Pinch hitting: Bronx Insider
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jan 05, 2009 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
January is traditionally a slow month for baseball news. So for the second year in a row, we will showcase other blogs with a series of pinch hitters.
Next up is Jeff from Bronx Insider.
Jeff is from Westchester County, New York and started his blog a year ago. He’s a senior in high school and writes to give the perspective of a 17-year-old fan.
Here’s his post:
————
My father is a Red Sox fan, and for the first five years of my life, I was inundated with messages of Boston supremacy. While other babies were saying “goo-gah,” I was saying “Rog-ah.”
The only Yankee fan in my family was my grandfather on my mother’s side. He used to tell me stories of serving in the army with a guy named Edward. “But by then, most people knew him as Whitey,” he used to say. Yep, he served with Whitey Ford.
But for those first five years, I hated the Yankees. How unkind the fates were to me. Living just an hour north of the Stadium, I was constantly bombarded with taunts from my friends. Then, as I started developing into a mature first-grader, I came to my senses.
It started with a few Yankees baseball cards — Bernie Williams, David Cone, Paul O’Neill. It then grew into some posters, followed by magazines, books, and t-shirts. In the blink of an eye, I had converted into a Yankese fan.
My father, faced with this unpleasant and painful scenario, finally took me to a Yankees game on September 25th, 1999. I was 8 at the time. Much to my chagrin, the Yanks lost 2-1 to the Devil Rays; it was the first time the Rays ever beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Regardless of the outcome, it was a day that I’ll never forget.
Since then, I have soaked in baseball. I love everything about it; the home runs, the strikeouts, the amazing catches. I love the numbers, especially – 73, 2,632, 714, .406, 56. Any way you slice it, the Yankees are at the center of it all, virtually all baseball history links back to them.
Unfortunately, I was a bit too young to appreciate the championships of the late 1990’s. The clips have been played myriad times. I even have John Sterling’s call of the last out of the 1996 World Series on my iPod. “Swung on and popped up again, off third. Hayes, has room, Hayes, makes the catch! Yankees win! Theeee Yankees win!” Even though these championships live on in Yankee lore, I was never able to enjoy them as they were happening. There have been some great moments since then, but those classic October moments have diminished since I started becoming a fan.
This is why I am so excited for the 2009 season to begin. I feel that the moves the Yankees have made so far, especially in the rotation, will make them a dominant team from April through October. Long gone are the days that Sidney Ponson, Darrell Rasner, and Carl Pavano start three out of every five games. The Yankees are built to win.
So as the days become warmer and the grass becomes greener, here’s hoping that this Yankee fan will be able to enjoy an October celebration in 2009.
————
Good job, Jeff. Baseball needs more fans of your generation. Coming tomorrow: Matt from Yankees Republic.
nice post
Nicely done, Jeff.
Inspiring post from a youngster, hell of a job by grandpa.
nice
This is a mute point.
well written
Sam I Am: What on earth is a “mute point”?
Jeff: A very nice post.
Please continue to write–you certainly have the talent for it.
(At least your parents were into baseball, though; mine hate sports! Yes, still!)
aado, I think Sam means a ‘moot point’.
However, I disagree–why you become a fan might not matter to (some) others, but it sure as heck matter to yourself.
Good post. Feel the same way as you do. I’m a 19 year old sophomore college student though, but I didn’t get to enjoy the 90′s Yankees Dynasty nearly as much as most Yankees fans, due to the fact that I was young as well. I really want to have the feeling of excitement and joy that I team that I follow on a daily basis, even though I’m called obsessive & psychotic when I pass on hanging out w/ my buddies to watch or listen to a Yankee game at 7, of when they win the World Series.
Great post, and I can totally understand where you are coming from. The final two paragraphs made me realize that I have yet to experience a championship as an educated fan. I hardly cared about baseball when my dad woke me up in time to see Wade Boggs ride around Yankee stadium on a horse.
Its memories like those that make you forget about the statistics and people who take the game too seriously. It makes you remember why you love the sport – because it brings you closer to your family and friends.
Great job, and nice blog.
Jeff-
Great job buddy! Love the passion in your writing.
Jeff, great job! Excellent writing, and considering your age, I would also add impressive.
But I’ll add this for Sam…
Bitterment… Party of one… Your table is ready…
Nice post Jeff. Very well written. Pete’s right – baseball does need as many fans of your age as it can get. I appreciated your sense of recent Yankee history.
Well done. Hopefully 2009 will be a season that you and other young fans will remember vividly.
Great job. Only baseball can give stories like that. Glad to see you came around to the right side.
Rebecca has a nice short fiction piece on her blog and reading this made me think of it. Check it out at http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com/
Thanks guys.
Jeff, well done… although the bar was set pretty low from yesterday’s post.
Thanks for at least showing the world that SOME NYY fans, let alone New Yorkers, do use their brains or could at least make a cohesive and sensible post.
Welcome to the dark side.
You’re a good writer, Jeff. Very nice story, but if it’s one thing you gotta keep in mind, someone’s going to get injured this year. That’s just the nature of playing 162 games. That’s why it’s a good thing Cashman held off on trading all the prospects and opted to go through free agency. We can only hope the system is deep enough to wade through any key injuries we may, and probably will, sustain during the season. But you’re right, when you look at those championship teams and see what kind of pitchers we were running out there every night: Cone, Key, Wells, Pettitte, Hernandez, and even Clemens, that and a stellar job by the bullpen with Wetteland, Rivera, Stanton, Nelson, Mendoza…not to mention a very good lineup with guys who could actually field their position…hmm, it sounds a lot like the kind of team we have now, on paper at least!
Kudos for your evasion of Sox fandom. I was in a similar situation myself as a kid. My dad was a Mets fan, most of my friends were Yankee fans. I came to my senses in ’95, when I first went to the Stadium at age 10. Must be something magic about that venue…my dad converted, too!
aado
January 5th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Sam I Am: What on earth is a “mute point”?
I think it’s the button on the remote next to closed caption.
Nice job Jeff … I can relate to your post in quite a few ways. Too bad you were too young for a first-hand look at the years just before your first trip to the stadium. All of 98 was like how Tony Fernandez often said that year … ‘we play today, we win today’ … positive energy just pulsed through the place during every game, win or lose. The Sox fans I knew were actually speaking in admiration too.
