Closing ceremony canceled by Yankees
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The Daily News reported that the Yankees had canceled a proposed “closing ceremony” at the Stadium that was scheduled for Nov. 9. The Yankees confirmed that today.
Depending on what rumors you believed, there was going to be a concert that included Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and maybe U2. Springsteen was never really in the mix, I heard, because he had charity commitments.
It’s probably just as well. The Yankees weren’t going to do better than that did on Sept. 21 when Derek Jeter gave that his memorable speech and the team walked around the field after beating the Orioles.
Still, this underlines what a slipshod job the organization did all season paying tribute to the place. The countdown thing was a commercial gimmick that rarely worked. There was never once any sort of tribute paid to the football legacy of the building, the great boxing history, the music, etc. How did they not bring back any of the Giants and Colts from that 1958 game?
Here they are, Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall, Lenny Moore and Raymond Berry to throw out the first pitch. Would that have been hard to arrange? Here’s Paul Simon to sing the National Anthem, then show a clip of him doing Mrs Robinson in honor of Joe DiMaggio when he died.
For all sorts of reasons, 2008 was a season to write off for the Yankees.
Before you ask, there are no details available as to when seats or other memorabilia will go on sale. Trust me, you’ll know when that day games. If there is one thing the Yankees do well, it’s make money.
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The Yankee Stadium tours are still being offered through the end of the year according to TicketMaster.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
There is something appropriate about ending with baseball.
Even so, I would have loved to see Paul McCartney and co play the Stadium.
I heard that Hank asked Girardi to make sure he is in his office at the Stadium on the day it is going to be demolished.
I don’t really agree with that Rebecca, it was far more than just a baseball stadium. Why not give it another chance to shine in a different venue? It would allow the fans to forget this poor year and have it go out with a party like feel.
Pete, to be fair, there were seemingly 1000 hours of programming on YES about the Stadium’s history, as well as a big glossy book.
Agreed that the Yankees could have done a better job at getting people with memorable ties to the Stadium to make appearances. But what can you do.
I’ll tell ya Pete, it sure seems like something is a little “off” with the Yankees this season. Nothing seems to be going all that well.
We may disagree on the particulars, but you can’t deny that the season has left a feeling of disappointment hovering in the air over one aspect or another.
I feel like there’s a shoe out there waiting to drop.
I’m glad Mattingly is doing well over there, but that picture of him that was used in the story made him look like he’s aged 10 years and been through the mill – which I’m sure he has been with regard to his personal life. It is amusing to see all these glowing remarks about Manny emanating from the West Coast, though. You’d swear it was a different guy.
This season has been a total disaster, which will only be worse when the Red Sox win the World Series. Again.
Maybe we should’ve picked Mattingly, my baseball hero, over Girardi, who I still like, afterall.
Torre said he was coming back for the November 9th closing ceremony and they cancel it. Yeah, I’m sure there’s no way that’s related.
Muddywaters: You have every right to disagree.
Honestly, the only real way for Yankee stadium to have gone out would have been with a World Series championship.
Without that, nothing else feels right.
Hmm. I wonder if this would have been canceled if Mr. Steinbrenner was in good health.
A monster truck rally would have been apropos.
“Torre said he was coming back for the November 9th closing ceremony and they cancel it. Yeah, I’m sure there’s no way that’s related.”
I see this site is still home to the Cult of St. Joseph.
The Yankees have dropped the ball on everything they have done all year – Letting Torre go, not trading Ian Kennedy for Johan Santana, bullpen/starting/bullpen of Joba, closing of the stadium. I was at the last game and it was ok – but its Yankee Stadium – they can do better than march a bunch of actors out in CF dressed as the 23 Yankees -they acted like the getting Bernie Williams to come back was bigger than the stadium closing.
I really don’t care about the closing ceremony this year but even I have to admit that this year has gone pretty badly for the Yankees.
Missed the playoffs, terrible job on the draft, corruption in Latin American scouting/signing, etc.
They also did a pretty poor job honoring the stadium as Pete has pointed out plenty of times. To top it all off the Yanks have insulted Joe Torre, a guy who most fans admire. Joe Girardi on the other hand, did an awful job in his first year.
The entire organization took a step back this year. I’m still hopeful for the future and I still think the Yanks can win a world series next year.
“There is something appropriate about ending with baseball.”
i agree with this.
despite all of the other events held there over the years, it was built for baseball.
(i know i was one of few who didn’t care that they were planning a hockey game for the last event, but i changed my mind.)
why have a bunch of bands play? they would never get a line-up that would keep everyone happy. plan an event to kickoff the new stadium.
This is all depressing – rather than wallow, can someone tell when we can start making moves in the FA market?
I assume it is after the world series – but it would be nice to have a timeline.
Pride, Power and Pinstripes? Well they do wear pinstripes.
1 out of 3 ain’t bad for this organiztion I guess.
Patrick,
Truer words have never been spoken.
Now, before the “in denial” crowd comes on and declares everyone a “hater” who doesn’t drink the “everything is OK” Kool Aid, read what Patrick wrote and try to rebut it.
You can’t because its 100% accurate.
Its now time for the organization to get their heads out of their collective rear ends and get back to business.
Personally, I’m glad this thing was cancelled because the time should be spent on remaking the team and not having another retirement show.
At the rate this thing was going, only Cher would have had more retirement shows than the Yankee Stadium.
TK:
First 15 days after World Series ends: Free agent filing period.
Nov. 3-6: General managers’ meetings, Dana Point, Calif.
Nov. 10: AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards announced.
Nov. 11: NL Cy Young Award announced.
Nov. 12: AL and NL Manager of the Year awards announced.
Nov. 13: AL Cy Young Award announced.
Nov. 17: NL Most Valuable Player award announced.
Nov. 18: AL Most Valuable Player award announced.
Dec. 1: Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.
Dec. 7: Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.
Dec. 8-11: Winter meetings in Las Vegas.
Dec. 8: Hall of Fame Veterans Committee vote announced, Las Vegas.
Dec. 12: Last day for teams to offer 2009 contracts to unsigned players.
Jan 5-15, 2009: Salary arbitration filing.
Jan. 19-20: Exchange of salary arbitration figures.
Feb. 1-21: Salary arbitration hearings, Phoenix.
Feb. 14: Mandatory spring training reporting date for players on World Baseball Classic rosters of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan unless they have reported directly to their national teams; mandatory reporting date for pitchers and catchers on provisional rosters of other WBC teams; voluntary reporting date for non-WBC pitchers, catchers and injured players.
Feb. 17: Mandatory spring training reporting date for remaining position players on WBC rosters; voluntary reporting date for non-WBC position players.
Feb. 22: Mandatory spring training reporting date for non-WBC players.
March 2-11: Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.
March 5-23: World Baseball Classic; Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto, and Puerto Rico to host first round. San Diego and Los Angeles to host semifinals and finals.
March 18: Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.
April 1: Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2008 salary.
