A-Rod, Tex voice their displeasure
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jun 10, 2009 
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Mark Feinsand of the News has an interesting note today about A-Rod and Mark Teixeira confronting ESPN’s Rick Sutcliffe about something he said on the air that upset them.
I’m not saying that Sutcliffe is necessarily guilty of this, but fans would be astonished at how little work some announcers do and how little time they spend in the clubhouse talking to the players before or after games. They just wing it and say what they figure is right. The YES guys, particularly John Flaherty, Michael Kay, Ken Singleton and David Cone, do their homework. But some of the national guys let somebody else do it for them.
It’s certainly a player’s right to stand up for himself if he feels he has been wronged.
———–
Meanwhile, the Yankees just took Adam Warren, a right-hander from UNC, with their fourth round pick and a Vanderbilt right-hander named Caleb Cotham in the fifth round. Tyler Kepner, a proud Commodore, will be thrilled.
Didn’t Buster Olney go to Vanderbilt, too? Is Vanderbilt just churning out Yankees NY Times beat writers?
I wonder if Sutcliffe wanted to say something back to Alex…
Good for them.
My browser is acting weird, what did they say exactly?
texas drafted Ruben Sierra j.r.
Hopefully, Rick will hit the air and “solve the thing.”
Good I’m glad they confronted him …. I don’t know how ESPN knows anything about the Yankees with how much time they spend on the Red Sox
Joe Morgan gets killed for his work on ESPN but Rick Sutcliffe is horrible. He’s completely unprepared. He seems to have no familiarity with the teams he’s covering and instead tries to get by with simply mouthing off cliche’s and pearls of conventional wisdom.
This pitch tipping thing is curious. I remember when Sutcliffe said it – you could tell he was trying to make some kind of comment to show his inside baseball knowledge – it was the kind of lazy speculation he gets into because he hasn’t done enough work for the game and then he just goes on and on about the point.
It’s remarkable how bad baseball broadcasting is. Compare it to the quality of coverage for the NBA never mind the NFL.
TBS decides to hire David Wells rather than David Cone for the national broadcast. That says it all.
Cone should have a national job – he’s much better than Sutcliff or Hershiser or Wells.
CB,
Wells has been terrible. He’s okay in the YES booth, but he’s too unprofessional for national tv.
“Cone should have a national job – he’s much better than Sutcliff or Hershiser or Wells.”
Ron Darling runs circles around all of ‘em.
First off since when was tipping pitches to your team illegal anyway (my browser started working), second it’s ridiculous for someone to make an accusation like that w/no proof behind it.
Joe Neningo on WFAN says Wang might miss tonight’s start because his wife is giving birth. Anyone heard something?
CB,
From the previous post you talked about why Tex and A-rod consider this a big deal. I’m not disputing that but why would Sutcliffe even bring it up? It’s so trivial to me, even IF they were trying to steal signs. That being said, you’re right, Sutcliffe is talking out of his backside and what he said is irresponsible.
Cone is soooo boring. The best is Ken Singleton. I’m also a fan of Jim Kaat.
“Ron Darling runs circles around all of ‘em.”
Darling is good. The point I was trying to make with Cone is that the national guys they have are not even close to adequate.
Darling would be a huge upgrade.
Like m said – Wells? He’s horrible.
If Wang misses his start today that’s a massive break. I guess you send Joba out there?
jason stoeffel went high school here in agoura hills ca where i live. he is a big hard sthrower, great college career.
start hughes not joba……….
Wow the NAts are stock piling P, even signed Drew Storen today.
Right, totally forgot about Hughes. In that case we’re back where we started, a crap shoot.
Why would Wang miss his start?
“I’m not disputing that but why would Sutcliffe even bring it up? It’s so trivial to me, ”
He’s just not prepared, isn’t familiar with going on with the teams and as a substitute mouths off “insider” baseball knowledge.
I’d guess that’s why. To make himself look like he’s got insight garnered from experience which he can substitute for researching the teams.
Tom in N.J.-wife giving birth.
I imagine Soren would be better than 100% of the Nationals bullpen as of right this second.
How can you not be proud if you went to Vanderbilt?
First winning football season in 20+ years.
First bowl victory in 50+ years.
Men’s BB team has been to 3 of the last 5 NCAA tourneys.