On a side note, I think Sam’s a tad ticked nobody’s started a front-office coup yet.
ANSKY, you sure you’re not confusing 98 with 96? Mariano Duncan, we play today, we win today, das it…
Jeff, that’s a very nice post and it’s well written too. I hope you’ll have a championship of your own to celebrate later this year.
If you’re talking about Duncan saying that instead of Fernandez, Rebecca, you may be right. I should have confirmed or double checked the rosters of those seasons but I thought for sure it was the 98 season. It’s getting kind of ethereal and blurry a decade later.
Good job Jeff.
ah the 1990′s.
As you say, sadly you were too young to fully appreciate those late 1990 Yankee championship teams – but on the bright side you also missed out on the Stump Merrill/Dallas Green/Bucky Dent years too.
Especially for us old geezers
Well done!
What an awesome post! I am super impressed!
I also grew up among the Yankee-haters, and I searched high and lo to find some claim to Yankee fan genes! My great-grandfather on my mother’s side… George S’s father… Cleveland… alright!
Go Yankees!
ANSKY: So now would be a bad time to mention I was 10 in 1996?
Rebecca is right on the money! Das it!
And howza bout dem Knicks, eh?
Das it … the haze is clearing a little now and Mariano Duncan is starting to sound more familiar, but it still feels like it was ’98. I’m trying to rattle the cobwebs loose and remember without looking it up.
10, Rebecca? Wow. I was 10 when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s HR record.
Rebecca was right about it being Mariano Duncan and 1996, ANSKY. No sweat, though. The details of all that success can sometimes be a blur.
Jeff, great work with a well-written piece. Stories about how people have become fans never get old for me–especially Yankees fans. Keep up the good work. Sports writing would be a heck of a gig for you.
Holy….random off topic here, but ESPN.com radically changed their layout and it totally threw me.
Anyway, back to the stuff that actually matters…
I started to follow the Yanks in ’76 when they lost to the Reds, then had the championships in 77 and 78, cried for Munson in 79, but it has been worthwhile. Hold on, we are still a few years away from a new dynasty, but Cashman in going in the right direction.
Very good job, Jeff! Look forward to hearing more from your perspective!
Alvaro, I’m right there with you about when I started to follow the Yankees–1976 as a young kid. In good part it was because of Munson, a tough catcher who, like me, was from a working-class background. Plus, he was clutch in the post-season and especially the World Series–.529 in ’76. When Sparky Anderson disrespected him by refusing to compare Munson or anyone to Bench, it made me like Munson all the more. He died on my birthday. Ouch.
I agree about Cashman, who on the whole has done well. His re-stocking the Yanks’ organization with young pitchers has been tremendous so far. Great off-season work this year.
I feel good about our youth by reading Jeff’s blog entry. Particularly overcoming bad family influences by having a parent who’s a Red Sox fan. I feel the pain of being a Yankee fan who was way too young to enjoy a Yankee Dynasty. I was born in 1978.
But I was fortunate to see in person and enjoy the Yankee teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The Yankees last 8 World Championships have come when a Democrat has lived in the White House. With Barack Obama as President- a Yankee Championship in 2009 is Change that I Could Believe In.
Nice post Jeff…my link to the Yankees is through family. My wife and I recently had our first child, a daughter, and just today I fitted her with her first yankees cap
Hey Jeff,
Good job. Nice blog, too.
Long gone are the days of pavano, ponson and rasner starting? It was only about six months ago. Good post though – i dont like burnett in stripes but other than that it has been a pretty excellent off season – i like the swisher signing most not because he will have the most impact of course but rather because i BELIEVE this is one of the first times in cash’s illustrious career that it seems like he made a shrewd and intelligent move rather than just throwing a whole bunch of money around to improve the club. Only time will tell but i have a feeling after ten years or so as GM in title and at least 3 years running the club entirely cash has finally got the hang of the job. And please dont cite small and chacon after this post – those were so clearly luck more than intelligent decision-making ability.
Et tu, Art? Peddling this Republican curse silliness? Fiddlesticks.
From whence does this so-called curse spring? Big Stein’s illegal Nixon contributions? Anti-Goldwaterism!
If there’s a curse that allies itself with Jimmy Carter… No.
Nice post by the young fella. Much better than the Sam I Am Garbage.
Although – being “young myself” (at 26) – that did make me feel a little old. I realized if you were 17 – you were born in 91 or 92.
At least you can relive so much of that stuff through YES and DVDs. But it’s scary isn’t it – it’s been more than a decade since the 114 win team. It’s been FOURTEEN YEARS since Mattingly retired!
Jeff – you came along at the right time – when you wrote about Ponson, Pavano, and Rasner… here’s some old history… it was in the early 90′s – the Yanks would throw this collection to the mound:
Wade Taylor
Jeff Johnson
Sam Millitello
Scott Kamineicki
Scott Sanderson (gave up a ton of homers)
Melido Perez
Andy Hawkins
Oh yea – and thank god you missed the Danny Tartabull era – what did we give him 4 4yrs/20 million? And he was coming off a career year in KC which he never came close to again.
Remember some of those joke teams.
Steve Sax, Pat Kelly, Alvaro Espinoza, Hensley “Bam Bam” Muelens, Luis “I like little girls” Polonia, Jesse Barfield, Mel Hall, Andy Stankiewicz, Matt Nokes… and of course the immortals – Kevin Maas and Steve ‘Bye Bye’ Balboni.
Oh yea and Lee Gutterman and Greg Cadaret in the ‘pen with Steve Farr shutting it down.
Not exactly Nelson/Stanton/Rivera.
It makes you appreciate what we got now and had during the Dynasty. Those guys were all from the early 90′s… and theres some Yankee fans and probably Sam I Am who are going “wow… THEY played for US??”
Sam, I thought after your whack post we wouldn’t hear from u again. But now now you blast a good post by a nice young writer, and you cant even spell it correctly. Weak sauce. Keep your sour grapes to yourself.
Nick-
Do u know of a yankee friendly bar in the city?
I think it was a sad plea to be muted?
Try Aces on Sutter Street:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/aces-san-francisco
thank u sir.
