Little Stein: Get ‘em next year
-
- May
- 14
Here’s some of what Hank Steinbrenner told the AP today:
“They’ve got to play smarter and harder. The injuries – when you’re missing Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, that makes it tough. The injuries make a huge difference. At the same time, you’ve got to get it done. We still have plenty of good hitters. We need to get the job done.
“No question, the Rays are a hungry team. That’s what our team has to get back.â€
Hank is considering coming to New York for the Subway Series. The object of his desire, Johan Santana, is pitching for ther Mets on Friday.
“To me, it’s not any added significance because Santana is pitching. We want to win, it’s that simple,†Steinbrenner said. “We’re both kind of struggling. We just need to win. They just need to win. We just need to keep putting wins in the win column. We’ve got to start racking up some runs.â€
“We’re going to do everything we can turn to it around this year. I guarantee we’ll get this thing straight next year.”
Next year? The co-chairperson of the Yankees is talking about next year when they’re 4.5 games out on May 14? That’s stunning.
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on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 3:41 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Oysters on the half shell
I think he means the first 2 months of the season. We have been starting slow the last few years.
Hank is not that good at articulating. Let’s leave it at that.
Pete, can you please explain why we should care what Hank says on a day to day basis?
i wonder if he’s trying to sound like his dad, or the Larry David character?
Also it seems that Hanks has his sights set on C.C. and Tex
C.C. and Tex, come on down.
Cashman, Bye Byeo….
(Or at least that’s how I interpret this).
Side comment: Has anyone noticed that Giambi, Mussina and Farnsworth are actually having decent seasons on their walk years?
Two other things he also said in the story that’s worth mentioning:
1. “Joe (Girardi) is playing with the deck he’s been dealt. I don’t back down from one thing I’ve seen from him from the beginning. He’s going to be one of the great one’s. I mean that”.
2. “I’m not going to do what my dad did and just tear apart everybody”.
I don’t mind Hank being quoted on here. I do think by parsing the quotes though, his overall comments gets lost in translation.
Its much better, and makes for much better dialogue if all of his comments, not just certain comments, are put out when he speaks.
I think it will give fans more of an understanding of where he’s coming from.
Q: “Pete, can you please explain why we should care what Hank says on a day to day basis?”
A: See last sentence of post. He’s the co-chairperson of the
Yankees.
Q: Why do we care what he said today?
A: See (a) above, plus he came thisclose to saying that
the 2008 Yankees team isn’t WS caliber on the 14th of
May.
Wow Hank used “No Question” How Torresque!
We should have a poster off on the side of this blog site that shows a 37 year-old Jason Giambi, swinging and missing or hitting into the shift, with his BA alongside, and the caption “The end result of a longterm, big dollar free-agent contract.”
People would then see it whenever they say we should go after whatever bigname player is the attraction at the moment.
Giambi is hitting under .200. He’s hitting closer to .100 if you take away the hits he has gotten off Paul Byrd and Mike Timlin from his numbers. He is a disaster in the defensively.
That’s a “decent” season? If it is, we have a much different meaning of what “decent” is.
He’s a big reason (along with Cano) as to why this offense is so putrid right now.
I wonder if Hank would survive taking a vow of silence.
I vote no.
Just win tonight.
Next Year?Thats why you can’t listen to these people who wanted Kennedy,Joba,And Hughes in the rotation this year.They want this to be a rebuilding year.
And with Hughes in the DL we might have the same idiots saying that again for next year.
Joe from L.I. -
Giambi will be known for years as the poster boy of why teams should do their homework before committing themselves to long term deals.
Barry Zito is bucking for co-poster boy.
I could totally beat Hank at the silent game..
Seriously though, the “next year” thing aside… whatever, it’s his team. He probably does mean more from a personnel perspective, will be built better next year. He may even mean because some of the big contracts come off the books (Giambi, etc). But no, he isn’t the best at articulating that. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he meant something along those lines, not that this year is conceded already. The Yankees never concede till mathmatecally impossible. Nor should they.
Still need to go after good trades in order to fill missing holes in the defense/offense. While Teixeira is going to cost a good deal, Giambi was never the defensive player Teixeira is. If there is someone on the farm that can fill that role nearly as good, fine, bring them up. If not, make a trade or sign up talent from the FA market.