It’s hard to explain how difficult it is for a school with virtual Ivy league academic standards to compete in the freaking SEC, particularly since unlike every other SEC school they do not have an alternate track academic program to keep revenue sport athletes eligible.
From the other thread….
Brandon,
Don’t be so radar gun conscious. Adam Warren is a darn good pitcher. Watch him in the CWS this weekend.
He outpitched Alex White for most of the season and the ACC is the best conference in the country. That’s an excellent pick for the Yankees in the fourth round.
I heard that confrontation between Sutcliffe, Alex and Tex was not friendly. They were ticked off bigtime and rightfully so.
Sutcliffe is just another ESPN guy mailing in his work product. He’s awful on the air.
When he and Berman do a game, neither guy comes up for air. You can’t get through the game because both guys never shut up and never have anything of substance to say.
Wouldn’t it be great if Wang threw a no hitter the day his wife gives birth?
personally, i can’t stand Sutcliffe as announcer
“Wow the NAts are stock piling P, even signed Drew Storen today.”
That was fast. The anti-Strasburg negotiations. Good for them. I want baseball to succeed in DC. Life as a teenager would have been easier if I didn’t have to boot it all the way to Baltimore to see major league baseball.
Well, that’s a valid reason. I thought he might be hurt.
Thanks, Here’s an interesting point.
CB and others,
Morning fellas. Do you think that the economy being what it is made the teams that normally wouldnt sign a tough signee, do it anyways. Being that they think they need the money. It seemed by following you and others yesterday, that no one slipped down to the later picks.
What does a 4th pick make these days?
Why would we pick a catcher in the 2nd round if we have a couple that should be here for awhile?
Definitely good to draft kids from the UNC system. High character guys with a good work ethic. There are a lot of bad seeds going to some schools in that area, but the UNC kids are solid.
As another proud Commodore, I’m thrilled to see the Yankees take Cotham.
Pete, interesting tidbit about Kepner going to Vandy! How odd last two Times’ Yankees beat writers both went to Vandy?
Not surprised, though. It’s a great school in a gem of a city.
Can someone post the daily news article?
I can’t access it at work.
i know many will disagree, however:
Joe Morgan>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rick Sutcliffe
we might be pleasantly suprised with wang tonight.
you never know.
pitchers & catchers are & were always paranoid about stolen signs & sutcliffe is a former pitcher so it does not suprise me.
the problem as somebody already pointed out is pitchers will hit arod & tex more because of this.
terrible thing for sutcliffe to say.he could of worded it differently or better yet not say anything about it at all.
SJ,
Has it sunk in yet? Didnt know you were in. What will your nephew make being picked 4th? BTW Jorge isnt a bad name to have behind the plate. We can do HIP HIP thing with him.
As far as I know, Wang and his wife are expecting to have their first child pretty soon. In fact, it can be any minute this week or next week.
However, when a report asks him if his wife is giving birth the day he starts, Wang says he will stay with the team and pitch. After finishing his job, he will go to hospital immediately.
had put my pinstripe plus subscription on hold for a while. Does anyone have any word/update on the kid the Yankees drafted from Compton, last year?? I think his name is Chris Smith
I heard in Taiwan Wang is quite the celebrity. Over there they’re very unhappy w/how the Yankees treated him.
SOS,
Slot is approx 2.5 million for that spot.
The Nationals made it clear to everybody that the #10 pick was going for slot and not a penny more. They are saving their big money for Strasburg.
Whomever they were going to take in that spot would have to agree pre-draft to a slot deal or they were passing on him.
Drew played with Tony in the Cape. Great kid and I’m real happy for him.
Tex and Arod need to take that anger out on the ball ! . . PERIOD
Just read the Feinsand piece about Tex and A-Rod sharing their feelings with the former pitcher. And they say men can’t communicate.
I also saw that Loopy Lupica checked in with his usual dollop of wisdom, thrown on our plates like so much whipped cream.
Apparently, as I understand from reading Mr. Lupica, AJ Burnett had a bad night last night (No, really?). Mr. Lupica goes on to explain that this incident should not be seen in a vacuum. Rather we should be aware that last night was similar to the bad night he previously had agasint Boston. He admits it is too soon to declare Burnett a Bust, but he thinks Burnett should win when he pitches against Boston.
Seriously? He gets paid for this?
“had put my pinstripe plus subscription on hold for a while. Does anyone have any word/update on the kid the Yankees drafted from Compton, last year?? I think his name is Chris Smith”
EST league.