My new Yankee blog
Mystique and Aura
http://nyymystique.blogspot.com/
It’s a great story. We all have our own unique reasons for being Yankee fans, and it always fascinating to hear what drew someone to the pinstripes. It’s not how I became a Yankee fan, but the first book I remember reading was an autobiography of Lou Gehrig, who, to this day, remains my all-time greatest hero.
There’s no way of telling that’s the real “Sam I Am” commenting upon young Skywalker’s posting of that fine pinstripe’d coming of age saga.
I started following the Yanks when they belonged to CBS right before GStein purchased them for less than what they’ll pay Pettitte this year. I used to bet my G-paw a nickel for every Yank win and loss – he bet against the Yanks – he made more money.
2009 should be a helluva lot more rewarding/less frustrating than last year was – but none of it was as bad as the late ’60′s/early ’70′s team. Horace Clarke/Jim Mason/end-of-career Johnny Callison anyone?
Ron Blomberg stood a bunch of us fans up when he was a no-show for a local Monmouth County shopping center autograph session.
With an historical perspective,
sevrox
(fan since ’68 – alive since ’61)
SAM I AM
January 5th, 2009 at 12:10 am
This is a mute point.
————————————————————
Ahhh, Sammy, if only your keyboard was mute.
good post, but I would go with 60 or 61, not 73. 73 was a steroid soaked anomaly. Bonds, Mac, Sosa belong to the Brady Anderson era.
The commissioner must have though he was saving baseball after the strike by allowing the steroid fueled home run race. Actually he was imperiling its soul.
I’m the same age as you, Jeff, so this blog is spot. I grew up in the Bronx and my father straight up told me “You’re going to be a Yankees fan no matter what”. First game I went to was in 2000 (my dad for never got ticekts from 98-99) and the Yankees were slaughtered by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. David Cone was pitching, I’ll never forget it.
I really want to become a Yankees beat writer… the idea of writing and covering my favorite team is just… I can’t even put it into words.
Jeff -
I really liked your post. Isn’t it great how with baseball, you start with a game, or a player or a card and then you just have to find out more? And there’s always more.
I also have to give kudos to your dad for bringing you to a Yankee game – especially if he was a Red Sox fan. That’s pretty cool. My parents weren’t baseball fans, but my brother and I were and so they took us to games (Mets at the time).
Keep on writing!
Well done Jeff!
Its is great how people of all ages can be so die hard about the Yanks.
For those interested, MLB.com has Game 7 of the 1952 WS available for free, today, all day.
What’s your problem SAM I AM? Good post Jeff. Keep up the good work.
Great post.
Jeff— great to hear from someone so young, positive and optimistic.
Hang around here a while,… we’ll knock it out of you! lol
Good luck.. remind you Dad you can still report him to DCFS if he keeps rooting for the Sawx
Jeff that’s a great post. I feel Pete might have some competition in the years to come.
Keep writing, you have real talent!
good job, jeff. the real test of a fan is does he stick with his team through the bad times, and there will be bad times. when the horace clark era or the oscar gamble era hits, will you still be a hardcore yankees fan.
i remember when charlie hayes caught that popup that ended the 96 series thinking about the people who had stuck it out through all the terrible baseball of the late 80′s and early 90′s, and lifted my glass in a silent toast to the real fans who had stuck it out all those years. be one of us jeff, ALWAYS keep the faith.
oh and missing the playoffs last year doesnt count as the ‘darrel rasner era’.
Jeff, great post and well written.
Just a word of advise, being born in the early 70′s, I too was unable to enjoy a run of dominance by the Yankees, having to live through the 80′s.
However, it comes around it always does and when it does it something that you will never forget. Lets hope that 2009 is the start of something special.
“oh and missing the playoffs last year doesnt count as the ‘darrel rasner era’.”
ham_fighter -
That line absolutely cracked me up!
(Although DR did not have the success we would have hoped, he will always have my admiration for gutting it out, giving his best all the time and being, as we like to say, accountable.)
doreen, i too liked rasner alot, i also liked horace clark alot and its a shame that he has been tagged as a euphomism for bad yankees teams. i purposely didnt use sidney ponson, b/c rasner, like clark was just a guy trying hard who was not put in the best positions to succeed.
ham_fighters -
Roy White and Horace Clarke go together in my mind. Thought they were both pretty good. Or maybe just the most memorable?
white was excellent, not a star but a solid left fielder and role player. he also was the first yankee idol and the first yankee i ever got an autograph from. a class act, mr white.
its a good question why poor horace got tagged with what should more fairly be called the cbs era. mel stottlemeier was there along with roy white and others. why clark? i dont know.
as for white, he stuck it out and survived to play in 3 WS and take home a coule of rings.
wherever you are roy and horace and mel, i still love you guys!
ham_fighters -
Horace Clark, if I remember correctly, was kinda funny looking guy. Maybe that’s why?
At the time, it was my brother who was the big Yankees fan, so my memories of that time are spotty. But for those of you who have more vivid memories, it sure helps when you write about them here – it puts the current state of the Yankees in perspective and it reminds people that even in the lean years, there’s always something (or someone) to cheer for.
*my first yankee idol* sorry bad edit.
Nice post Jeff. Glad that you came over to the Yankee side.
horace clarke (i was spelling his name wrong even, poor guy!) was exactly what you expected from a 2Baseman back in the day. a weak hitter who could turn the dp, thats all, in those days the 2b was a glove and if you got anything from them at the plate it was a bonus.
clarke was a little funny looking, he wore glassed and later google type glasses and wore his hair in a short afro, which was the style for african american players at the time. theres really no reason why he should be the poster boy for mike burke and his group of inept front office people, but thats what happened.
i dont even know if horace is still alive but if he is, id kinda like to see them let him throw out a first ball or something for all the grief he’s gotten by being an ‘era’
horace: http://www.baseball-almanac.co.....ograph.jpg
Good post.
Great post!!
And the name “Horace” probably didn’t help, either.
No one player should have to carry the weight of that era, but I guess it’s a short-hand, so people know the years you’re talking about. And everyone knows Horace’s name!
Sam I am
The word is MOOT!
SAM I AM
January 5th, 2009 at 12:10 am
This is a mute point.
=========================
First, it’s *moot* not mute.
Second, sour grapes.
