I think you saw George’s hand return after the Yankees lost to the Diamondbacks (mega-deal to Giambi, the flash of Sheff over the youth of Vlad, picking up the Unit about 10 years too late), but not as crazy as the 80′s.

I mean, he traded Ricky Henderson in his prime for spare parts. He also fired multiple coaches multiple times in the same season so there was no consistency, like you have with Torre – the man fired Yogi Berra after 16 games in 1985. I think that sums up Steinbrenner in the 80′s – and that’s why we call him The Boss.

These definitely feel like Cash’s and Swindall’s Yanks.

By: Bunk

Bunk — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:01:45 +0000

So basically we as fans praise George just because he is the one signing the checks and not making any baseball decisions anymore. Well at least I wasn’t a fan when he made baseball decisions (all of them at least)

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 02:54:51 +0000

Bunk – were were actually in the WS again in ’81 but lost to Les Blues (aka the Dodgers). Then it was slow decline as Steinbrenner went bananas and basically traded the farm system away for washed up power hitters.

It wasn’t until King George was temporarily banned from baseball for hiring a man named Howie Spira to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield (seriously) that things slowly began to turn around. Gene Michael took over and built up the farm system again, and produced the players that you know and love – DJ, Posada, Pettite, etc. If Steinbrenner had still been in charge I’m not sure the run ever happens.

By: MelHall27

MelHall27 — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 02:43:07 +0000

murphydog –

Those early 90′s teams were special. I was just looking at an old roster (linke below). I think I repressed the fact that Deoin Sanders was actually a Yankee.

http://www.baseball-almanac.co.....#038;t=NYA

Some other great tidbits – Wayne Tollenson wore #2 and Steve Sax wore #6. And our #1 draft pick that year was Carl Everett.