April 5: Opening day, active rosters reduced to 25 players.
June 9-10: Amateur draft.
July 14: All-Star game, St. Louis.
July 26: Hall of Fame inductions, Cooperstown, N.Y.
July 31: Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.
Aug. 15: Last day to sign selections from 2009 amateur draft who have not exhausted college eligibility.
Free agent declarations can’t start until 10 days after the World Series.
You won’t get real movement with free agents until Mid-Late November.
The bulk of the activity may even extend to the Winter Meetings in Vegas in Late-Nov/early December.
Isn’t it like 40 degrees in November at night? 30? Too cold to perform.
One thing from the Mattingly article that jumped out at me:
“If a guy is pumping strike after strike, you can’t just stand up there taking to run up the pitch count,” he said. “What I saw when I’d see the Dodgers on TV in the first half was easy innings that all looked the same to me, and I’d sit there saying, ‘These pitchers can’t be this good, we’ve got to make them work.’ A major league pitcher is going to get his outs, but let’s make him earn them. Let’s have a plan.”
Boy, it sure sounds he could have been talking about some other team he was associated with.
“read what Patrick wrote and try to rebut it.”
We didn’t insult Torre, we snubbed him!
Just kidding, I’ve got nothing.
The important thing in my opinion is for the organization to get their act together and use the debacle of 2008 to create focus for 2009. Review the screw-ups and don’t repeat them. Develop a comprehensive plan for necessary restructuring of the franchise. Execute.
(I believe this is known as the SJ plan)
Wow – Nice Tom. Thanks!
Funny how life works.
If he got the Yankee job, he would have had to resign because of his family issues.
There is no way he could have missed half a season and kept the gig.
Instead, he was able to take a lower pressure job, in a lower pressured environment, get his personal life in order, and come back to the game.
Good for him!
A lot of life is about timing. Hopefully, with his personal problems behind him, things go smoothly from hereon out with Donnie Baseball. He deserves it.
“Torre thinks he is the toast of the town because he navigated an inferior team through a butter-soft NL West this year. Truth is he couldn’t take the pressure anymore and he preferred a fan-base that could care less about baseball.”
From another thread. I agree with that. We all have to acknowledge there are at least two schools of thought on Torre leaving NY, and members of those two schools are equally convinced about their positions. I can understand the perspective of the people who feel Torre was shooed out. I don’t agree with it and think he took the easy way out, just as I believe that the Yankees probably should have canned him after the Detroit series and didn’t. His popularity was definitely at a low when he opted out, so nobody had to be afraid of a public relations storm (other than the one Torre himself created.)
My opinion – one that has been echoed by enough other posters on this forum for it to be at least considered one way to look at the situation.
I agree with Rebecca that the only way that departing Yankee Stadium would have felt really great was with a world series victory. Other than that, and having attended the last game, they couldn’t have done it much better than they did that night. Disappointing season? Sure. But so were the last three under Torre despite making the playoffs.
To me it’s all good. Yes I will always be an optimist and find good in situations, but I am also realistic enough to know that perfection just doesn’t exist and so when you catch glimpses of sweetness, you embrace them rather than try to find one bitter grain that may exist.
We root for one hell of a team. We’ve been spoiled. Don’t let a down year distort your perspective to the point that you feel that unless you can go entirely negative you’ve given up your fandom. Life ain’t perfect. Learn to roll with the puches and be thankful for all the good moments this organization has brought you.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Off to a meeting so if you respond it will be a while before I can offer back.
SJ44,
Patrick’s comment is mostly accurate – Girardi didn’t do an “awful job.” He didn’t do an outstanding job either.
It was a hugely disappointing year and I agree that anyone who says otherwise is dreaming.
TK,
I was, and still am, all for the Yankees parting ways with Torre. It was time for both sides to move on.
That said, the pettiness from the Yankees side makes them look very small and its unnecessary.
I thought Pete really nailed it yesterday when discussing Torre/Girardi.
For those who thought Pete had an “agenda” against Girardi, read what he wrote.
He not only said he liked Girardi, he cited examples WHY.
In the end, Joe Torre became all about playing the political game within the Yankees.
In some ways, I don’t blame him because that’s what you have to do to survive there.
However, it hurt his on field performance, IMO. A lot of the problems Girardi faced this year were problems Torre himself faced the last 3 years he was in the job. The difference is, Torre handled SOME (not all) of them better. Probably because he has 25+ years in the managerial business.
Its why its too early to give up on Girardi. Let’s see if he makes adjustments. If he does, he will be fine. If he doesn’t, he’s not long for the job.
When it comes to Torre, the Yankees should treat him as they would one of their retired players. With extreme reverence.
Why? Because how you handle these things is a window to people (like free agents) in how you will handle THEIR business, if they are in your organization.
For lack of a better term, its about being the bigger man.
Hopefully, the Yankees realize this and stop the pettiness toward Torre. Its a “game” they can’t win with the public or the media.
Just move forward and everything else will work out.
Here’s something I wonder about: what would have happened if Torre accepted the Yankees’ one-year contract and managed this Yankees this season.
Do we make up those 6 games on the Red Sox and win the Wild Card?
If so, do we beat the Angels? How far do we advance?
My answer is that I just don’t see the change from Torre to Girardi costing us 6 games. In fact, I can’t imagine that any manager can be singlehandedly worth that many games over a replacement, unless the replacement is incredibly bad.
Then it gets interesting. What is Torre’s legacy if he accepts what is essentially a challenge contract ($5 million for one year, with a $1 million bonus for each level of the playoffs reached) and doesn’t even make the playoffs?
And yes, I realize that the Yankees might have made the offer to Torre intending for him to decline it.
Good, they should have never had this ceremony to begin with.
How can you possibly go out better than we did during the game? Go out on top.
Knowing how the handled everything else this year, chances are, this ‘closing ceremony’ would have been tacky and muddled if it was still on anyway.
Jeremy,
The organization was “awful” this year. Girardi? A “C”.
I give him a “B” for game prep and game management.
I give him a “D” for player relations.
He let too crap foster for too long in that clubhouse because he wasn’t able to realize that these are grown men and not kids.
By the time he figured that out, it was too late to save the season.
On that, I give him a pass for a couple of reasons.
One, its only his SECOND year managing ANYBODY. Comparing him to Joe Torre, who was in his 26th year of managing last year, is dumb. Compare him to Joe Torre in his second year managing the Mets. That’s a more apt comparison.
Second, it was his first year managing a team full of veterans. Its different than managing a team full of kids.
Girardi is a smart guy and I fully expect him to make the necessary adjustments to improve in the job.
If he doesn’t, he won’t be long for it.
IMO, he’s too smart not to realize that and I suspect we will see a new, improved Joe Girardi next year.
Pete,
Something’s wrong with your date stamp. It should read “November 8, 2007″.