Third (which ties into the first), really, don’t quit your day job.
Pete Abe: great job in giving other aspiring writers a chance at a larger platform.
Jeff: Nice work, pal. Welcome aboard.
Great job Jeff! Better than most of the adult blog posts out there!!!
Jeff, Kind of reminds me of how I grew up in Western Mass. surrounded by Sox fans. Thank god my father and uncle were Yankee fans. I took alot of abuse as I was constantly out numbered but the payoff was very sweet with 2 championships in the 70′s and 4 in the 90/00′s. I even converted my wife who grew up in a family of die-hard Sox fans. Just spreading the gospel!
Horace Clarke has always gotten a bum rap. He was a very good defensive 2nd baseman and a really good arm. As an offensive player, he was pretty much league average. When looking at his numbers, he placed high in hits (2nd in 1969), stole bases, but, defense is where he was best. considering that he never knew who his shortstop partner was, he could turn a double play. He just aged really fast.
White was an outstanding player that never got the credit he deserved. He moved from second base to the outfield, but he played 6 positions. Solid outfielder, but, not a great arm (better than Damon, not as good as Gardner), but he was accurate. He had some power, but, he was a great base runner. He’s always been the overlooked member of the ’76-’79 teams for whatever reason. Martin didn’t think much of him, because he wasn’t a loud rah, rah guy. Quiet and unassuming, but a respected leader. Sounds like Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. Same type of guy. When the Yanks released him in 1979, he never said a word..just left. He played his last three years in Japan. The Yanks have done him dirty, though. He’s almost never at Old Timer’s Day, until lately. I always thought he would have been a great hitting, base running and outfield coach for the Yanks…at least somewhere in the system. He did coach for NY in the early 80s and again in 2004, but, mostly misused. Hard to believe that he’s 66 years old, now.
Here’s a humorous look at Old Timer’s Day as viewed by Marty Appel, a one time PR guy for the Yanks.
http://www.appelpr.com/ARTICLES/A-oldtimer.htm
***Obtaining proper uniforms was always a challenge. Old caps could be duplicated at a modest cost, but the jerseys were harder to get, and as the teams modernized their looks in the ‘70s, it was just wrong to put an old White Sox player into a powder blue uniform. (We borrowed the uniforms from each clubhouse manager). One year we found ourselves without a number seven for Mickey Mantle. He was supposed to bring it with him from another Old Timers’ Game, but forgot. We put him into Gene Michael’s #17 and put a piece of tape over the 1. A lot of people wondered why his 7 seemed off center***
***He managed to lose his uniform the next year too. So we squeezed him into Roy White’s number 6, the number which he wore as a rookie, which made for a nice conversation piece. As a bonus, I talked him into playing center field, for old times sake, which he hadn’t done since 1966, even in an Old Timers game, and I don’t believe ever did again. And he looked great out there, bad legs and all***
***In 1974 we asked Mantle and Whitey Ford, new Hall of Famers, to select the guest list. They invited every screwball they ever played with or against, until we “augmented” the lineup with some guys who would actually be in condition to play the game. For a gift that year, we went very classy and ordered limited edition carved glass ashtrays with the Yankee logo, a very handsome, and rather expensive piece. Whitey, good naturedly, thought it was a lousy gift and tossed his into the trash. Elston Howard, taking the cue, did the same, and then about a dozen others went flying in. Whitey was also good at turning in his expense account for the day with a laugh – the 50 cent Whitestone Bridge toll, each way***
Red Sox fans in Westchester County? Ugh. What is the world coming to! lol
Very nice post Jeff. Kudos to your grandpa for getting your baseball fan house in order! lol
Horace Clarke? Now there’s a blast from the past.
He used to take about 20 practice swings before stepping into the box and then wouldn’t swing the bat.
I always get a kick out of Yankees fans who believe last year was “bad”.
You want bad? Check out some of those early 70′s Yankee teams. That was bad!
Nice writing Jeff. You may have proved a point that I have been loathe to admit lately though- sometimes a kids friends do know better than their parents.
OK, back to business. Cashman’s vacation is over with and he still has moves to make other than to introduce Teixeira to the media.
It’s less than 40 days until pitchers and catchers report to ST. Cashman will need to do the last of the roster moves so players will know where they are and make living arrangements.
The next 2 weeks should see some movement done around the leagues.
ham_fighters
January 5th, 2009 at 8:33 am
horace clarke (i was spelling his name wrong even, poor guy!) was exactly what you expected from a 2Baseman back in the day. a weak hitter who could turn the dp, thats all, in those days the 2b was a glove and if you got anything from them at the plate it was a bonus.
clarke was a little funny looking, he wore glassed and later google type glasses and wore his hair in a short afro, which was the style for african american players at the time. theres really no reason why he should be the poster boy for mike burke and his group of inept front office people, but thats what happened.
i dont even know if horace is still alive but if he is, id kinda like to see them let him throw out a first ball or something for all the grief he’s gotten by being an ‘era’
————————————————————
“Hoss” is very much alive. He was at OTD this year.
Hard to figure out how Mike Burke was ever as inept in his later life when he had such an amazing life and career. Great football All-American, President of Ringling Brothers-Barnum Bailey Brothers Circus, but, mostly as Wil Bill Donavon’s right hand man in the formation of the OSS. Burke was a spy in the truest sense…parachuting into every Nazi held country in Europe, forming resistence groups. He also recruited Moe Berg, a former MLB catcher to join the OSS and spy in Germany. Pretty risky, since he was Jewish. Back in 1946, they made a movie about Burke, called “Cloak And Dagger”. The movie had a Yankee connection. Burke’s part was played by Gary Cooper.
I really enjoyed this post – I grew up in a Red Sox family, too in New England and have never been to a Yanks game. I’ve been to a Red Sox game of course, but no Yanks game. 1996 was the year that I began to love baseball, after watching Derek Jeter play for the first time.
This season is going to be spectacular. I know that Cashman has raised the expectations and that less than a World Series will be a disappointment this season, but when was the last time the Yanks were so heavily favored going in? This team has something special about it and hopefully this money spent won’t be money thrown away.
Correction: ***Wild Bill Donovan’s***
GB, thanks for the great background!
