Comments on: Today in The Journal News

By: LathamJoe

LathamJoe — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:34:29 +0000

“Plus, Minny could just sign Rowand themselves, let Hunter go, and concentrate on pitchers in the deal, in which case, the Yankees wont make the move.”

Minny won’t spend the money on Rowand. The whole point of possibly dealing Santana is that Minny can’t resign both and they want to retain Torii Hunter.

By: Yoggis

Yoggis — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:53:36 +0000

Levine was hired for his political connection to get the new stadium done. He may not be the nicest person around, but he is an easy target (to be the scapegoat) in this messy Torre Affair.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:36:32 +0000

I really dont understand all of these people that support torre decision in the media – any one of them or almost any one in the world would take five million dollars and manager the yanks. That is one of the best deals 99.9 percent of the population can get in their lifetime. Be a celebrity, become rich, be honored by all of NY, be a shoe-in for the playoffs and possibly win the world series. Not to mention, that person would be the highest payed manager in all of baseball. Yet, for torre and the media, it is extremely disrespect and a punishment. After torre does not live up to his name for seven yrs, you havw to expect to be canned. Once again, being offered the highest managerial salary in baseball is a dream. Why is this a deal he couldnt take again? Kruk, Verducci and Mike and Chris are all morons with their heads up Torre’s behind. Pete, why cant you be different and stray from all your mindless media cohorts? It is ridiculous that not a single member of the media sided with the yanks organization in this matter when almost every fan I speak with in real life cant seem to understand the medias perspective at all in this matter or even attempt to explain their opinion to me. What did Torre pay for all the college educations of the media’s children. I dont get it.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:13:22 +0000

Susan,

You are telling me Torre was fired because Levine and Torre did not get along and people are buying this. COME ON! Torre should have been fired in 2004 for being the manager during one of the biggest collapses in the history of the sport against our arch rivals. Then, we have failed to even make it past the ALDS for three yrs in a row facing teams that had a half to a quarter of the payroll of the yanks. Can people stop to think that maybe just maybe the yanks did not want torre back because he wasnt getting the job done? And perhaps it had little to do with levine not liking torre. Furthermore, The yanks actually offered torre a reasonably decent contract considering the fact that he continues to fail to live up to expectations yr after yr. Then, torre and the media have the balls to say that he was disrespected. Umm, what am I missing? The yanks sole mission is to win the world series: Everyone knows this, everyone says this on a daily basis – torre has failed them for seven yrs straight. It is time to move on. Who cares if levine doesnt like torre? The organization offered him aqnother contract which refutes some notion that torre was disrespected or that torre was let go. He was also again going to recieve the highest salary of any manager in the sport even tho he isnt even close to the best manager in baseball. And Mike and the maddog go on talking for hours about how the yankee organization should be ashamed of themseleves. They berate callers who try to argue that Torre should have been let go becuz he is failing the franchise and that the team still offered him a contract. They say that power is switching hands becuz torre isnt coming back and levine was the on that did the conference call. Cash is still the one making the trades and signing free agents (even tho he shouldnt be.) All of the big brass is part of the decision to choose the new manager – Not just Levine as it should be. I dont see where they come up with these ideas that they talk about until we are all forced to change the station because they are being so repetitive.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:55:25 +0000

O yea – i forgot one of cash’s biggest blunders- signing a minor league starter in Igawa to a 40 million dollar contract. Cash is such a genius its ridiculous