Jeremy — I think Torre would have made up those 6 games. I think the struggles of Cano and Melky would have been dealt with and handled differently with Torre, Mattingly, Bowa here.
I think we would have seen much less of Jason Giambi defensively at 1b which would have improved the infield defense a lot as well.
His use of the pen would be scary, especially with all the developing arms in it, but he would have had a typical Torre like pen performance where it gets insanely hot and effective, then gets overworked, then he rests it and then puts the pedal to the medal on his guys for the stretch run.
I also think the trials of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy would have been handled much different as well.
Torre was very open about having 6-7 guys for rotation spots.
We started the season with 5, including a supposedly washed up Moose and 2 rookies.
I just don’t think Joe Torre would have put up with Ian Kennedy show we were all privy to this season and he would have put a little more pressure on Cashman to acquire some veteran starters to get them through the season.
I hazard to guess if he stayed, he would have pushed like Hell to get Johan which would have made up some of the difference and he would have went into the season w/a defensively adequate 1b other than Giambi, Shelley and Ensberg.
A lot of those little things and the way he would have handled Cano and Melky would have made up the difference in my mind.
Trisha,
People tailor the story to make themselves feel better about the outcome.
I thought it was time for a change and said so before Torre’s contract was up. The way I was writing the story in advance in my mind, NYY FO would have acted like men, told Torre it’s been a great run and now we’re ready to go another direction, offered him a great consulting gig and a Joe Torre day, and hired Girardi a respectful 60 seconds later (yes I was for hiring Girardi). Instead Hank and Hal embarrassed themselves (and us fans) fumbling and bumbling around, alienated Torre (who could have been a terrific stabilizing influence if they’d made him an honored advisor) and Mattingly and Bowa who were also considerable losses. Girardi could have had experienced, MLB-successful people around him. But no. Indelible images of Hank and Hal handling the whole thing as awkwardly and hypocritically as possible, ill feelings all around, and valuable resources lost to the organization.
Now the story has to be airbrushed so the owners don’t look like idiots and the organization can pretend that they were not semi-crippled by the completely unnecessary loss of Torre/Mattingly/Bowa around the inexperienced people who ended up running the team.
I liked my scenario a lot better. Theirs sucked then, and it sucks now, right through the airbrushing.
I know I spelled the insult wrong but it wouldn’t go through otherwise.
“He let too crap foster for too long in that clubhouse because he wasn’t able to realize that these are grown men and not kids.”
I agree with you for the most part, but here’s where I’m confused.
The veterans played fine this season. Except for Molina, Pudge, Ensberg, and Pettitte, whose struggles had nothing to do with Girardi, the injured Matsui and Posada, all the veterans on the team had good or very good seasons. For all his frustrations about ice cream, Moose had 20 wins. For all his anger about accountability, Rivera had one of the best seasons of any closer ever.
On the other hand, we read a lot about how Melky and Cano had terrible seasons because they weren’t focused, and there was no “tough guy” in the clubhouse to smack some sense into them. You wrote that if Posada were healthy, he would have taken on this enforcer role himself.
So this all makes it seem like Girardi wasn’t tough enough on his players.
I’m 100% sure Girardi could have handled his players better. But it strikes me as unfair that he’s simultaneously criticized for being too strict and not strict enough.
Quick perusal of espn’s front page:
-Daisuke to start Game 1
-McCarver calls Manny’s act in Boston “despicable”
-Japan to ban amateurs from going to MLB
Pretty tough for a manager to make up 6 games.
Especially, when you take into account some of those games would have been lost through bullpen mismanagement.
Its one of those unanswerable questions.
Either way, this years team just wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs.
Happened to the Red Sox in 2006 and to the Yankees this year.
What remains to be seen is how the Yankees bounceback from this season.
I also agree that it would have been nice if the Yankees had ushered out the old Stadium with a World Series win.
But when I made my last visit to the Stadium earlier this year, and my friend said to me that if he had a choice between the Yankees winning this year or winning next year that he’d choose this year, I disagreed. I’d rather see the new Stadium get off to a great start with a World Series win in its first year, just like the old one.
So let’s hope for a healthy, prosperous, successful 2009. They’re in a tough division, but even with everything that went wrong this year, they didn’t finish all that far out of it.
You must be a person that puts up a good front. The Yankees use smoke and mirrors and you fall for very bit of it. Pete does a great job reporting good and BAD and thats what a good beat writer should do but you want no part of the bad only good.
This new Front Office sucks. They just don’t care about anything.
Its not how the veterans played. Its how the uneven nature of the locker room caused unnecessary problems that did fester too long.
Let’s face it, in August, with the season on the line, this team performed DREADFULLY. Veterans were a large part of that.
Their uneven play was a big factor in their demise.
When a veteran player sees a manager more fixated on the small stuff (snacks in the locker room) than the big stuff (missing signs, missing early BP, etc), that has a negative effect on the locker room.
It creates a tension that makes it difficult to perform. Especially in big moments.
If you look at the season as a whole, there were PLENTY of nights this team looked like it was sleepwalking in games.
Some of these guys accumulated their numbers after the season was pretty much settled.
It was just a very uneven year on all ends. IMO, some of that has to do with the uneven nature of Girardi.
All of it? No. But, definitely some of it.
To Girardi’s credit, he did make an effort to change. If he sticks to it, he will do very well in the job.
Sometimes, one can exercise the greatest control of a situation by having FEWER, rather than MORE, rules.
I think that’s especially true with a veteran team.
What Girardi has going for him is that the core guys want him to succeed.
That said, if they see the ship going in the wrong direction again next season, its going to hard for him to keep their support.
If that were to happen, he’s sunk. Hopefully (at least for his sake) that doesn’t happen.
looks like someone lost there way.
bostondirtdogs.com is a good place to start.
I know this is terrible to think, but you can’t help wonder if the “auto-pilot” mentality was their downfall.
We’ve had years in which they didn’t give their all. Letting struggling starters off the hook is not really a new thing either. Losing to cellar-dwellers is definitely not new.
They’ve always been the beneficiary of Boston fading at the end and I think they assumed a young team like Tampa was going to tighten up down the stretch as well.
I think Girardi had a sense of urgency this season. For the most part, he didn’t let the pitching implode. Took guys out when they got into trouble.
I think next year, the players will play with a greater sense of urgency. Note because anything the staff says or does. But because they now know how hard it is to make up those losses. They watched as Tampa coasted at the end thanks to building up a huge lead early in the season.
This is a good thing. They can’t wait for things to come to them just because they’re the NY Yankees. Nobody’s giving them anything anymore.
SJ, isn’t it more likely that the manager causes more losses rather than a manager having to make up 6 games? Girardi set up Kennedy and Igawa to lose based on the lineups he created. Poor defense and offense were the theme for certain pitchers to get.
The attitude at the plate differences from what Torre and Mattingly preached. The mental approach to hitting. The feeling that they couldn’t trust Meacham to send them home.