Maybe Burke’s baseball career was just a front, and he went on cloak-and-daggering it behind the scenes? Plot for a thriller, one of our wordsmiths needs to get going!
Glenn
January 5th, 2009 at 9:16 am
OK, back to business. Cashman’s vacation is over with and he still has moves to make other than to introduce Teixeira to the media.
It’s less than 40 days until pitchers and catchers report to ST. Cashman will need to do the last of the roster moves so players will know where they are and make living arrangements.
The next 2 weeks should see some movement done around the leagues.
——-
Back to business for all of us. Sucks coming off a long break as the way the Holidays fell, many have had almost 2 weeks off.
So what are the first moves for the Yanks?
Ham, I need to post my daily Manny to the yanks post. I still think we would be way better off with him in our line up.
As far as pitching goes, we still have to fill that 4th spot. Either sign Pettite this week or go after Ollie. If we get Perez then that locks up all 5 spots in our rotation for some time unless we trade Wang or move Joba to the pen at some point.
Signing Pettite allows us to at least bring Hughes into play but signing Ollie would create a log jam that leaves the young pitchers in the minors saying “here we go again” as far as cracking the yanks rotation.
Should be an interesting couple of weeks.
Good article, but boy did reading that make me feel old.
Yankeeray, that logjam in the rotation is the exact reason I wanted the Yanks to sign Sheets over Burnett. If neither were to get hurt, we’d at least have a spot open up for Hughes and assorted MCAlisters and Bettances as they mature and make their way to MLB. Burnett is going to be there for 5 years and you can expect at least his last two years to be mediocre. Too much money committed to someone who hasn’t proven himself when there were so many short term alternatives available. Pettitte and Sheets or Lowe or Penny or any decent #5 would still have been a great rotation.
I remember Phil Rizzuto (during a moment when he wasn’t bantering with Bill White or saying “hi” to Scooter and Ann) telling how Hoss Clarke became a switch-hitter. Where he grew up and played as a kid was on a coast somewhere and the way the ball field was situated he would keep hitting the ball into the ocean if he batted lefty so he learned to bat right-handed as well. Though not all that well apparently.
Roy White was my favorite player during those dark days and I have been fortunate enough to have met him several times and to have spent time with him. Class act all the way.
Along with my Ruth, Mantle, Howard, and DiMaggio paraphenalia scattered about my TV room is a couple 5×7′s of Clarke and White. A reminder of my time as a kid learning to love the Yankees (and that times can always be worse!) lol.
Joey’s Poodle
January 5th, 2009 at 9:26 am
GB, thanks for the great background!
Maybe Burke’s baseball career was just a front, and he went on cloak-and-daggering it behind the scenes? Plot for a thriller, one of our wordsmiths needs to get going!
————————————————————
No doubt about it, CBS and Burke stabbed the Yankees in the back. They stripped the team and allowed it to get old at the worst time possible…the first year of the amateur FA draft. Their young pitchers like Downing, Bouton. Bill Stafford, Hal Reniff and Roland Sheldon and younger call-ups like Rich Beck and Jack Cullen all hurt their arms, young sluggers like Steve Whitaker, Roger Repoz flopped and Tommy Tresh and Pepiton started getting hurt or ineffective. The draft picks were washouts. All that was left was a rapidly aging Mantle and Mel Stottlemyre. Maris shattered his hand in a slide in to home plate and lost every bit of power. The worst choice was having Johnny Keane managing. White wasn’t quite ready and Murcer was in service. Later, it was brutal trades like Stan Bahnsen for Rich McKinney.
One more little oddity about “Hoss” Clarke…his first two major league homers were grand slams. He never hit another one.
Will Oliver Perez be our 5th starter this year??
Nice job Jeff thanks for the read. I vividly remember the strike, but I was 10 in 95′ and 11 in ’96 so I’m part of that spoiled generation of Yankee fans who were raised through the golden years. Though this year wasn’t bad per se, because when you think about it in 2000 we won less games. The ending was sour but throughout the season they pretty much always had a shot to make a move. Up until the last few games I was able to hope against hope that the Sox would lose 6 in a row and the Yanks would win 6 lol
The problem with Sheets is his elbow. Teams that have looked at him are really worried about his health.
If they aren’t confident he can hold up, you can’t sign him. That’s why so many teams have backed off of him.
If healthy, he was the second best FA pitcher on the market. Unfortunately, he’s not healthy.
As far as logjams with pitching prospects, those things have a way of working themselves out. You can never have too much pitching.
Its a luxury for the Yankees if they were to ever have the “problem” of being having pitching logjams. It rarely happens.
Injuries, prospects stalling at certain levels, and guys that just don’t pan out, seem to get in the way of any team (let alone the Yankees) having a pitching logjam.
A mute point is usually that brief point in time when you use the TV remote to avoid the audio of obnoxious commercials between innings, pitching changes, etc..
Ellie Howard is responsible for how Roy White accepted his place in Yankee history by explaining to White what was expected from him as one of the new black stars coming through the system. He made sure that White knew what was acceptable behavior for all players, but, especially the young black players, because this was who the black kids in America were looking at. Ellie Howard has been missed and is still missed. He was probably the best suited to be team captain for the Yanks in the early to mid 60s. He was the class of those teams and he passed it on to White and Chambliss. He just couldn’t get through to Jackson.
“The ebullient and articulate Mr. Burke then became president of Madison Square Garden, where he was also president of the Knicks, chairman of the Rangers, impresario of boxing and grand master of Holiday on Ice.”
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/f.....A961948260
gb7-
the above was from an interesting obituary on burke in the new york times. no wonder he didn’t do good job with the yankees. he looked like he was a little busy.
the thing that really messed him up though in the winter of 1967 was he sat next to me for a whole evening at my high school baseball dinner banquet as the guest of honor. he was from enfield,ct. where i was going to high school. my brain waves even then could drive adult people crazy .
you know what’s strange thinking back about that night. i remember it was a snowy night and it was in the old wt grant department store building that was converted to a youth center, but i can’t remember the yankee pitcher he brought along who i caught a few pitches from in a half speed demo. i don’t think i was all there back then. i did have more than one concussion and football was just over. that might explain a lot of things.lol
i remember burke has very genial guy who was extremely friendly and outgoing who had no problem coming back to his mill town home and being one of the guys. if i would have known he had been a spy, it would have been even more cool at the time.