By: susan mullen

susan mullen — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:38:51 +0000

Re: Peter Gammons/Levine, Raissman, NY Daily News 5/21/07 reported Gammons’ words on ESPN TV to Jon Miller during a recent Yankee Met game. They were discussing rumors that Torre would be fired, Gammons said the word was Levine did not like Torre so if Torre was out it might stem from him. Raissman then told how Gammons himself had a previous run in with Levine, and as a result the 2 were not on speaking terms. (Gammons had reported something Levine objected to, Levine called Gammons’ superior to complain, etc.)The NY Times Sandomir article from yesterday is a direct result of Levine calling Sandomir on Sunday and giving him the words. It was nothing to do with anyone else or anyone looking for a scapegoat. Re Mike and the Mad Dog, they mainly confirmed what others have recently said, that there’s been long standing situation of Levine and Torre not getting along. That doesn’t make Mike and Chris idiots at all. I understand they also cited sources about Steinbrenner’s being accessible to a telephone for a reporter to transmit ‘Torre’s under the ax’ remarks and I can see people not happy about citing anonymous sources then implicating Levine, but it still doesn’t make them idiots. Most of the rest of the media knew this change in power has been going on for years and sat on the story.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:56:54 +0000

“And while weâ€™re at it, let me disclose this bit of personal history: when my wifeâ€™s best friend was dying in 1998, her fiancÃ© failed to persuade the city clerkâ€™s office to waive the 24-hour waiting period for a marriage license. She might not have a day, he pleaded. My wife asked me if I could help, and I called Levine, the deputy mayor at the time, whom I barely knew. He quickly dispatched someone to expedite the license. My wifeâ€™s friend and fiancÃ© were married later that day. She died the next day.”

That scumbag Levine! Fire him!

I suppose the morons that flamed the Levine the past few days won’t come out of hiding any time soon.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:51:51 +0000

How can people start saying cash is losing power and Levine is gaining it? Cash;s job is to make trades and sign free agents no? Why cant the president and owners have a say in signing the manager? Why should it be in the hands of the GM or in one mans hands at all? This is more of a franchise decision. And they are still letting Cashman have a say. And cash has not made the greatest decisions in the last couple of yrs either, with all his failings he should be losing power. When Levine starts signing free agents and trying to trade for Santana, then you can start to post how Cash is losing power. The World series isnt even over, people have to relax, the king of horrible decision isnt losing anything unfortunately. I for one, cant wait until cash’s yankee career is over and he can go destroy another team. I dunno why people defend the guy with their life, like he has done anything to help this team. NEWSFLASH: The scouts decided to pick Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy not the GM. Cash was the one that signed Farnsworthless, Pavano, Wright, Johnson, Moose to a two yr contract last yr. He was the one that gave pettitte a player option. He traded for Vizcaino and ohelendorf instead of Micah Owings. He traded away Proctor when we desparately needed bullpen help. He gave clemens a prorated 28 million to go six and six (granted I would have made that signing.) He signed Kevin Brown and Jeff Weaver to waste a couple of million dollars here and there. He completely ignored the bullpen last off season when guys like Justin Speiers and Jamie Walker were free agents. He did not attempt to re-sign Tom Gordon by offering him a massive chunk of change after he had served to solify our bullpen the prior season. He was the one that completely ignored the bench deciding to waste our money on 40 plus yr old arms and stick sal fasano, wil nievers and kelly stinett on the bench to backup a catcher in his mid 30s. He signed a lefty hitter to play first when we had a ridiculously lefty heavy lineup already. He traded away our best right handed bat to the team that knocked us out of the playoffs that season for a pitcheer that had been injurred eight times before the age of 22. He refused to allow Britton to become a major leaguer after trading Jaret wright for him and agree to pay most of the salary.

LEVINE IS JUST ACTING AS A SCAPEGOAT TO ALL YOU FANS WHO WORSHIP CASHMAN ON A NIGHTLY BASIS – LIKE MIKE AND THE MADDOG. Now, when cash fails miserably once again, everyone can blame levine instead of cashman. Similar to blaiming steinbrenner and the tampa faction earlier when Cash was ruining our team. Keep praising cashman for things he takes little or no part in like the draft while absolving him of the blame for signing horrible free agents and making stupid trades (Which is his job!)

By: Jimbo

Jimbo — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:48:11 +0000

Been Around,

Great points. All I can add is that this will be veeeeery interesting.

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:43:41 +0000

Doreen â€“ thanks for clarifying. Sorry I was pulling a Chip Caray around here!