Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 08, 2007 
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The Yankees stayed alive behind Phil Hughes and Johnny Damon.
Rick Carpiniello wonders if Joe Torre should quit before he gets fired.
Chien-Ming Wang will come back tonight on three days’ rest. This notebook also has some views from Don Mattingly, some lineup changes, a record for Phil Franchise and a happy Moose.
Roger Clemens may have pitched his last game. Brian Heyman has the story
The Yankees weren’t too impressed with Steinbrenner’s ultimatum.
Peter
As your colleague notes, Torre’s contract expires at the end of this season. Thus he cannot be “fired”–unless the Yanks do so during these playoffs. They can announce that they are not gonna offer him a new contract for next year and thereafter but they can’t fire him. I know it’s easier and sexier to talk about the manager getting fired but let’s keep it real, please.
Thanks for all the great reads, Pete. But your recap was a little difficult to read without the breaks between paragraphs. It was like trying to break a code.
Rick Carpiniello might have mentioned Torre gets $7 million a year to put up with Steinbrenner and the $200 million team he manages. He got a lot less to manage for equally meddlesome owners like Ted Turner (named himself as manager when Dave Bristol was there) and Gussie Busch (Johnny Keane quit a world championship team rather than work for him). Not to mention his first job in Queens where Lorinda deRoulet considered washing used baseballs to save money.
Now Batting: The Mother Of All Slide Shows
http://tinyurl.com/297z2r
Ian’s wedding photos, The Boss surfaces, The crowd, Johnny, Robbie, Jaba, Mo, and Today’s Front Pages (3 min 45 sec.)
Phil Hughes Clip ( 15 secs.)
http://tinyurl.com/35glkx
Phil thanks YOU, the HEREOS, for _rock’n ‘da House_ last nite!
Joe Torre postgame (3 mins)
http://tinyurl.com/3e44mz
On Steinbrenner’s insensitivity, the Baby Bomber’s ENGERY, and Phil Franchise.
Johnny D (2:30)
http://tinyurl.com/3c77fl
The Pride of The Yankees fights for Torre’s job and shifts the series’ momentum.
You can’t fire someone who is not under contract.
Pete we all know you think Torre is essential to the team’s success – that’s fine, but present the decision facing the Yankees honestly.
They either make a 3-5 committment at $7+ mil to Joe Torre or decide that it’s time for a change.
It’s time for Clemens to go back to Texas – For Good. And, it might be appropriate for him to forgo whatever money he was supposed to ‘earn’ while he was here, or at least give it to some New York charity.
Let’s not start throwing dirt on Torre’s grave just yet. Wang’s a sinkerballer, tailor-made for a short rest stint, the Yanks have rocked Byrd already this year(for 7 runs in August), and a good showing the next two games could soften Steinbrenner’s stance. They’ve been in this situation before. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING
If you can’t trust Kyle Farnsworthless with a 5 run lead,why is he on the roster? Villone sits out , no lefty in the pen? Torre should be fired for the way he has run the bullpen the last 6 years.He’s burned out more pens then Mrs. O’leary’s cow. He’s great in the clubhouse, but terrible between the lines. Bowa must have told him to take out Giambi & bunt Manky , good call, finally some in game strategy. Jeet breaks out tonight, Yanks Bury the Byrd. Pettite just good enough to win Wed. CC out by 4th inning.
Yanks over Bosux in 6.
Dr. Acula –
As always, thank you for some awesome photos.
Pete –
Thanks for your great reporting. You are a workhorse.
real gutsy outng by hughes . i saw no fear in his eyes . just pure determination .
was clemens actualy hurt ? it didnt look like it but good thing torre went with hughes .
never surrender .
i like the wanger going on short rest . he’s our best at home and with that short rest i’m sure he will dominate .
A lot of yankee fans and people in the media have been saying that hughes is over rated, he’s not that good, he has no velocity, etc, etc. since he came back.
where are those people now? where are the dozens and dozens of people on this board who were knocking hughes?
Regardless of what happens this post season there are going to be a ton of people who think that phil should be traded for santana in the off season. This has already come up a lot and the drum role will only get louder should the yanks not win the world series.
Hopefully last night dampens down any trade phil hughes talk. Trading him, even for Santana, would be a monumental mistake. He’s the youngest pitcher in the league and last night we saw why he was considered one of the top two best pitching prospect in all of baseball before his hamstring injury.
It’s just amazing how accomplished he looks on the mound. His third/ fourth pitches are only going to get better in the future. This was the year he was supposed to work on his change up but that got derailed with the injury.