Wow, Green Beret… I thought only I remembered all those guys.
How about the third base carousel that went on during those days. Let’s see, off the top of my head the first couple years after Boyer left…
Charlie Smith, Mike Ferraro, Jerry Kenney, Bobby Cox, McKinney, Aurelio Rodreiguez, Celerino Sanchez to name some.
How the hell did Mel Stottlemyer win as many games as he did?
As far as logjams with pitching prospects, those things have a way of working themselves out. You can never have too much pitching.
_____
Agree completely..I’m sure Cash will cross that bridge when he gets there…ala trading the pitching prospect for a positional player or being in a position of strength to let CC leave, etc…
What on earth is a “mute point”?
A point that is not heard.
GreenBeret7
January 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Ellie Howard is responsible for how Roy White accepted his place in Yankee history by explaining to White what was expected from him as one of the new black stars coming through the system. He made sure that White knew what was acceptable behavior for all players, but, especially the young black players, because this was who the black kids in America were looking at. Ellie Howard has been missed and is still missed. He was probably the best suited to be team captain for the Yanks in the early to mid 60s. He was the class of those teams and he passed it on to White and Chambliss. He just couldn’t get through to Jackson.
——-
Well I guess it didn’t turn out how Ellie had suggested.
Recently White has contacted some people about writing a book about how the Yankees discriminated against him. This came up right after Sheffield made his discrimination remarks towards Torre and the Yankees.
Just goes to show you that things aren’t always what they seem.
Brad Pitt’s better-looking brother
January 5th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Wow, Green Beret… I thought only I remembered all those guys.
How about the third base carousel that went on during those days. Let’s see, off the top of my head the first couple years after Boyer left…
Charlie Smith, Mike Ferraro, Jerry Kenney, Bobby Cox, McKinney, Aurelio Rodreiguez, Celerino Sanchez to name some.
How the hell did Mel Stottlemyer win as many games as he did?
——
Not to mention Stan Bahnsen and the great story of Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson who should get credit for the original wife swap show. And how about Steve Hamiltions folly floater.
Yankee Ray
In those days I couldn’t get access to any pictures of Peterson’s or Kekich’s wives. Woulda been interesting. Wonder who ripped off who. Or was it one of those trades that helped both teams???
And yeah, back then sometimes hanging around for the possibility of seeing a Steve Hamilton folly-floater was the highlight of the game!
Very good post, indeed.
I relish in seeing the youthful fans get excited about this team. It’s true, they have not been able to fully understand or appreciate the championships of the late 90′s and how special those teams truly were.
Here is to 2009!
LOL. The miracle of the internet and googling. Looks like it was definitely a good trade for both teams!!!
http://www.fantasybaseballdugout.com
From one Jeff to another – good job kid!
Good job Jeff!
A VERY impressive piece of writing
The old adage, you can’t ever have enough pitching still applies.
History proves that some injuries (preferably minor) will occur over the course of a season and nothing is better than to have ample and ready talent a phone call away.
For the Yankees, the plan is to have Phil Hughes and others honing their pitches and keeping ready for the call.
Nice job Jeff, I’ll start reading.
Russell NY January 5th, 2009 at 10:24 am wrote
“What on earth is a “mute point”?
A point that is not heard.”
I think it’s Sam’s attempt to show that he’s “moot”.
In my (extended) family, those that enjoyed baseball would have grown up idolizing Sandy Koufax.
Alas, though, much of my family has only a passing interest in sports, save for a few of my dad’s cousins. It’s still a mystery as to why my brothers and I like it so much…
Brad Pitt’s better-looking brother
January 5th, 2009 at 10:43 am
LOL. The miracle of the internet and googling. Looks like it was definitely a good trade for both teams!!!
http://www.fantasybaseballdugout.com
——-
Good pull. Looks like Fritz made out big time.
Now can I trade for Anna Benson?
Nice job Jeff.
I’m always glad to hear stories of children escaping the miserable life their parents were leading them towards. LOL
is it official that the press conference for texeira is tomarrow at 1:00 pm
I know I’m pretty much hated around here.
Truth is, I really dont give a damn.
I set out exactly what I intended to do.
Start controversy and get my blog some hits.
I was extremly pleased with the fuss that I started.
I didnt think I was going to get the kind of abuse that I got, but oh well…
After reading most of the hate mail. I realized I wasnt as factual as I could have been. Sorry about that
I still dont like the job cash has done…And I stick with my original stance….
I would like to thank all of you for your honesty. It wont stop me from aspiring it will only help…
- SAM I AM
Brad Pitt’s better-looking brother
January 5th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Wow, Green Beret… I thought only I remembered all those guys.
How about the third base carousel that went on during those days. Let’s see, off the top of my head the first couple years after Boyer left…
Charlie Smith, Mike Ferraro, Jerry Kenney, Bobby Cox, McKinney, Aurelio Rodreiguez, Celerino Sanchez to name some.
How the hell did Mel Stottlemyer win as many games as he did?
————————————————————
You forgot one 3rd baseman…Bobby Ray Murcer. Murcer used to joke about playing third. One was in ’69 in Seattle against the Pilots. He said he made so many errors (mostly on throws) in that first series, that in that small park and only a few fans, that when he fielded a grounder, some guy behind the first base dugout yelled, “Look out, he’s got it again.” You don’t hear guys knocking their own play like that anymore. He was like Mantle, Ford and Jimmy Kaat. He never took himself too seriously.
Stottlemyre was an exceptional pitcher…career ERA of 2.97, 163 wins, 40 complete game shutouts, all in 10 complete seasons. He came up in late July of ’64, and was in the rotation from then until he tore his rotator cuff in June of ’04. He pitched for some of the worst teams in Yankee history and the worst teams of that time. Even with that, he may have won 300 games if he had stayed healthy. A real winner and a damned fine pitching coach.
Truth is, I really dont give a damn.
I set out exactly what I intended to do.
Start controversy and get my blog some hits.
———————————————————
Nope. You showed your stupidity and those hits you got were a one time thing.