What a terrible draft
Not one impact player. Bunch of mediocre RH pitchers. Missed out on Renfore, Adams, Baily, etc.
And we wonder why the Sux run circles around us in development.
“Seriously? He gets paid for this?”
Yeah, I’m envious too.
Congrats to the Commodores among us, these have been heady times for Vanderbilt, usually the Summa Cum Losers of the SEC.
‘Here’s an interesting point’: yes, Wang is a giant star in Taiwan. I think those that are unhappy with how Wang has been treated have a point, but I hope they’ve got him turned around now and the relationship can be salvaged.
I’ve posted this a million times, but here’s a little photo essay on a trip I took to Taiwan during the 2007 ALDS:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9.....451651434/
“What a terrible draft
Not one impact player. Bunch of mediocre RH pitchers. Missed out on Renfore, Adams, Baily, etc.
And we wonder why the Sux run circles around us in development.”
Now you funny criticizing the biggest crapshoot of a draft in sports
What a great draft.
A catcher, always valuable. A potential five tool player.
It’s no wonder that despite being 0 and 6 vs. the Sox we’re tied for first place.
Mike,
Agree. How about Teix decide to show up in one of these Yankees/Sox games or A-Rod start hitting more than .130?
Outside of that Beckett game in April, this offense has done NOTHING against Boston. Our superstars are getting outhit by Nick Green and Varitek.
I was gunning for signing Tex all last season. He is very quickly becoming one of my favorite players. On the field and off, he is even better than I realized – and I thought very highly of him previously!!!
Are you seriously complaining about how Tex is playing?
Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.
There are no more than half a dozen “instant impact” players in the draft in any given year.
I always find it funny when someone criticizes or gets excited about a draft. The majority of the time they’ve never even seen any of the players.
OH NOES! The Yankees didn’t get Renfroe! He’s a name I read once on the internets so he must be good right!?
Tex was my favorite signing and I knew he’d be a huge sucess as a Yankee. When he retires he and CC will be among the most beloved Yankees ever.
Great point, Pete.
A big part of the problem with national announcers/analysts is the complete lack of prerparation they do for broadcasts.
They don’t put any value at all in statisitical analysis, often using the old chestnut “I don’t care what the numbers say ballplayer x is still one of the best in the bigs.”
Harold Reynolds seems like a nice guy, but he still talks about Ken Griffey Jr. as if he is still scaling the centerfield wall at the Kingdome and hitting 40 home runs.
“Do you think that the economy being what it is made the teams that normally wouldnt sign a tough signee, do it anyways. Being that they think they need the money. It seemed by following you and others yesterday, that no one slipped down to the later picks.”
I think teams just finally realized that it’s more cost effective to draft better talent and pay them up front than to try to sign guys in free agency (see ross ohlendor’s college thesis…).
And the teams wised up to what the yankees and sox were doing. Revenue sharing has allowed all teams to move aggressively in the draft.
That in combination with the fact that the compensation pick aspect of not signing a player has decreased the risk teams take.
Teams were oddly intimidated by agents. They’re the ones with the money. If an 18 year old wants to blow off millions so be it – most will and do come around.
Teix4MVP is back?
grrrrrrrr, getting filtered!
“I always find it funny when someone criticizes or gets excited about a draft. The majority of the time they’ve never even seen any of the players.
OH NOES! The Yankees didn’t get Renfroe! He’s a name I read once on the internets so he must be good right!?”
basically.
I remember getting p*ssed, when NYY selected Austin Romine over Harvey (pitcher). I don’t know what Harvey is doing, but i expect Romine is looking like the better prospect right now
I believe somebody named Texeiramvp was here the other day but he mentioned he’d be blogging less.
I have to say, David Cone is getting much better.
Ron Darling, in his first year or so, was not very good. He was tentative and unsure of himself. With experience he has become one of the good ones.
John Flaherty also started out tentatively. As did Cone.
Cone has some really good insights.
You can tell when guys work hard to do the job right. You may or may not love their personalities (Flaherty, personality wise, has some relaxing to do), but you it’s a good thing when you know they’re prepared.
Cone is also a very candid broadcaster, and does not always say the PC thing. David Justice disappeared because of doing that. So, let’s see what happens.
here we go.
the demise of the yankees by francessa.
how we can’t beat a better organization.
the yankees are right there.they just have to tweak a few things.
absolutely sickening.
i agree burnett has been dissapointing but we are headed in the right direction.