If he stays healthy, he’s going to be a right handed version of Santana one day. A guy who sits at 92-94 with dominant command of both sides of the plate and devastating secondary offerings.
I think Wanger is going to come up big today! I’d say he’s going to go 7. And we use Mo for 2.
a right-handed version of Johan Santana? look, Hughes pitched very well, but lets not go overboard here. it’s not fair to Hughes to make comparisons of him with anyone of the caliber of Johan Santana.
Good effort last night, and the bats need to build off of the success of going to the opposite field on the offspeed stuff.
I was surprised Torre burnt Joba out with 2 innings last night; if he cant trust the bullpen with a 5 run lead, we are in deep trouble anyway.
I like Hughes too, but let’s not get crazy with the comparisons to Santana.
I’d be absolutely thrilled if he turns out to be a clone of Mussina in his prime.
Pete — how does the Clemens situation impact the roster? If he is injured, can they put IPK on the roster? How is his back? Is he available, or could he be available for tonight or Wednesday?
I’d be willing to bet they flew Ian up to NY on the red eye.
I hope Kennedy is Clemens’ replacement but I suspect it will be Villone.
It would be awesome to see a fully healthy Phil Hughes next year. He could easily break out and win about 15 games. He has the stuff and more importantly, the attitude and temperament to be a big winner.
Peter, thanks for not being like some of the NY and National Media ARSES that lumped A-Rod’s batting “numbers” last night with all the other Yankees PostSeason Batting stats to try to show that he still is in a slump and “stinks” in their minds. I was pleasantly surprised.
Hey..is anyone else completely disgusted with the announcers??? I can not listen to them anymore. I mean is everyone outside of the Yankee franchise against the Yankees??? If I heard that guy say, “and the cleveland indians have quieted this bronx crowd yet again” I was going to throw the remote control through the tv. These guys are horrible, and the announcers on Fox aren’t going to be much better!
PS..I don’t want to hear another thing about A-Rod when Jeter and Posada are stinking up the joint…3 rally killing double plays by those two last night. Where is Mr. November????
The last Steinbrenner ultimatum seemed to work (Cashman on a leash) and since this recent one we’re still alive. Maybe he needs to issue more of them.
So much for Joba rules. Torre had Gator on the phone last evening looking for Joba with Hughes experiencing temporary difficulties, which he worked out of in the sixth inning. It makes sense to let Hughes go further into the game beyond 63 pitches knowing full well with Clemens injured he could very well in the rotation. Why didn’t Hughes start the seventh? What is Joe saving him for 2008? Torre back to the security blanket mode he had with Sturze and Proctor in overusing Joba last evening knowing full well he has equally important game tonight. Torre has no clue in managing his pen.
I’m still fuming about the bullpen usage. I’m not counting on Joba for a thing tonight, thanks to Torre. Let’s hope for a blowout.
Jon for all the obvious reasons Hughes should have come out for the seventh, using Joba for just an inning of work would have been the smart thing, Mo in the ninth.
Winning these next two games would make it a moot point, but if Torre does get replaced, the next manager will have a different personality. Torre has a reputation for being a player’s manager. Usually you replace a player’s manager or coach with a more strict and tougher coach, much like the Dallas Cowboys did after Bill Parcells retired. Parcells is as tough as it gets, so they brought in Wade Phillips, who’s known as being a player’s coach. The same kind of change would happen if Torre goes, possibly leading to Joe Girardi getting the job, since he is definitely fiery and emotional. Franchises like to change their culture when they switch coaches or managers.
“…is everyone outside of the Yankee franchise against the Yankees?”
Yes.
Would you all shut the hell up with your hindsight garbage!!!
Torre used Joba for two innings because this was an all hands on deck, do or die game. There is no one else he trusts other than Mo and Joba – rightfully so. Joba can pitch an inning tonight and Mo can pitch two.
Hughes came out because he had thrown 60-some pitches after throwing 30-some in game 1 and he has never relieved before…that’s why.
Before you idiots second and third guess everything, you need to learn about baseball, how the game is played, strategy, and how players are managed first.
why is jeter getting the pass by the media? why doesnt TBS show us jeter stats as much as they show Arods? Why do people keep slamming torre and arod (untill yesterday) and no word on Posada or Jeter?
agreed yanks fan. i don’t think most people on this board have even played baseball listening to how they talk. they would complain if every pitcher threw a perfect game every time out.
Wow! Just woke up and turned on the computer because I slept in after getting home late from last night’s game!
What an atmosphere…the stadium was shaking, it was so crazy!