All things and actions add up. You can’t take it for just that one instance. While these things can be turned into positives, when Jeter and Mo were not all that happy with Girardi, then your team isn’t going to be focused.
Mess up the players because of poor managing and how many games are lost because of it? Add in poor in game moves that turned in losses (which were higher than Torre’s numbers) and those 6 games could have been overcome.
SJ,
Isn’t it funny that according to the pundits, when the Sawx missed the playoffs in 2006 it was a bump in the road, but with the Yankees it is a different story…they are done…they won’t be able to keep up with the Sawx never mind the Rays…doom and gloom.
All I say to that is; they had some big players go down with injuries, finished with the fourth best record in the AL and went 20-16 against the two teams to finish in front of them. Never mind the fact that Rasner, Ponson, Pavono, Hughes and Kenndy each made a significant amount of starts this year.
I have my prediction that Girardi is out by the all star break. I just think with the amount of roster turnover that is about to go on here, there is going to be an adjustment period to the team, not to mention the stadium.
The media, as evidenced by what Heyman went public with yesterday, are ready to pounce on him and I don’t think he is going to do well with ANYONE questioning his job performance in the dugout.
I tend to think that after you hit 25, you basically are who you are — the things that bother you will always bother you and the way you deal with situations is pretty much the way you will always deal with them.
Yes, you can learn lessons…but it’s hard to be different than what you are used to being.
I think Girardi will have many of the same personality problems and his “it’s always sunny on my side of the street” when it’s clearly raining act is going to wear thin on the team, the press and the fans.
His only hope is the team Cashman constructs comes out of the gate with a winning April and May and with them keeping Cano, we know he won’t show up until July the earliest.
well, it would have been nice to have the NY Giants get some recognition.
other than that, the closing ceremony was awesome. that was enough.
jeez, especially when compared to how the Mets closed Shea, which was an unfortunate series of bumbles
SJ –
I don’t have much to add to your analysis except that we see this kind disintegration in the relationship between managers/coaches/star players and their organizations all the time.
Even when there is success, over time you can build up bad blood behind the scenes and the cord has to be severed. Whether it is Parcells with the Giants, Favre with Green Bay or whatever – egos can clash and ruin the otherwise successful partnership.
For folks who chafe that Pete reports what is going on in the organization as he perceives it – there really isn’t much to say except that they are entitled to ignore the information if they like – or disagree with the interpretation that Pete offers. It just seems kind of silly to constantly rail against Pete on Pete’s blog when you come back again and again.
Do you go to the same restaurant every day and rant about the food there? After a point it seems ridiculous.
Time will heal all wounds between the Yankees and Torre – both sides will benefit from making peace, but it won’t happen while he’s still an active manager imo.
thank goodness no springsteen. so over rated. and no ties to yankee stadium.
Igawa pitched one game because they didn’t have anybody else.
Kennedy pitched a handful of games as a 5th starter.
Torre had dogs as 5th starters and used Igawa himself last year.
The lineups? I think Girardi addressed that issue when he kept the lineup, such as it was, pretty much intact the last six weeks of the season.
The hitters? Perhaps their impatience was fueled by the fact that they felt they had to score a lot of runs to win because the rotation was a crapshoot from July on.
Also, unlike previous years, teams attacked Yankee hitters. Especially, the bottom of the order because it was so weak.
The 7-8-9 hitters hit about .240 for the season. Did Torre/Mattingly ever have a bottom of the order that inept in their time here?
As a pitcher, it was pretty easy to pitch to the Yankees this year. The bottom third of their order was NL inept.
After Matsui got hurt, that created another hole in the lineup.
That being the case, why would you give the better hitters on the team ANYTHING to hit, knowing half the lineup was pretty much automatic outs?
So, guys start pressing, expanding the zone, and the offense grinds to a halt. It happens.
Its not just one thing and that’s why its not just one person who could have fixed.
I think Mel hit on one of the bigger problems. This team started off slowly for years and many of the veterans felt they could slug their way back into the race.
Mainly because they have done it in the past. But, a year older, skills declining, injuries, and being pitched MUCH better, made that task more difficult this season.
Kevin Long was the hitting coach when this team scored 968 runs last year. Do you really think he got dumb this season?
G. Love,
Great points, although I disagree with them.
Yes, if Torre being around meant Cano and Melky had good years, then maybe we could have made up those games. I don’t think that would have happened, though. Cano had his typical slow start and then had horrible luck with balls in play. This can happen to a guy like Cano who doesn’t draw walks and depends almost entirely on average to be productive. Torre couldn’t have made more of those balls go through for hits. (There is a good entry on RAB about Cano’s struggles this season.)
But we discussed this before – if Cano just needed some tough love to bat .325, why was no one on the new staff capable of giving it to him? It shouldn’t have been too hard. If Girardi and his coaches just couldn’t figure this out until it was too late, then sure, shame on them. I just think it wasn’t that simple.
Melky, it turns out, just isn’t very good at baseball. He was always on the cusp. Again I don’t think Torre could have molded him into a better player than he actually is.
I think the handling of the pitching staff would have been out of Torre’s hands. I can’t see him having the authority to bring in Santana or even pushing for the acquisition, just because I can’t think of any examples of Torre being active in the decision to obtain a player. It wasn’t his job. I don’t see him handling Kennedy or Hughes any differently – bringing them up or sending them down weren’t his decisions to make.
Even if Torre could have expanded the rotation to 6 or 7 guys (which would have gutted the bench or pen), who would we have used in those extra spots? More garbage, probably, which would have given us fewer starts by our only consistently good pitcher.
You say his bullpen management would have been terrible, and I have no disagreement there. But I do disagree that his pen management would have left us in playoff shape come October. Torre often left us with a bunch of burnouts in the playoffs.
The only substantive way I can see Torre improving the team this year is by getting Cano and Melky to hit more. And I don’t think Torre, or any manager, could have actually done that, at least not to the extent where we could have made up at least six games.
I didn’t think Jeter’s speech was so special.
I’ve always loved Jeter as a player. He is a worthy successor to the great line of Yankee Superstarts – Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Munson, Janckson, Mattinly, Jeter… (and others, of course).
But his speech on the last day – not great.
Nothing special.
I wish it were otherwise.
Too many people here are basing Girardi’s managing skills on his personality instead of what they’ve seen from his actual managing.
He’s a good person but not a good manager.
“Kevin Long was the hitting coach when this team scored 968 runs last year. Do you really think he got dumb this season?”
Unless it took this long for his poor methods to destroy that which Mattingly had created. People don’t immediately respond to new coaches when they have been doing this for years and years. The whole first year of Kevin Long being hitting coach and the success it brought could have been residual rather than anything he did.
Just something to think on.
I said it at the time they should have acknowledged other events that took place at the stadium. Yes it was a baseball stadium but other events took place there too. The Yankees made it into a Yankee thing only. They could have shown a few boxing highlights and music events. Have Frank Gifford, Robustelli etc there.