BTW whomever is posting under ny name,(5th comment on this thread) way to go….you should be proud of yourself
Nice work Jeff.
randy l
January 5th, 2009 at 10:00 am
“The ebullient and articulate Mr. Burke then became president of Madison Square Garden, where he was also president of the Knicks, chairman of the Rangers, impresario of boxing and grand master of Holiday on Ice.”
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/f.....A961948260
gb7-
the above was from an interesting obituary on burke in the new york times. no wonder he didn’t do good job with the yankees. he looked like he was a little busy.
————————————————————
As a retired military guy and in SF, I would have loved to talk with him. What an amazing life. If you enjoy a book on history and intrigue, this is a great book. I’ve read this book 4 times. Another book is “The Catcher Is A Spy” about Moe Berg. Fascinating guy…strange, but, fascinating. He was on a baseball tour in 1937 in Japan. The secret pictures he took from the top of a hospital are the ones used as markers used by Jimmy Doolittle on hs bombing raid.
http://books.google.com/books?.....lt#PPP1,M1
GreenBeret7
January 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am
One more little oddity about “Hoss” Clarke…his first two major league homers were grand slams. He never hit another one.
GB7, wasn’t Clarke also responsible for breaking up two no hitters in the bottom of the ninth (possibly in the same year – memory fails!)
Brad Pitt’s better-looking brother
January 5th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Yankee Ray
In those days I couldn’t get access to any pictures of Peterson’s or Kekich’s wives. Woulda been interesting. Wonder who ripped off who. Or was it one of those trades that helped both teams???
And yeah, back then sometimes hanging around for the possibility of seeing a Steve Hamilton folly-floater was the highlight of the game!
————————————————————
Kekich and the former Mrs. Peterson stayed together for about 4 months and split up. Fritz Peterson married the former Mrs. Kekich and they’ve been married over 30 years.
Jeff…great post!
Made me think back to my first game in Yankee Stadium, and I do mean think…it was back a few years…1946 or 1948. When one is my age it’s really hard to remember that far back…with great recall.
I was luckier then most of the people on this blog, I saw some of the greats of all time…in person. TV is great but when you hear someone say; “damn, he could really hit the ball hard.” One sort of grin and remember it yourself…you saw it happen.
Sam I Am:
I support you. Every board, blog, etc. needs a villain and right now, its you. You are like Sgt. Slaughter circa 1991. You were hated then, but eventually maybe you will be liked.
I remember a guy on this board one time named “Idiot Face” and he LOVED being the villain. I think Pete banned him though.
But man was he entertaining.
Sam I Am– Don’t mind the haters, you laid out your opinion and it’s not completely unfounded. I enjoyed reading it. Cashman gets way too much credit for the results at the beginning of his tenure as GM considering the resources he had(has) at his disposal and the players he inherited. However, he has done a pretty good job and I think we’d all have a much better understanding of how he’s done after the next guy gets the job.
yanks61
January 5th, 2009 at 11:45 am
GreenBeret7
January 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am
One more little oddity about “Hoss” Clarke…his first two major league homers were grand slams. He never hit another one.
GB7, wasn’t Clarke also responsible for breaking up two no hitters in the bottom of the ninth (possibly in the same year – memory fails!)
————————————————————
Yeah, he was.
SAM I AM SPORTS
January 5th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I know I’m pretty much hated around here.
Truth is, I really dont give a damn.
I set out exactly what I intended to do.
Start controversy and get my blog some hits.
I was extremly pleased with the fuss that I started.
I didnt think I was going to get the kind of abuse that I got, but oh well…
After reading most of the hate mail. I realized I wasnt as factual as I could have been. Sorry about that
I still dont like the job cash has done…And I stick with my original stance….
I would like to thank all of you for your honesty. It wont stop me from aspiring it will only help…
– SAM I AM
————————————————————
I doubt anybody hates you, Sammy. You’re just not that important. By tomorrow, nobody will even remember that you exist.
I don’t think anyone is bashing I Am Sam for his opinion on Cashman.
It’s the way he presented it. It was factually wrong and he presented it a way that came off as ignorant and uniformed.
There likely is a debate to be had about the Cashman years, but if you are gonna try and have it with a group like this who know their stuff when it comes to the Yankees, that was not the way to do it.
You come across as the type who most die hard Yankee fans despise. You speak loudly as if you are an expert, when in fact you don’t have a clue.
And seriously, that picture is just beyond lame. If you ever want to be taken seriously, the first thing you need to do is lose that thing.
Randy I, I have a reponse to you meeting with Michael Burke when you were in high school. I had linked an exceprt from a book about him and the OSS that’s a great read. Unfortunately, the link his hung up in the filters.
Here’s what I printed and the name of the book.
————————————————————
gb7-
the above was from an interesting obituary on burke in the new york times. no wonder he didn’t do good job with the yankees. he looked like he was a little busy.
——————————————————————————————
As a retired military guy and in SF, I would have loved to talk with him. What an amazing life. If you enjoy a book on history and intrigue, this is a great book. I’ve read this book 4 times. Another book is “The Catcher Is A Spy” about Moe Berg. Fascinating guy…strange, but, fascinating. He was on a baseball tour in 1937 in Japan. The secret pictures he took from the top of a hospital are the ones used as markers used by Jimmy Doolittle on hs bombing raid.
http://books.google.com/books?.....lt#PPP1,M1
I guess that you can’t have two links in one post. I forgot that you had also included a link. My error.
Sam, what you wrote yesterday wasn’t “controversial”. It was a rather bland, unoriginal, and recycled argument, not to mention factually inaccurate, that has been written about Cashman before.
I also find it to be poor taste that you are here today begging us to post on your blog by making yourself out to be a “villain” when infact your persona, and your argument are cliché.
oh and Greenberet7 , I appreciate the honesty…
As many others have noted, reminds me of my first game at the stadium, a nice beat down of the Sox at home, hooked every since
“I even have John Sterling’s call of the last out of the 1996 World Series on my iPod.”
that is class
nice post Jeff!
yankeefan91 (sign manny asap hes getting cheaper lol)
January 5th, 2009 at 11:26 am
is it official that the press conference for texeira is tomarrow at 1:00 pm
——
The way you wrote tomarrow makes you sound like a Red Sox fan turned Yankee fan
.
I agree whole heartedly on the Manny thing also.