I like Flaherty and Singleton. Conie is a great guy but too boring. Really liked Kaat, wish he were back on YES.
They remembered we need a LHP, finally.
http://www.und.com/sports/m-ba.....sam00.html
just saw Austin Wood went in the 5th round today. How soon does he see Dr. James AndrewS?
try one more time… yes, Wang is a huge star in Taiwan. I think the people who say he’s been treaded badly have a point, but hopefully he’s back on track and the relationship can be salvaged.
If you haven’t seen it already, here is a photo essay I did on Yankee fans in Taiwan during the 2007 ALDS:
http://tinyurl.com/9muvxs
“David Justice disappeared because of doing that.”
David Justice disappeared because of his link in the Mitchell Report.
Patrick,
Noting funnier than sofa scouts. Most of these “scouts” have never seen any of these kids play.
Adam Warren was one of the 3 best pitchers in the ACC all season. The ACC is the best league in the country.
That’s a great pick for the Yankees. That’s the kind of kid that moves quickly through a system as long as he remains healthy.
Kids like Slade are missing in the system. That’s a kid you draft, sign and forget about for 3 years and just let him develop.
The problem with the internet is, too many people form instant judgments on players they have never seen play. Its both foolish and funny at the same time.
i had heard David Justice took time off, due to his house/fires in California.
I hope YES didn’t actually give him the boot. He was probably my favorite. (and a favorite all-time Yankee player as well)
Aren’t you supposed to try to let your teammates know what is coming, if possible? That is why catchers give the signs between their legs, base coaches change indicators regularly, and pitchers talk to catchers with their glove in front of their mouth.
This is not like the Texas pitch-tipping to opposing players. Everybody has tried to steal signs for their own team’s advantage since the beginning of signs. It is up to the opposition to prevent it. The only caveat is if you are using technology to do it, then it is illegal-(Camera, Binoculars, TV, etc)
I’m more pissed they picked Sean Black before Austin Adams, and Adams was at YS and performed well vs batters, topped out at 98 mph, instead they let Cleveland pick him.
Sean Black is pretty good Brandon.. he was a 2nd round pick out of HS.
all of this francessa talk stems from him wanting joba in the pen.
Didn’t Boston take that kid Youngsier or w\e his name is who throws in the high 90s?
Brandon,
You are too radar gun happy. Not every guy throws high 90′s and most of the one’s who do can’t throw strikes.
Pitching is an art. Its not about throwing it as hard as you can.
That’s why so many team miss with pitchers high in the draft. They let the radar gun cloud their judgments.
“Adam Warren was one of the 3 best pitchers in the ACC all season. The ACC is the best league in the country.
That’s a great pick for the Yankees. That’s the kind of kid that moves quickly through a system as long as he remains healthy”
Baseball talking heads seem to believe where he was picked was consistent with where he should have been picked. Nothing wrong with that. Guy at BP seems to like the guy they grabbed from Vandy in the 5th.
yes Boston did take Youngsier
Sutcliff should be ashamed of himself. If Selena Roberts’ book didn’t have that bogus tipping story, he would have never said anything like that. Tex and Alex should have taken him out back and beat the crap out of him.
As for the announcers, I like Singleton and Kaat. Cone is a tad stiff. Flaherty is okay. I won’t even put into print what I think of Kay. This is a child friendly blog.
AJ Burnett the JD Drew of pitching
Francessa is right. Total gutless performance by Burnett.
Lesson to Girardi – Never bet against Big Game Andy.
Andy on his worst day > Burnett… in a big game. Should have just kept the rotation the way it was.
Yes, CMW is a huge star in Taiwan. I think he has been treated somewhat badly, but it’s not too late to turn things around. Hopefully he’s back on track.
If you click on my handle and then click on the photoset link on the upper right, I have a photo essay from a trip to Taiwan during the 2007 division series that illustrates how big he is over there.
Francessa is an idiot
Hunter Jones Mr. 8 ERA
Apparently Buchholz is in the Red Sux bullpen too
I wonder how accurate some of these radar guns readings are, as well. Like the 7′ center who ends up being 6’9″ when the pros measure him, or the 4.4 wide receiver who runs a 4.6 at the combine.
bru
June 10th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
here we go.
the demise of the yankees by francessa.
how we can’t beat a better organization.
the yankees are right there.they just have to tweak a few things.
absolutely sickening.
i agree burnett has been dissapointing but we are headed in the right direc
_________________
If listening to DietCoke bothers you, how can you hand the endless negativity that swallows up this room after a loss?