The Yankees and Giants owned the town in the 50’s they should have recognized the Giants a little bit.
I love the way Girardi managed the pitching staff except for that one game where he tried to outsmart the weather. I think his game management was a bit uneven. Sometimes he would bunt at bad times and in other situations when a bunt would have helped he didn’t call for it. Obviously his media/player management was terrible but I think he showed improvement in both areas.
I like the way Girardi goes about his business, he seems like an intelligent and analytical person. Hopefully he can continue to improve next year.
One more thing, I can’t blame the problems in the clubhouse totally on Girardi. I’m sure there was a pretty big adjustment period for the players since they were so used to Torre. Now, hopefully, the players are used to Girardi’s managing style.
Baseball Guy,
The speech was not great, but it was real.
So much better than a long, formal speech designed to put you to sleep.
Short, sweet, and genuine. The fact that Jeter was spontaneous made it even better.
Maybe the Giants can include the YS part of their history when they close their stadium. That footage would be much cooler than the modern stuff.
Well, we’ll see how good a manager is when he gets a real lineup to work with.
Patrick,
I think we can compare the situation to having a new stepfather move in 4 months after your dad leaves (or was insulted by the offer to stay).
Jeremy — I don’t know. I just think the presence of Torre for one more season would have affected the construction of the pitching staff and the team in the off season of 2007.
I know Torre didn’t make personnel decisions, but I think his presence as manager makes Cashman do his job a little differently.
The interesting thing would have been that a Torre regime would have believed Moose was finished after 07 and I don’t think there’s any chance he would have won 20 games so that would have affected things too.
I do think we’re underscoring the effect that Torre and Bowa would have had on Cano. I understand Cano hit into a lot of outs that could have been hits, but the lazy unfocused “dogging it” routine would never have flown with the old troika at the helm.
Melky is what he is. I don’t think he’s a MLB starter. I agree with you there.
And maybe the ice cream and candy might have been good enough for an extra win or two, lol.
If Torre was still here we’d be all up in arms about the overuse of Brian Bruney or some other bullpen pitcher.
Each manager has his strengths and weaknesses.
Until Girardi wins a round in the playoffs, his biggest fault will be not being Joe Torre.
Rebecca,
LOL. If we ever get out of the first round, it’ll feel like the very first time. We’ll be celebrating like the Rays did!
Const:
Springsteen has no ties to Yankee Stadium? Um, he saw his first game game, he’s actually a fan of the team, he attends games fairly regularly and once played in the clubhouse with Bernie Williams. He has even attended games in spring training.
Musical tastes differ but you can’t say he doesn’t have ties to the team.
Patrick, agreed there are adjustments to be made on both sides.
The other problem that the Yankees seem to have is no one really knows how to bunt. Seeing how almost every player stabbed at the ball instead of knowing how to “catch the ball with the bat” speaks volumes about how they are worked and developed.
The pitching this year seemed to be better all around as well.
On a side note, the other night they were talking about Lester throwing a one seam fastball rather than a two seamer. I wonder if that is part of his success this year. Hopefully some Yankee pitchers can play around with learning that pitch.
Another thing that made Jeter’s ’short, sweet and genuine’ speech special is the fact that he is not always running his mouth in public.
“And maybe the ice cream and candy might have been good enough for an extra win or two, lol.”
Maybe the removal of ice cream and candy was Girardi’s genius move of the season. After all, bringing back sweets contingent on Moose’s wins might have been a powerful motivator for his resurgence!
Perhaps with Torre at the helm, Moose would have been more complacent and never would have learned to pitch like Jamie Moyer. And then we would have ended up in fourth place instead of third.
Silly stuff, but every attempt to get inside players’ heads is speculative.
Interesting point about Torre and Moose, by the way, although the big question for this season is and will always be “Should we have traded for Santana.” There was no mid-range Lilly or Meche available – we either broke the bank on Santana or went with Wang, Pettitte, Moose, Hughes, and Kennedy with Joba waiting in the wings. Torre’s presence or absence, I think, has no effect whatsoever on Cashman’s and the Steinbrenners’ decision.
Now, this is cool. A player from each mlb team will be doing a blog. Looks like Humberto is the Yankee rep and his entry is scheduled for Saturdays.
http://aflyankees.mlblogs.com/about.html
very cool. nice find mel!
The Yankees are going through a managerial malaise. Hank and his comments along with missing the final game. There’s no leadership on this team. I’m not just talking about the team in the dugout. I’m talking about New York Yankees the Company. No clear line of authority. That’s why there was no thought in closing out the stadium. How many sports venues had the likes of Pele, Babe Ruth, and Fran Tarkenton call Yankee Stadium home? They could have had a pretty nice closing ceremony to commemorate the non-baseball events. Hal seems like the level-headed one. I’m willing to bet that once Big Stein passes, the Steinbrenner family will sell the team. Take the billion-plus without all of the stress of running in the Yankees.
While I think Torre would have done a better job this year than Girardi, I do think it was time for him to leave. I just think that Girardi was too inexperienced for taking on the Yankees.
There is a reason why Generals aren’t young. Experience matters a lot in leadership. Lack of experience shows with how they look to handle problems.
Even with the issue of injuries, Girardi’s lack of experience had him making things up rather than deflecting if he didn’t want full disclosure coming out about injuries. Its learning when to talk and how to say things.
mel: Great find!
“There’s no leadership on this team.”
Is this criticism of Jeter? Should it be?
What is the captain’s role supposed to be compared to the manager’s? The coaches’?
saucY,
Here’s the front page of all the kids.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/...../blogs.jsp
The Seattle guy had this: My AFL team, the Javelinas, consists of Yankees, Brewers, Reds, Rays and of course the Mariners. The team looks like a powerful bunch so mark my words when I say, we will be winning a lot of games this fall.
are the mets anti-internet?
“Now, this is cool. A player from each mlb team will be doing a blog. Looks like Humberto is the Yankee rep and his entry is scheduled for Saturdays.
http://aflyankees.mlblogs.com/about.html”
These blogs are all fake. They use ghost writers.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
How the economy is affecting the average fan.
Seriously worth a read.
harwood,
Well the ghost writer from the Angels is a Jesus freak (no offense to anyone here!).
He left a “scripture of the day” at the end.
They looked like the same uninspired team who wanted to leave early when they were flailing away at 85 MPH FBs from Paul Byrd and Kenny Rogers in the playoffs. What about Carmona throwing 9 innings against us in a tie game? Bonderman, who we have always killed, shutting us down in an elimination game? Where was Torre and his calming influence then?
This team is just not mentally tough. It is not a coincidence at all that they started playing well when the pressure was off.
The no leadership is a criticism of the front office.
But Jeter deserves some criticism for his captaincy this year. Why didn’t the players get on Melky, Cano, and Betemit for mailing it in?