GB7
White and Murcer have been severely underrated as players. They both had some excellent, and in Murcer’s case, truly great years. Tresh and Horace Clarke were also better than the team and era they are associated with.
# SAM I AM SPORTS January 5th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I know I’m pretty much hated around here.
Truth is, I really dont give a damn.
I set out exactly what I intended to do.
Start controversy and get my blog some hits.
I was extremly pleased with the fuss that I started.
I didnt think I was going to get the kind of abuse that I got, but oh well…
After reading most of the hate mail. I realized I wasnt as factual as I could have been. Sorry about that
I still dont like the job cash has done…And I stick with my original stance….
I would like to thank all of you for your honesty. It wont stop me from aspiring it will only help…
– SAM I AM
————————————————-
I don’t hate you, that would mean I would actually care somewhat about you and your ideas. I don’t.
Enjoy those blog hits. They didn’t come from me
Sam-
Nice to know your real motivation for pinch hitting. Next time hopefully you get called back to the dugout.
Jeff-
Excellent job, buddy!! This is the best post so far. I hope you continue writing.
Also, I’ll definitely be adding your blog to my bookmarks.
Damn, I had to look up the year I saw my 1st game live…it was 1946 (I was 8 years old, 9 in Sept.). The reason I know; Spud Chandler was in the rotation in ’46 but not ’48. So, yes, it was a couple years ago.
I even saw Bill Dickey play in one game…hell of a good catcher, even at that age. Hands never moved when he caught the ball…unless it was a ball instead of a strike.
About Bills’ hands never moving…at the time, I didn’t understand what my dad was telling me but, I do remember him telling me that, among other things I don’t remember.
Again, great post Jeff!
Jeff, great job with your post, i enjoyed it but boy do i feel old. Im sorry you dont remember those great late 90s early 2000,s teams. They were a real treat to watch. This team we have assembled reminds me more of them ,and I hope you get to see some good old October magic this year. I have a feeling we are in for a fun ride this year. It was definitely 1996 Mariano Duncan said we play today we win today dats it. Rebecca good job catching that.
Great post Jeff. I’m 16 so I was too young to truly appreciate the great teams of the late 90s also and I too have John Sterlings call of the ’96 World series on my i-pod. I definitely will be checking out your blog in the future. Living in Hamburg, NY (not exactly a baseball town) and being a girl (all my girl friends like hockey or football) I don’t have too many people to talk baseball with besides a few guy friends who cant stand the Yanks and my dad and younger brother. It will be nice to see a blog by someone else in high school.
Thanks, Becca.
I think by now the John Sterling call is the most played “song” on my iPod haha.
I know how you feel; my sis isn’t interested in baseball, and my I can’t talk baseball with my dad without resorting to profanities =)
Never too young to betray your family and your younger self:)
Some of you people can be pretty bitter and insulting to another human being for no reason other than to entertain yourselves. Some of your reactions are surprising considering what appears to be your older age. Sure some of what SamIAm wrote was factually incorrect, normal debaters point out the inaccuracies and move on.
The internet is interesting in that it always seems to bring out the worst in people. I guess it’s easier to beat down and gang up on a person when there is no face to the name, but I bet most of you insulting him would be very quiet should the same situation arise in a conversation with someone in person. Maybe it’s because you know it’s the wrong thing to do, or maybe because you’d lack the courage.
It’s wrong, plain and simple.. Grow up.. It’s not a robot on the other end reading your insults.
i always find it interesting that people equate in person arguments with physical violence! could alcohol abuse be somehow involved? anyway, what is the over/under on duncan’s remaining 40 man stay?
Nice job, Jeff. I’m glad other people were supportive and complimentary of your post.
Good job Jeff! However, I’m not so sure we can accept a former redsox fan. only 10 yrs removed ,huh? Well, I geuss we can give you credit for coming to your senses at 8yrs old. Don’t forget your history though. and hey “Juggy”! Lighten up! Most of us use this and other sites for entertainment value. This ain’t life n death. A little bit of razzin and mockery is human nature. Especially in these parts.
Jeff,
haha yea that call has been played so many times on mine too. its just unfortunate that i was only four years old at that time. that must have been a pretty rough time for you during the red sox 2 series wins especially in ’04 at your house. hopefully this year it will be the other way around. im sure your dad must be thrilled with the Yanks offseason spending spree. i know i am.
Another yawn worthy pinch hit post.
interesting to hear from a ‘youngster’. i take the dynasty Yanks for granted. I was 16 in ’96. that was a magical year, because no one expected that outta the Yanks, it was the emergence of Mo, and so many memorably postseason moments: Bernie homering from both sides of the plate in Texas, Bernie’s ALCS Game 1 walkoff HR, the dropped throw by Todd Zeile in Baltimore, how Atlanta was being crowned after the first two games, Jimmy Leyritz’ HR, Paulie’s catch to end game 5, and of course Girardi’s triple.
1998 was in some ways more and in some ways less magical than ’96. greatest team i ever saw. 10 players with 10 or more HRs. Shane Spencer’s Roy Hobbs impression. The arrival of El Duque. Darryl’s game-winning slam in Oakland. Wells’ perfecto. ’7 runs in the 7th inning in the 1st game of the best of 7 world series!’ Brosius’ HR off Trevor Hoffman. after that year i saw a fan with ’125-50′ tattooed on his arm.
there wasnt much of a point to this, just wanted to share my thoughts about those seasons, maybe to help the young’ns feel what it was like.
Jeff, great post!! It reminds me of something that I would write at your age.. People called me a talented writer back in high school/middle school, same thing in college (where I’m at now). You definitely have talent bro. Keep your head straight (and don’t make stupid mistakes like I have). You have talent, DO NOT WASTE IT!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!! With any luck, you’ll experience a dynasty like I have when I was growing up (I’m not THAT much older than you it seems, probably only like 5 or 6 years, it seems like you just barely missed the dynasty) I know I’m drunk and rambling but long story short, YOU DA MAN!!!
Why won’t the yanks look at Jim Edmonds for a 1 yr deal with incentives, of course. He would bring veteran leadership, a great bat and solid defense, even at 38 yrs old. He wouldn’t have to play everyday but that’s ok. The championship yrs were built with guys like Edmonds. They could get him on the cheap too.