CC I am not quite so sure of, but remember, Pettitte may not come back next season and the Yankees don’t have lefties in their minor league system.
He would be some experience to the pitching staff to complement Wang. Mussina is most likely gone. That is going to leave some decent holes in the rotation. Joba, Kennedy and Hughes are going to be questions till they show what they can do through a whole season, and Hughes just might be made of glass.
The key to a great team is creating balance between young talents and veteran talents. Giambi is a different case because of roids. Teixeira isn’t a roid boy to our knowledge, so he should hold up better.
Isn’t that the cost of doing business? You are going to add some free agents to go along with home grown talent and trades. With many FA signings, you know the talent my be less then your paying for the final season.
Hank is an idiot who just needs to do the world a favor and shut up already.
I thought Clemens was the expert on “misunderstanding”…
holy crap, you guys HAVE to check out the play manny just made! 2nd only to his cut-off!
I think you mean “misremembering,” but I don’t remember…
manny made an excellent running catch to rob mallar of an xbh, kicked off the wall and high-fived a fan in the bleachers before turning and throwing for a dp at 1b! CLASSIC MANNY!
you gotta give the guys props for the entertainment value!
Long-term signings are not necessarily bad. ARod and Jeter have worked out pretty well. Giambi was a case of going after a player that wasn’t going to age well and was really one-dimensional. Zito is just inexplicable, everyone knew that was a horrible signing as soon as it was announced.
Hank is not an idiot and he has a right to give his employees a kick in the rear when he thinks they need it. Just like anyone’s boss does.
I love the “fans” who suck up to Girardi and yet get all over Hank for his comments. I don’t see why he has to shut up. What did he say that was wrong or over the line?
The Yankees have the talent to turn things around, yet they look poor out there now. If this year goes down then he is looking to see what can be done to turn it around and have better results next year.
I’d rather see an owner like the Steins have been, where they are investing into the team and looking to make it better through whatever means they can, than having the lowest payroll in baseball.
“he has a right to give his employees a kick in the rear when he thinks they need it. Just like anyone’s boss does.”
100% true…..but he’s still an idiot. Just like a lot of bosses are.
this Giambi love on the radio is making me throw up
As much as I hate Manny and as little respect I have for the classless bum, you do have to appreciate the fun he sometimes has out there, you know, when he doesn’t look like being paid millions to play a kids game is the last place on earth he wants to be…
Oh what might have been except for that little t hing called Divorce
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spjim0515,0,2893004.column
personally, i ran up the white flag regarding manny way back when he started owning us with the indians. like edgar martinez before him, (another fellow new yorker) i just tip my cap and hope to outlast him.
SJ44
Thanks for giving the rest of the story.
Do the Yanks look like an agressive team to anyone? Granted, there’s not a whole lot of team speed. But this team is looking a lot like the glassy eyed one that got beat by the Indians. Derek Jeter has gone from being one of the most patient hitters in the game to one that is towards the bottom of pitches per at bat. The team doesnt need a lot of speed to hit and run, but game after game they end an inning bouncing into double plays.
If anyone ever questioned ARod’s value to this team,this offensive malaise can put that to rest. Without him and Jorge thay are playing without over 240 rbi’s from last year’s lineup. Regardless, this team should be at least 5 games better than they are. I don’t blame Hank for giving them a kick.
Maybe thats the kind of comment this team needs to fire them up a little.
No Hank I beg to differ it’s probably going to be worst. Andy Gone, Mussina Gone, Giambi Gone, Posada now a big Q Mark behind the plate, Matsui, Damon, and Spenser other question marks. Hughes as I said can’t stay healthy and where Kennedy is going is a real roll of the dice. Abreau, Jeter, and Mo are getting older. Cano is in a real funk, he has to start playing in the early part of the year better than he has.
Man unless we are going to buy a team the outlook vrs this year is pretty bleak.
“No question, the Rays are a hungry team. That’s what our team has to get back.â€
Since I have been singing this same tune to anyone who would listen for the last five years, I love hearing someone else say it.
YOU GO HANK!
I’m really sick of all you “Hank is an idiot” sheep.
Explain to me what he’s done or said that has hurt this team, other than possibly hurt the feelings of grown men who are stinking up the joint on a nightly basis?