The Yankees the company and the team need to figure out everyone’s role in this organization. It seems in the last few years, there is a lot of talk of Advisory Committees, Tampa-based hitting or pitching or gurus, and Steinbrenner in-laws elbowing their way in. Oh, and Randy Levine. What does that guy do?
When any large organization is associated with one man’s overpowering leadership for so long, it takes time to fill those shows. Especially when that leader is nicknamed, “The Boss”
Y26,
I think the calming influence was still affecting them this year.
j/k
They need youth, energy, and athleticsm. Kind of how Cano & Melky brought oh so long ago.
Never underestimate the value of spectacular defensive plays of getting players back into a game which basically puts players to sleep.
Girardi deserves a 2nd chance. He MUST change, however. Some of these accusations are disturbing.
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/10/03/sports.economy/index.html
Really good article on how the economy is affecting the average fan. Worth a look.
Melky and Bernie could have provided youth and energy in 2006. They did help us win 97 games. But Torre forced Sheffield and Matsui back in the lineup and the chemistry was ruined. they had intangibles that year and got a ton of big hits, the team had great chemistry with them in the lineup and score a ton of runs. Then we switched to this ridiculous “Murders Row’ and Cano” by forcing Sheff and Matsui back and went away from the team concept.
From Heyman:
Around the Majors
• The Yankees are said to want to sign two out of three starting pitchers they’re coveting — CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. Sabathia is, of course, their No. 1 target. But Yankees players seem to love the idea of signing Burnett, a pitcher who has dominated them.
• Some baseball people say the crashing U.S. economy could give the Yankees an even greater advantage in this free-agent season. Some other teams may be affected by baseball’s debt rule that limits spending for teams with significant debt, and some owners may be affected by plummeting stock prices and hurting businesses. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ revenues are expected to jump by a few hundred million from an already sport-high $400 million.
Art V,
I don’t think Jeter just ignored Cano and Melky. It was talked about in a few articles how he was on them, but ultimately it should have been Girardi who benched him to get his attention. Players can only do so much before they are tuned out.
As to the FO, they are still positioning themselves for who is ultimately taking over. That always takes some time. You have to build your supporters first then make the move. Hal is more likely to be the front line guy.
Pete, I have absolutely zero problem with the Yankees not honoring any of the Stadium’s football past. Like it or not, the Stadium is associated with baseball and the Yankees. It was a majestic ending to a glorious stadium and I will not do as everyone else is doing and pile on the Yankees for the heck of it.
John McGraw could have been our manager this year and we would still have lost. Blaming Girardi or the veteran’s lack of desire is flat out wrong.
In order, we lost because Posada, Wang, Chamberlain and Matsui went down. We lost because Melky and Cano had bad years. We lost because there was nobody to replace Hughes and Kennedy when they disappointed.
All the grit in the world and coaching genius in the world wasn’t going to help.
Pete,
The only thing Springstein has done that I haven’t is played music in the club house with Bernie. Does that mean that I have “ties” to the stadium as well?
They canceled this ceremony because they didn’t want to have to honor Torre, coming off a likely WS appearance or even championshipn.
And I’m perfectly fine with that.
Good info.
Sabathia/AJ
AJ/Lowe
Wang
Joba
Pettitte
But what if Mussina wants to come back?
Sorry, SJ – I don’t agree with a lot of Patrick’s post. I happened to think the sendoff for YS was spectacular and glorious and I will always remember it. It’s chic to bash the Yankees for everone and everything – I’m not going to do it, period.
Sorry also – I’ve had enough of Joe Torre’s bitterness. He’s allowed to be upset for months on end and even refused to come to YS as an All-Star coach, but if the Yankees are upset at him…..that’s not allowed? Besides, they didn’t honor the managers – only Casey’s “ghost” and that was for a brief moment. I know you love Joe Torre – so did I – but the man is not a saint like he is being portrayed. You often wonder why there are people not rooting for him and the Dodgers? THAT is why.
E-rod,
Then Joba goes to AAA to build up his innings. As a starter. Enough fooling around with the back and forth.
It’s impossible to compare Girardi’s job to what Torre would have done, because if Torre stays I believe the Yanks would have made the Santana deal and had more of a go for it one last time approach to 2008.
Girardi did okay, but I agree with much of the criticism outlined here. He has to take charge of the veterans and focus on baseball related discipline and the hell with who wants to eat a snickers bar
Players can begin declaring FA the day after the World Series ends. I believe teams can begin offering arbitration at the same time. Most of the activity will be Nov 15 – Dec 15. Can’t wait!
As for the final event, I think cancelling it is lame. Maybe they should stage something on the 50th anniversary of the football game… who cares if it’s cold? Something that was priced for average fans would be worth doing. Something designed to generate a $ Four Million gate I can do without.
“He let too crap foster for too long in that clubhouse because he wasn’t able to realize that these are grown men and not kids.”
I think the point missed here is that grown men shouldn’t let crap foster and need another grown man to figure it out for them.
As far as the football “tribute”–attention has been paid to it (especially the Giants/Colts game), but GS3 essentially told them to f off with the renovation. Why would he suddenly want to make them a big part of this.
BTW, I didn’t realize people actually took most of what Jon Heyman had to say seriously. He’s one of the biggest hacks out there.
SJ, did you happen to see any of Phil’s outing yesterday in the AFL? If so, what did you think? Except for the walks (chalk it up to rustiness – I think when Phil doesn’t pitch for awhile, he gets out of synch. That would explain why, even in the minors, he would get off to slow starts), it was very (or so it appears) encouraging. I have no idea how hard he was really throwing, but he only gave up one hit and K’d 7……got groundouts as well. I also read that he was throwing a lot of changes and cutters.
I’m getting frustrated by all the trade Phil talk on this board, so I hope he gives us some positive stuff to talk about in the next month or so.
I would love to have that problem where we could be looking at 2 of Sabathia/Lowe/Burnett, Pettitte, Wang, Joba, Mussina.
We would be sitting pretty if it came to that. Joba would probably go to AAA to get innings and be there in reserve.
Mike and Kim are getting feisty today, talking about Favre.
Go Kim Jones! I may not agree with everything she’s saying but she’s going toe to toe with Francessa calmly in a way I’ve never seen anyone else do!
Francessa does not like to he challenged or have a contrasting opinion given to him. He has established that he is the lion in the den and everybody else is a cub.
Good to see Kim not back down. Carlin was just a spectator as expected.
Betsy,
That knife cuts both ways. The better Phil does, the better the product that comes back if he is traded.
But don’t worry, they didn’t trade him for Santana so they won’t trade him for pitching.
And trading for the next hot position player is not their MO either. Lots of teams would be interested in Phil, but are the Yankees willing to give him or Cano up? And why should they? They can be just as valuable to us as their replacements at a much greater cost.
We need Phil to help phil the void that’s going to be left by Mike and Andy. So it’s not an emotional attachment that Cashman has to Phil, it’s a pragmatic one. Our needs can be filled without sacrificing the core of the future.