Pete, that is a great idea having Bernie throw out the first pitch!!!!!!!!!!!
agreed phil. bernie would be fun to see. he would get the place crazy loud.
migames,
i agree…jeter and Posada look lost at the plate..bad time for a slump, but everyone wants to get on A-rod and Torre’s back, not fair. Yes, Jeter has proven himself in the post season, but hasn’t Torre? Jet needs to step it up tonight!
Yes Nother, and also remember the old agage of “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. There’s 29 teams and their fans out there that would love the success the Yankees have achieved in their storied history. Many people possess a so-called “hate” which in the case of the Yankees equates to envy and jealousy of their efforts.
one more thing, i hate 5 game series. Just terrible.
5 game series are the worst, that’s why you have to change the momentum quickly and hopefully the Yankees did that last night
Hughes effort did not surprise me at all. He kept getting better & better each outing after returning from his layoff as he regained strength and shook off the rust. Kept hitting knees & edges just like in the no-hit bid in which he got hurt & curve getting sharper. Great presence, He’s our future.
HATED seeing Joba pitch the second inning, takng him out of the picture for today. Sorry Ian not on the roster for this series. Trust him way more than the rest.
Offcial scoring keeps getting more pathetic. Clearly that was a big ERROR by Jeter. I know we all love him but he had time to plant & make a good throw instead of that desperation off balnce heave he made, especially with Giambi at first.
Loved Donnie Baseball as a player, but if Joe goes I would like to see Girardi take over. He really impressed me with his knowledge on the telecasts I heard him on this year.
Right or wrong Jeter will never be scrutinized for any horrible playoff showing in this town. Jeter will have untouchable status in New York for as long as he’s a Yankee. I’m not saying it’s right but he’s the Golden Boy of the Yankees now regardless of how poorly he performs. Hopefully he and Posada will get some hits these next two games.
I’d just like to add that it’s really ridiculous for anyone to get scrutinized for how they perform in a short series. If Jeter/Posada/A-Rod or whoever goes 1-10 in a 3 game series in August it’s a non-issue. Vlad G is a horrible playoff performer but that’s never mentioned. Everything is magnified in NY however.
Yanks Fan in NYC and others:
You are the ones that need to realize how you manage a staff, with an eye on not only the current game, but the must-win game that’s tomorrow.
With a 5 run lead, you give another pitcher a shot. Period. Would you have brought Joba in with a 8 run lead? A 20 run lead?
There is NO DOWNSIDE WHATSOEVER to bringing Farnsworth in to start the inning. NONE. The upside is that for every out Farnsworth gets, Joba’s arm is spared for today’s game. If he walks the first guy, you bring in Joba. If he can’t hold it, you go home.
And your hindsight comments are weak. This is something that I, and many Yankee fans I know were complaining about as soon as Joba came into the game.
Well maybe you will see how smart us idiots are when tonight Joe has to use Vizcaino instead of Joba.
ghost of bernie I played minor league a baseball, how far did you make it?
guys, Yanks are going to have at least a five run lead going into the 7th tonight. Wang is going to be his typical sinkerball self going well into the 7th inning if not the 8th and the offense is going to build on last nights game! We need Joba and Mo for wednesday!
Here’s a good story written by a guy who usually doesn’t give the Yanks a lot of credit…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21185893/
If Torre quits, that’s pulling a bitchmove and he could forget about having his number retired for a very long time if ever i.e. the Yanks should not retire it asap if ever. If he quit, and I was owner of the Yankees, I’d make him wait for as long as we didn’t win a World Series after 2000 to retire his number and if he declined to come to the ceremony, then ef him, his number would never be retired for as long as he and I are alive and I’d make sure it’s never retired after that. It took many years for Ron Guidry to have his number retired and yeah he was the most important Yankee 1977-1998 (even after 1996), so Torre can wait if he wants to be a child which is what he’d be if he quits.
Where did Steinbrenner say he would fire Torre? Yeah he said “(Torre’s) job is on the line”, but last I checked, Torre’s contract officially expires whenever after the Yanks are eliminated. Steinbrenner implied that he would let go of Torre if the Yanks got eliminated, something he is well within his rights to do. He owes Torre nothing more.
If the Yankees are eliminated tonight or Wednesday, the Yankees will simply let him go. If Torre wants to announce he’s retiring or not after that, that’s his business.
You don’t quit right after your team loses a postseason series, that’s just as cowardly and childish as firing him just before his contract officially runs out. Torre should take a firing or being let go like a man and Steinbrenner should announce he’s not bringing back Torre like a man.
wow..quit? where have you been? George told the Newspapers that if the Yanks go out in this round Torre will not be asked back. No one said fired, cause you can’t fire someone who doesn’t have a contract, and no one said quit.
One day at a time. WIN today!