You really care if Hank’s words scare Cano into playing worse than he currently is? You think he’s going to make Giambi hit into the shift harder and get less hits?
You think his words are going to make Damon and Abreu continue to be inconsistent?
The guys owns the frickin’ team. If I owned the team, I’d have to hire three people to keep me down from grabbing the phone and calling Pete to rip these guys a new (you know what) after games like the past 2 nights.
These guys are underperforming. They have used excuses like weather, schedule, injuries to justify why they individually cannot perform.
Not to mention the team has a 209 million dollar payroll.
The one thing I like about Hank is that if they don’t get it together soon, he’s going to take away the privilege of being a Yankee from guys like Giambi, Abreu and possibly Damon if someone would take him.
Hank’s as sick of their acts as some of us are.
And if Mr. Cano doesn’t learn to hit in the early part of the season soon, or God forbid does it again next year, he’ll lose the privilege too.
I don’t think I could sit through watching him take the first 2 months of the season off again next year. I can only imagine how the guy writing the checks must feel.
His clockwork early season slump has yet again put this team into a hole.
If he could just show up and get a few hits we might actually win a close game.
“I guarantee we’ll get his thing straight next year.”
I don’t understand. Either he said “this” and not “his” and was misquoted, or he is talking about one player in particular and this quote was taken out of context.
Until this is clarified, let’s not jump to the sensational conclusion that he’s “playing for next year.”
I hardly think Hank is an idiot.
We are his customers, he should say some words to us.
Another new look line-up today. Abreu batting 2nd and Jeter 3rd.
Jeez…
“Man unless we are going to buy a team the outlook vrs this year is pretty bleak.”
I love how people are already panicking about what’s going to happen next year.
The Yankees should just forfeit the next two years and try again in 2010, maybe by then they can try to come in 4th place in the division.
G. Love -
While I am doing my “skim posts” deal as I am getting ready to leave the office I didn’t get to read every word that you just wrote but I can tell you that I absolutely echo and applaud the sentiment of your post.
If I own a team and they are playing like the Bad News Bears and I am paying them a king’s ransom, guess what? The ship is going to get tightened up.
I can only do shorthand on this right now but hopefully you can get something meaningful out of the above sentiment.
Play like you know how to play Yankees, and you might win some games here and there.
If you see them put some runs on the board tonight, don’t be so sure that Hank’s pep talk didn’t do some good.
“Another new look line-up today. Abreu batting 2nd and Jeter 3rd.”
The sign of a good manager. Go back to the drawing board until you fix it.
i dont think he’s an idiot, but i do think his power is overrated. id say right now the yanks are run by a committee of the brothers (and to a lesser extent dad), cash, trost, levine. they work by consensus, led on baseball/contract/personell matters by cash, and on money matters by levine and trost with everything going through the brothers. if hank wants to start ripping it up, he’s gonna have a tough time doing it on his own, until he convinces either hal or big stein to back his ideas against the rest of them.
This team is carrying so many expensive contracts that they are afraid if they try to steal a base the cost of an injury is too high. It looks like they are playing to avoid injury and not just playing.
Jason Giambi needs to learn how to bunt. This is something he should have begun practicing 2 years ago. Then maybe by now he would be good enough to make other teams pay for over-shifting on him. Sure he was hired to drive in runs but men on base with this lineup ought to spell runs.
Every team in every sport that doesn’t score looks boring, uninterested and “lacking fire”.
Its a common refrain people wrongly use when describing poor play.
Its hard to have “fire” when you have about 6 baserunners a game.
This isn’t about “fire” or “passion” or any of these tag words sports talk hosts, writers and some fans lean on when things get tough for a team.
Its about a team missing its two best hitters, have two other top hitters (Giambi and Cano) hitting WELL under capabilities, and how they are dealing with these issues.
That’s it.
Jumping up and down isn’t going to make them score 6 runs a game.
It didn’t last year at this time, when they were slumping bigtime, and it won’t this year.
The solution is simple. Play better. That’s it. No childish tantrums, trades, or reading the riot act to people.
Just shut up and play better. If they do, things tend to take care of themselves over the long haul.
Trisha
Change is good sometime but change for change sake also can show desperation and overthinking rather than good management.
Athletes are creatures of habit so I’d like to see this team be able get a little consistancy in the line-up and see if the team could develop a little rhythm.