Let the guys have their fun with the fantasy trades, but Phil’s not going anywhere.
Kim not doing too bad with Francesa..
that mccarver is really dumb. (on manny) “But some of the things he did were simply despicable, despicable — like not playing, refusing to play. Forgetting what knee to limp on. And now it’s washed, it’s gone.” Like winning a world series?
and girardi. if you can’t compare a manager in his 2nd year with a manager in his 26th, then why dont the yanks just hire an experienced manager??? they are the yankees. they can have almost any free agent they want, so why a young manager who is still playing out his fantasies of telling big famous slugger millionaires not to eat sweets? Let him play his young manager fantasy games somewhere else, and if it turns out he develops properly, then bring him back in 10 years.
The local media has suggested that St. Joe should get heavy consideration for Mgr. of the year…..In many ways they’re right…..Like recent WS victors, they are peaking at the right time…..Doing it a core of young guts who matriculated thru the system together…..I say they can pull it off….Need to beat Hammels in game 1…..
What is this on WFAN? A hottie or not discussion?
Totally agree that the way they handled the closing of the stadium sucked. But, Pete, what is up with the Springsteen infatuation? I am big Rush fan but I don’t think the stadium should play “YYZ” over the soundsystem before evey Blue Jays game.
How about some NYC bands that have done something since the 1970s? Interpol, the Strokes, anyone? How about some non-NYC bands that have done something since the 70’s? I’d take the Killers or White Stripes instead of listening to “The Piano Man” or “Mrs. Robinson”.
Speaking of the WHite Stripes, can someone tell me why, when the SuperBowl was in Detroit, they didn’t get any Detroit bands to play half-time? Why didn’t they start off with some Mo-Town, move into some Bob Seager and then something contemporary. Instead they had the Stones play “Start Me Up” or McCartney or whoever they hell should have stopped playing 40 years ago. The Stones shouldn’t have made another album after 1974.
Next year they’ll probably medicate Brian Wilson and bring him out to sing “California Girls”.
For the close of Yankee Stadium why not have Phil Niekro’s favorite musician, Jimmy Sturr? We can hear “Saturday Night Polka” or “Pennsylvania Polka” or “All My Polka Friends are Coming Over Tonight” or “Polka All Night Long” or…
“BTW, I didn’t realize people actually took most of what Jon Heyman had to say seriously. He’s one of the biggest hacks out there.”
Maybe, but Kim Jones who is around the team more than he is, backed up what he said. What I found odd is that Heyman named names. He specifically said that Jeter, Posada and Mo had problems with Girardi. If you were those three guys, would you ever speak to Heyman again? I most certainly wouldn’t.
Not for nothing, if those guys have a problem with how Girardi is communicating with the team, they should have told him, not some reporter. Even Kim Jones said that Girardi has no clue that there is a problem. Wouldn’t it have been better to tell him instead of Heyman?
Lastly, this issue about Peter having a “thing” against Girardi isn’t without merit (Heyman said other things about the Yankees in that WFAN interview yet Pete only mentions the Girardi part). The fact remains that this is his blog and if he wants to post something crappy about Girardi every single day, that’s his choice. People don’t have to read it. To complain to him about it makes no sense because he’s not forcing you to read what he wrote. That’s the choice that you’re making.
mel,
I don’t know you can say that with certainty. He did trade Tabata, who was our #1 position prospect coming into the year and the youngest player in AA, just a week after he said he is a big part of our future. Looking at our farm, we are barren when it comes to position prospects. It is Jackson and nothing for 3 years. Nady, Damon, and Matsui are all FAs. We have an ancient lineup and could have used Tabata and Jackson.
If we sign 2 FA pitchers and Cashman can find a young stud position player, I don’t think he would hesitate to trade him. It’s not like Cashman will trade him for Carlos Gomez, he would have to get back a proven stud. Remember, the offense was the reason we are sitting at home, not the pitching. I would rather sign Teixeria and keep Hughes but I don’t see Cashman going that way. I bet he would rather deal Hughes for a cornerstone position player than give Teixeria $140 million.
Kim Jones has done a hell of a job so far, she knows all topics. She is a female too so Tank can venture into ‘guy talk’ a little bit more and draw in the younger demographic. She isin’t some ditzy chick either, she knows her sports too.
I agree with those who say that the Yankees will not be trading Phil Hughes.
And by the way, while we’re making such a big deal out of the speculation that veteran players weren’t happy with Girardi, I might point out that a lot of veterans on Torre’s teams were less than happy with him also. I didn’t see any great rumbling in the Bronx because of it. I didn’t see any of the mighty sportswriters taking time to talk about it. Now how did we find out about it? Because the players themselves made comments about it. There are some who lived to tell about it and others who found themselves on the quick shuttle out of the Bronx since we all know (or at least I think we all know) that taking Torre down in the press was the sure kiss of death.
Heyman is a ‘hack’? When did this happen?
If Heyman is a ‘hack’ what does that make Madden, Harper, Sherman etc.?
“Sorry, SJ – I don’t agree with a lot of Patrick’s post. I happened to think the sendoff for YS was spectacular and glorious and I will always remember it. It’s chic to bash the Yankees for everone and everything – I’m not going to do it, period. ”
The final sendoff for YS was great but everything leading up to it was pretty weak. They could have done so much more in the weeks/months leading up to the last game.
You can’t deny though that the Yanks took a step back in almost every facet of the organization this season. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, they failed to sign two of the top 3 draft picks, failed to sign Inoa (and had to fire the head of Latin America scouting because of corruption). Girardi had a pretty poor debut as a manager (but I’m still hopeful).
The minor league system also got somewhat weaker in my opinion. Most of the pitching prospects in the system missed time because of injury, Tabata was traded, etc. There were positives too such as the development of Melancon, Jackson, Montero, etc but I think the negatives outweigh the positives.
The Yankee minor league system was widely regarded as being in the top 5 or 10 in the league before this season began. I’d bet that when the rankings come out this offseason they will be around 15.
I still have hope for the future but the entire organization has to do a better job starting now.
I don’t think Cash is against trading Hughes for the right deal. Again, people need to stop thinking they ‘know’ Cashman. He has gone against the grain several times. He always sneaks up on everybody with his deals.
“The local media has suggested that St. Joe should get heavy consideration for Mgr. of the year…..In many ways they’re right…”
They would be right if the Dodgers turnaround had anything to do with Joe Torre. LAD didn’t get their act together until Manny, Casey Blake and Donnie Baseball showed up. When it was just Torre, they were languishing, playing sub .500 baseball.
Before people flame me for being anti-Torre, don’t. I happen to be very grateful to Joe for 12 great years. But I’m not going to sugar coat the truth out of fear of being branded petty. I’m not upset that the Dodgers are in the playoffs. I just think that the credit should be given to the people who truly deserve it.
“If Heyman is a ‘hack’ what does that make Madden, Harper, Sherman etc.?”
