The LoHud Yankees Blog

26 Responses to “Hendricks: Joe special to Pettitte”

1. ryan October 19th, 2007 at 1:47 am

   It hasn’t even been 12 hours an I’m tired of all the player love for Torre.

2. Thomas October 19th, 2007 at 1:48 am

   Ouch. You’re killin me today, Petey.

3. Thomas October 19th, 2007 at 1:49 am

   Ouch

4. G. Love October 19th, 2007 at 1:49 am

   And this is what I’ve been saying all along…there is no free agent starter out there to replace Pettite. Period.

   In fact, there is no starter out there available in trade who the Yanks can deal for that is a known quantity in NY and the post season.

   This was why Torre needed to be extended. He gave this team the best chance to get Pettite back again. Now, I’m almost certain he will walk. I don’t care who they hire. Unless it’s Clemens as manager, Pettite will never pitch for this team again.

   Great job Steinbrenner’s, Levine, etc….3rd place behind Toronto is gonna be loads of fun next year.

   It’s gonna be lonely being Jeter next season. Glad there are skanks in Miami to keep him company.

5. J-Dawg October 19th, 2007 at 1:50 am

   That’s exactly why the impact of having Joe Torre around extends to greater lengths than just wins and losses. Without Torre there would have been no Pettitte or Clemens on this year’s squad. I realize that the Clemens ship has probably sailed off for good, but I desperately hope for Pettitte’s return next season. We shall see.

   P.S. Pete, I consider myself a loyal reader and you do a fine job on here, keep up the good work!!

6. GreenTeaSucks October 19th, 2007 at 1:51 am

   While you’re at it can you contact Sheff and post what he has to say?

7. ryan October 19th, 2007 at 1:55 am

   I would like to know what Kyle Farnsworth statement about Joe Torre said.

8. mel October 19th, 2007 at 1:55 am

   It’s pretty hard to read between the lines when that e-mail could fit on one line.

   I want Andy back because he was a true warrior this year, but I’ll lose respect for him if he’s pitching for another team next year. I wonder if he remembers what he said before the season began. I know the fans remember.

9. Mehdi hates Randy LEvine October 19th, 2007 at 1:59 am

   I love it here man. All you fans gripe about loyalty and when some players show their manager loyalty you get all bent out of shape. I would say to a lot of fans on this board that have been wanting Torre out that they are the ones that need to get a grip. It’s called backlash. Deal with it. Torre was part of the Yankees allure and if some of the players and free agents out there don’t think of us as a destination then so be it.

   At the moment the Yankees are turning a new chapter and there is uncertainty. We are not going to look as alluring. You may come back at me with money talks, but there are more teams with money out there and if you think just the pinstripes alone should be enough for a free agent to come out here then I think some of you have your heads up your arses.

10. Mehdi hates Randy LEvine October 19th, 2007 at 2:01 am

    Mel, how can you say that after the Yankees dissed him the first go around. The guy can do what he wants. I’m getting really sick and tired of you guys bashing the players as if they have to be loyal to the Yankees or the fans. THEY DO NOT. It would be nice, but no need to bash these guys.

11. J-Dawg October 19th, 2007 at 2:04 am

    I really do appreciate what Pettitte did for the Yankees this season. He had that one rough stretch for two or three starts in June, but other than that he was as solid as a rock. He was the one guy that the Yankees could depend on in April while they were starting the Chase Wrights, the Kei Igawas, the Darrell Rasners, and so on. If it is the end of Pettitte’s career, it was great to watch him for all of these years. He’s the one guy that should be on the mound in a big game, without a doubt.

12. mel October 19th, 2007 at 2:17 am

    Mehdi,

    I really don’t want to get into it with you, so let me just say I respect your opinion.

    Andy made comments about only opting out if his elbow didn’t hold up (or something to that effect). While it wasn’t a promise, it’s what he said at the time.

    I wasn’t around for when “Andy was dissed him the first go around”, but he must not have felt too dissed because he came back. Did the rude treatment of Joe shake him from his revery and make him say, “WTF am I doing back here? These guys dissed me.”

    At the end of the day, Andy, Mo, Jorge, and Alex all have to do what’s best for themselves and their families. The free agent offers will roll in, and they’ll have to ask themselves if they still want to be Yankees. To me, it’s as simple as that.

13. amused October 19th, 2007 at 2:24 am

    “It hasn’t even been 12 hours an I’m tired of all the player love for Torre.”

    The nerve of the men who actually know him better than you, and worked for him, to have the gall to offer an opinion on him. They obviously are irrational and don’t know what they are talking about.

    So much better to take as gospel the words from random people named Ryan who have so much credibility and know Joe better than they do.

14. G.R. October 19th, 2007 at 2:29 am

    One of the reasons Andy came back was Joe. He was not offered a contract right away last time, just like Mo and Po this year. He would have stayed if he’d been offered a contract, I know it. But when nothing was coming from the Yankees, Houston came courting and the rest is history. If Joe Torre had not been here, Andy would never have come back. That’s part of what the IDIOTS in Tampa don’t have a clue about!