Hank is not an idiot. He’s a boss who is currently unhappy with the performance he is getting from his employees. Can you blame him? The Yankees look totally lost at the plate. Some of them look like they are going through the motions. Others appear to be trying too hard. Girardi manages the game, waiting for that big hit instead of making things happen.
They need to get themselves turned around or we will be finishing behind TB. How embarrassing will that be?
I’d like to see less “fire,” actually. As in less hacking away at bad pitches. Impatience is a big reason the team is not scoring runs.
pat – And I can understand that perspective too.
Okay we all know that I am superstitious. Well maybe I can’t take credit for doing anything that helps our poor Yanks, but I definitely have a wonderful mojo effect on the Sux. I swear that whenever I tune in to check on them, my withering stare and overwhelming disdain (and that is putting it nicely) causes some kind of static storm that penetrates the television and travels to the Sux pitching mound!
I was on the way home and the Sux sportsmouths were talking about how Lester had only akllowed two hits.
I stayed with it and had the pleasure of watching the Orioles score two runs.
Score now 3-2 Sux.
pat – And I can understand that perspective too.
Okay we all know that I am superstitious. Well maybe I can’t take credit for doing anything that helps our poor Yanks, but I definitely have a wonderful mojo effect on the Sux. I swear that whenever I tune in to check on them, my withering stare and overwhelming disdain (and that is putting it nicely) causes some kind of static storm that penetrates the television and travels to the Sux pitching mound!
I was on the way home and the Sux sportsmouths were talking about how Lester had only akllowed two hits.
I stayed with it and had the pleasure of watching the Orioles score two runs.
Score now 3-2 Sux.
Yeah, Hank is a genious. He didn’t know how Joba was being used last year. He wanted Mussina to pitch more like Jamie Moyer. Now he’s talking about “Next Year” in May.
No wonder George originally wanted his daughters ex fiance to run the team.
He knows how Joba is being used now, Moose is pitching like Jamie Moyer reincarnate, and hopefully what he has said will light a fire under the Yankees.
I don’t believe there is one person on this forum who is at the top of her or his game every day of the week or who may not have some time when she or he slacks off a little. Well our flesh and bone players are also prone to the same human tendencies. And when it appears that the work isn’t getting done effectively, the boss often questions why.
Or as I explain to the people around me when we are pressed continually and feel like our backs are being broken – that’s why we get the big bucks. (Well, not that big, but certainly bigger than some of the people around us who are not leaned on the same way.)
“The co-chairperson of the Yankees is talking about next year when they’re 4.5 games out on May 14? That’s stunning.”
I agree 4.5 games out on May 14 without Alex and Jorge doesn’t sound that bad. But I also think the team is playing worse than its record suggests. Our offense looks geriatric meets minor league. I’m not at all worried about the bullpen, I’m not even worried about the rotation even though we’re still out a reliable #5 and Andy has been shaky. But as a Yankee fan, if there’s anything I can always count on, it’s the offense. Right now, save for Matsui and Jeter, I don’t recognize who these other flat and slow looking players are.
I think what the Hankster meant by “next year” is that we’re going to much quite a bit of $$$$$$ available and next year we are going to have some new (super-duper hungry) players. But, no, he didn’t mean that we were giving up on 08. Perhaps, his prodding will produce some super results ASAP, but we better get our butts in gear! But, he sounds like he likes a younger, hungry-type of player to produce. Kind of a team like the Rays are right now. And he did congratulate the Rays on their play.
^^^Because, as we all know, games aren’t won by runs scored or OPS or any of that other crap, they’re won by who is hungrier.
I for one am famished, but I’m not about to win a ballgame.
This is classic Geor…I mean, Hank. But I also believe it’s idle. The competition is definitely getting tougher, but this is a terrific team, especially when A-Rod is in the lineup. Hell, he’s only supposed to be there for the next 9+ years.
And if this is a sign that Mussina has learned to pitch, then I’d sign him up for another year! Free agent stars aren’t going to be as easily available for the Yanks to sign anymore, and not every player out of the farm is going to be a gem. Some of these spoiled, crotchety veterans are worth keeping around if they put up the kind of numbers that are needed to win ballgames, even if the road to success ain’t exactly fresh paved.