Super hacks?
I still remember the “Cashman would trade Tabata11!1!” crew on this board. How did that work out?
Laura some clarification. Heyman was not told directly. It was I heard. Those players did not walk up to Heyman and say that they don’t like Joe.
Also, Kim said she thought that Maybe Joe didn’t know. Did not state for a fact that he didn’t
“Not for nothing, if those guys have a problem with how Girardi is communicating with the team, they should have told him, not some reporter. Even Kim Jones said that Girardi has no clue that there is a problem. Wouldn’t it have been better to tell him instead of Heyman?”
What if they did over and over again and it had no effect? Remember, Girardi is stubborn and thought that his relationship with the media was “outstanding” – his word.
The thing is, he and Kim were saying that was their impression. Both spent time in the clubhouse. It doesn’t have to be a direct report for it to be valid. This is something that Pete alluded to as well as all the other writers. Heyman and Kim just spelled it out a little more.
“Kim Jones has done a hell of a job so far, she knows all topics. She is a female too so Tank can venture into ‘guy talk’ a little bit more and draw in the younger demographic. She isin’t some ditzy chick either, she knows her sports too.”
She does a much better job on the Fan than she does interviewing the players after the game. That is just hard to watch sometimes.
I wouldn’t give Torre manager of the year. He is a terrible bullpen and game manager. You guys thought Girardi’s lineups were bad? Torre’s were much much worse.
Turntables,
Of course it’s always possible. But Hughes had the potential to be more valuable than Tabata.
And Tabata soured the Yankees with his antics. He quit on the team.
So when Cashman came out with the endorsement, he was doing what a good GM does. Putting wax on the fruit to make it look irresistable.
So what did Cashman do after Phil’s outstanding (outstanding) postseason performance? Downplayed it and made plans to send him to AFL to beef up his IP count.
Not saying it’s impossible, just highly improbable.
“Laura some clarification. Heyman was not told directly. It was I heard. Those players did not walk up to Heyman and say that they don’t like Joe.”
I’ll have to go back and listen again because I thought I heard him say for sure that the Big 3 didn’t like Girardi’s communication style.
Uber-Hacks
“They would be right if the Dodgers turnaround had anything to do with Joe Torre. LAD didn’t get their act together until Manny, Casey Blake and Donnie Baseball showed up. When it was just Torre, they were languishing, playing sub .500 baseball.”
This isn’t entirely true. The clubhouse was a big problem when Torre got there, vets and young kids not getting along, that takes some time to get turned around. Yes, Manny coming in helped some, so did Mattingly, but Torre laid the groundwork.
Get off the hate on Torre. Without Torre they wouldn’t have had Mattingly going there either.
He slipped a key word in there the first time he spoke, than continued on as if they said it. It was very slick.
“I don’t think Cash is against trading Hughes for the right deal.”
I disagree with that assessment. But time will tell if that is correct or incorrect. The reason I think Cashman is against it is this: He realizes that the Yankees need to have a mix of veterans and young pitchers. Joba and Wang are not enough to bring up the youth movement, if you still consider Wang to be part of it. I think Hughes is part of the future of the franchise.
13, Kim and Heyman said it was their impression. Playing devil’s advocate, I could suggest that their impression may turn out to be totally incorrect in terms of what was really going on. Always a possibility.
Laura, Damon was one who was in Girardi’s corner in the beginning, and Damon is one of the easiest people to get along with. He had Damon turn against him for a long time as well.
Heyman talked about what he saw and heard, and admitted his time in that clubhouse was limited. Kim agreed with the problems. It seems hard to argue that two different people come up with the same conclusions and there is nothing to it.
They are doing it with a very young team…..There’s over 50 million in salary that is riding the pine…Yes Manny has infused energy and a big stick, but this team was in shambles last season….They are playing in the NLCS & have a shot of going to the Series…..Watched at least 50 Dodger games this year, the improvements do warrant a certain degree of respect…
So did we decide on who told Heyman all this stuff that was going on?
Matsuzaka and Okajima will do lousy jobs in the ALCS. Jonathan Papelbon has John Rocker traveling with him. Those Sockies will lose.
Well, I’m sure this is sacrilege, but it’s a building. And there is another one that is better in every way (without the history) next door. Besides the fact that is basically looks nothing like the stadium looked when all that history was made since the massive renovation.
I get the feeling that the organization was only half-hearted in needing to do a massive OMG send-off. They aren’t moving to CA.
And as far as the “football history” of the building ? I could not possibly care less. Oh, wait, yes I could. About the “music history” of the place ? “music history”? Really ?
I think Pinella and Manuel are more deserving, but Torre did a fine job guiding a disfunctional team through six months. He benched veterans that deserved it and played kids, something he was loathe to do in the Bronx. He also benefitted from managering in the weakest division in sports, but he proved again he is a fine manager.
One of Girardi’s challenges in the off-season will be to review the year with Jeter, ARod, Mariano, Mussina, Pettite and Damon and get a sense for where his core veterans are in their view of him and then go forward. Obviously two of those guys may not be back, but their perspective from lots of years in the game and in pinstripes is valid.
RustyJohn— I agree with your sentiment aobut using local musicians/roots for special events but your musical ideas are way off. The sports fans who pay the overwhelming majority of the bills are 40+ and they would never tolerate the groups you mentioned. Dude, it’s all about the audience… the PAYING audience
I wouldn’t have gone to a November 9th closing ceremony at gunpoint (especially after the absurd Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig tribute actors and the equally perverse spectacle of middle-aged, pot-bellied, non-athlete sons of dead stars waddling onto the field in their fathers’ uniforms) but how does a team announce they are having a closing ceremony and then just cancel it? IS ANYBODY IN CHARGE OF THIS FRIGGIN MESS???
The best thing that can happen now would be for George’s idiot sons to sell the team. Neither of these two Jim Dolan knock-offs can run a candy store, much less the greatest franchise in the history of professional sports. Really, can any sane person envision a return to glory led by either of these two buffoons?
Please God, give the Boss one last moment of lucidity and the sense to pass the team along to a worthy custodian.
ajax with a rbi single…1 for 3 on the day…3 for 7 overall so far
it’d be awesome if you proofread the blog a little, pete. just a suggestion.
Why do so many people put the 2009 Yankees rotation together with pitchers like AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe ahead of Wang? Derrick Lowe’s last year in the AL East was terrible, as in, 5.4 ERA. I don’t have any idea why the Yankees would consider signing him to a 3 or 4 year deal when they can have Andy for 1 year and have a better idea of what they are going to get from him.
By the way, Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Tim Hudson, and Cliff Lee could all be free agents after next season. That’s another reason why signing Andy Pettitte as the 4th starter to a 1 year deal and relying on Hughes, Kennedy, Aceves, Rasner, Coke, Horne, and Igawa to be the 5th starter makes more sense than signing a guy like Burnett, Lowe, or Sheets.