    Joe Torre treated everyone with class, that’s why there is so much outrage. Without Joe Torre at the helm, the great comeback of 2007 never happens. We’re about to find out just how important the right manager really is!

15. mel October 19th, 2007 at 2:30 am

    Totally off topic, but here’s a little tidbit on CC Sabathia (he hasn’t pitched too well in the playoffs, has he?) UH=University of Hawaii

    “Here’s some trivial trivia: C.C. Sabathia once signed a letter of intent to play football for UH. He was a tight end in high school. He ended up signing a pro baseball contract.”

16. whatever October 19th, 2007 at 2:40 am

    Whatever let them all run away like a bunch of rats. This will sting but we need to clear the deck man.

17. farren October 19th, 2007 at 3:19 am

    First off, Pete – amazing job. Reading this blog has somehow made me an even bigger Yankee fan. The comments however…not so much. It seems as if everyone has forgotten, or perhaps is too young to remember, what life was like pre-Torre. The Yankees only got on track cos Steinbrenner was suspended for two years. If he’s around, and Stick doesn’t have the balls to lie to him, Bernie and many like him are gone for mediocre aging veterans and this dyanasty-which officially died today – never happens. Anyone remember Greg Maddux letting the Yankees wine and dine him just to increase his value to the Braves? Jimmy Key was the first significant free agent to come to the Yanks in years and it changed the whole complexion of the franchise. Add in the astute trade for O’Neill and the rest is history. What those of us who think this is a bad decision fear is a return to those days. The Yankees were a f’ing joke, and anyone with half a brain stayed the hell away. Buck deserves a ton of credit for turning things around, but Joe Torre is the guy who solidified it. Every big free agent signing was accompanied by recruiting calls from Torre but that is now gone. Maybe Donnie Baseball or whoever surprises us the way Torre did but the point is we don’t know. You can not put a price on the legitimacy Joe Torre brought to the organization. No free agents cared about the tradition of the Yankees in the late 80′s/early 90′s no matter the money offered and they won’t again if today’s events are representative of what to expect going forward. Forget the money, a one year incentive laden contract to the most successful yankee manager in a generation if not ever is disrespectful and all free agents, not just “Joe’s guys”, will notice and be affected by it.

    end rant.

18. Summer October 19th, 2007 at 3:27 am

    Andy Pettitte played without Torre once, he can do it again. I’m not refuting that Torre was special to Andy and the rest of the players — I’m sure he was — but you have to wonder what would have happened had the Yankees not offered Andy that extra $2 million/year more than the Astros last off season. He many never have returned to the loving embrace of his favorite manager.

19. Summer October 19th, 2007 at 3:30 am

    Also — why can’t fans spell Andy Pettitte’s last name correctly? This is just a general question, but the man has pitched for the Yankees for about a decade. It’s P-E-T-T-I-T-T-E. Two t’s, two times. Four t’s total. Is it really that hard to remember? :p

20. Jim Clark October 19th, 2007 at 4:10 am

    Joe Torre was real special to Andy Pettitte in 2003. Didn’t he also say last year that Houston was about $2 million per year short of keeping him? Yhe Colt 45ers decided to spend their money on Lee instead.

21. gayle October 19th, 2007 at 9:57 am

    I find some of these comments and speculation of players leaving very disengenuous (sp??). If Torre was SO important to Andy Pettitte he would not have left the first time around when in the end the Yankees did offer him more money to stay. he left the first time because he wanted to stay close to home and be somewhere else.

    The manager is only PARt of the decision that goes into the players minds. Just like anyone else who makes a decision there are many factors.

22. Paul V October 19th, 2007 at 10:27 am

    Let’s see how good Pettitte is with his word.

    He vowed to exercise the player option so long as he was healthy. Is he now bringing in other factors?

    Is his loyalty to his team or to Torre?

23. Charlie October 19th, 2007 at 10:48 am

    Joe was so special to Andy that he bailed on him in 03 to pitch for Houston.

24. Kevin M. October 19th, 2007 at 11:03 am

    Wow…Joe Torre was special to Andy Pettitte. I never knew that Pete…thanks for the scoop…great reporting….keep up the good work…and while you’re at it, how about some posts in crayon if you’re gonna write with the intellectual ability of a 4 year old.

25. Peter Abraham October 19th, 2007 at 11:10 am

    Kevin M:

    Grow up. I presented the readers with what the agent of an important Yankee had to say. If you don’t like, go read elsewhere. That was all the guy said.

26. J-Dawg October 19th, 2007 at 11:50 am

    Andy Pettitte went to Houston after 2003 because the Yankees never really did make him an offer. They were too concerned about his elbow. So all of the talk about Pettitte bolting and running out on the Yankees just isn’t true.