The internets say Zach McAllister is going to be a fourth starter! Trade him [insert name here].
We have so manny other pitching prospects who the internets say are going to be stars!
Francesa is a moron. Hunter Jones. gimme a break. Mike gets so annoying and hes so predictbale. Sutcliffe is loser anyway.
Love the days when O’Neill and Cone are in the booth. Good baseball analysis, decent humor, and a lot of glory days remembrances.
Better than the Yankees for 5 years?
Does that count the years when the Sux missed the playoffs and the Yankees didn’t
SJ,
Congratulations to you and Tony! I can only imagine how proud you must feel. Hopefully, the Pirates do well by him.
I cant stand Francessa either but there is absoulutely nothing incorrect about his opening monologue today
yup. Love O’Neill. He and Kay, are very good together
Actually Pete we won’t be surprised. Just listen to one espn broadcast and you’ll hear how little they know. They talk out of their butts.
Good for Sutcliffe for calling these guys on their stuff. AROD and Tex (to a sliglty lesser degree) think they are bigger than the game and can get away with doing anything they want.
Like I said good for Sutcliffe for calling these guys out and standing up to these primadonas.
If you click on my handle and then click on the photoset link on the upper right, I have a photo essay from a trip to Taiwan during the 2007 division series that illustrates how big he is over there.
—————
Nick,
I cant get myself to read Davids essays. Now you want me to read yours? Is there anywhere i can go to get Cliff notes?
Samson you are a certifiable idiot.
Yanks have taken 3 LHP in a row.
S.o.S.: here is the Cliff Notes version: lots of people in Taiwan wear Yankee hats and #40 jerseys, CMW endorses a bunch of products, and I’m a very iffy photographer.
Incite versus Insight! Incite gets more listeners and readers. Blogs go crazy over incite. Now if the Fans had more insight, there would be more information that we supposedly all want to have.
This same trend is what causes our political arena to be a stage of fools leading the masses on an issue that will never be addressed as bait.
Numbers, dollars & cents over sense is what makes ESPN and the like more money. So why not take the crowd for a ride. Diet Coke is no different. If he had a better audience he would have better material. He is working BTW and is paid for his numbers. LOL!
pat -
Really? I didn’t know that – about Justice. I just assumed it was because he wasn’t afraid to say negative things about the Yankees. So, while I wish he hadn’t been let go at all, I’m glad to know it wasn’t what I thought.
wait a minute. Was the accusation true or not?
Ray VT…is that a Virginia Tech VT??
You’re right on incite v insight, just look at the number of people who sit here and complain about francessa all day…they hate the guy but they listen every day and continue to help him remain employed.
Dave, Tex and A-Rod say no…the issue seems to be that Sutcliffe had no evidence…we’ll see if he says anything about it tonight.
“wait a minute. Was the accusation true or not?”
It doesn’t matter, because it is not against any rules. However, opposing pitchers and catchers would take exception to somebody tipping location and hit the batter if they suspected it.
Good for Aroid and Teix teaming up and defending themselves if the accusations were in fact false.
However, even if they were stealing signs then good for them. They would be doing nothing wrong. The only rule against stealing signs is that you cannot use any form of electronic device to steal them. Any offensive team member on the base paths, on-deck circle, dugout or basecoach box can relay info the batter if they find out the pitcher and/or catcher are being sloppy with their signs.
If anything, Aroid and Teix should be applauded for their ability to gain an advantage on the pitching team. Most old-time players and managers throughout the league view sign steal as a lost ART and not cheating.
It is up to the defensive team to ensure they are not tipping pitches and hide their signs properly. Or if they do realize the opposing team is stealing their signs, then send a message by knocking a guy down in the batter’s box.
Orel Hersheiser is the only ESPN analyst worth listeing to.
It is amazing how many announcers, radio and TV have no idea what they are talking about. Perhaps, like many of you on this blog, I read too much Yankee info. But I think I have a lot of info on the Yanks from what I read by NY beat writers.
So when I listen to ESPN, TBS, Fox, MLB radio it drives me nuts to hear some of the crap that comes out of their mouths.