Postgame notes: Monahan stirs Yankees emotions
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes, Podcast on Apr 13, 2010 
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During his postgame interview this afternoon, Yankees manager Joe Girardi choked up one time. Not when he was asked about Hideki Matsui. Not when he was asked about George Steinbrenner. Girardi had to fight tears when he talked about longtime Yankees trainer Gene Monahan, who’s been away from the team while fighting cancer.
“Knowing what he’s going through, it was really emotional,” Girardi said. “We’re all thrilled to see him.”
Monahan got the first ring during the on-field ceremony. He was first member of the staff to come onto the field, and the rest of the Yankees gave him a standing ovation from the dugout. The crowd at Yankee Stadium seemed to respond as he waved from near first base.
“It probably more to us than to him,” Derek Jeter said.
Here’s Girardi’s postgame interview.
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• As emotional as he was about Monahan, Girardi said his pregame visit with Steinbrenner was “one of the best parts of my day.”
• The Yankees gave Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher fake World Series rings. It was apparently Jeter’s idea to replace the real rings with the fake versions given out before the final spring training game in Tampa. Matsui got the real thing when Girardi was introduced pregame.
• Nick Johnson’s choice of at-bat music — Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus — was chosen for his daughter, who loves Cyrus. For those of you who know my obsession with music, you can imagine how appalled I was to hear it. But Nick gets a pass for the daughter thing. Maybe someone can introduce her to some Allman Brothers.
• Girardi said he was happy with Chan Ho Park, who got pitched exceptionally well except for the home run to Kendry Morales. “He made one mistake,” Girardi said.
• Speaking of great pitching, Andy Pettitte was outstanding. His biggest pitch was his last, the double play to end the sixth inning. “I don’t know if I made a good pitch that whole inning until I threw that ball right there,” Pettitte said.
• Brian Cashman, Randy Levin, Lonn Trost, Reggie Jackson and members of the Steinbrenner family were also in George Steinbrenner’s suite when Girardi and Jeter gave The Boss his ring. Cashman said the whole thing was a surprise for Steinbrenner.
• Alex Rodriguez said he was more nervous to get his ring than he was to play in the playoffs last year. “It was really a dream come true,” Rodriguez said. “I felt like a 10-year-old boy.”
• Jorge Posada hit his 345th double, moving him past Mickey Mantle for seventh place on the Yankees all-time list. He then hit his 346th.
Those are Associated Press shots of Monahan during the pregame ceremony and of Rodriguez showing off his ring postgame.
http://www.myyesnetwork.com/12…..speechless
The Boss was the first one to receive it, but it came with a request by the captain.
“Take the Ohio State ring off,” Jeter told the Boss. Jeter grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, received a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Michigan, where he attended school in 1992, and remains a fan, which in the world of college sports rivalries has no tolerance for anything associated with the hated Buckeyes.
“That’s the thing that I take the most out of from Opening Day, is going up there and getting the opportunity to go up there and present him with his ring because none of us would be here, this stadium wouldn’t be here without the Boss,” Jeter said.
“He was almost speechless,” said Hal Steinbrenner. “Jeter is good at breaking the ice in situations like that and that’s where he threw in the Ohio State ring deal. My dad looked right at him, pointed at him and said, ‘Michigan.’ Other than that he was just about speechless which is what we expected. It was a good moment.”
**Jeter’s the best, lol
I love that picture of Alex!!
I think while most already assumed it, I think Chad may be the first to report that Monahan has cancer. The Yankees had previously described it as an undisclosed illness. Best wishes to him on a fast recovery.
I’m sure it was a wonderful moment for Geno; there’s nothing like feeling the love from fifty thousand fans. He’s in my prayers.
I’m thrilled for Alex; this ring represents so much more than just a WS championship. It represents a sort of vindication and it’s a reminder that he will never have to answer the “clutch” question again.
Andy’s a rock……..he’ll be sorely missed when he’s gone.
I didn’t see the defensive plays in that inning when Swish made a nice catch, but good D makes me feel as good as anything. This team is good in every aspect of the game.
Say what you will about Alex, he is one handsome dude.
“I would love to have the “problem” of a slow starting Tex in the Sox lineup!”
Just the Luchino of the draw, it’s our problem
Jerkface, you’re right about the averages at the beginning of the season; that’s what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t put it into words.
Go Yanks, lol.
MTU, fans just need to be patient (it would behoove the media to be so as well, unless they want to betray their lack of knowledge about developing SP) with Phil. I’m nervous, but I’m also very excited; hopefully the rain will hold off.
Just so everyone knows, I think everyone of the beat writers has known for a while that Monahan had cancer, but no one was going to report something like that until we got the green line from Gene himself. Today, he told ESPN.com about it, and so now I feel comfortable writing it.
It really was amazing how many people in the Yankees clubhouse kept talking about him today. For them, Monahan was absolutely the highlight of the day.
Here’s more on Monahan’s situation:
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-.....id=5082208
Get better soon, Mr. Monahan.
And two words, Chad…
“Dwight Yoakam”
when will #51 be retired?
I was holding out hope they’d surprise Bernie by doing it today.
it should happen, and happen soon.
Laura April 13th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Say what you will about Alex, he is one handsome dude.
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Absolutely. That picture might find its way to my cubicle wall too!
Betsy-
I agree with you on Phil, or most any young Starter patience is required but it isn’t always given unfortunately.
If a person has a realistic view of Phil and reasonable expectations they shouldn’t be disappointed in what he will do going forward.
Just to make you feel better I hope Phil has one of his great games.
I’m glad his prognosis is good; cancer is a bear, but it always helps to have a positive attitude. I’m so happy that Geno could make it to YS to bask in the love for him.
If not Thursday, MTU, then soon – I’m confident in him
Chad,
A day or two after the announcement came that Monahan was out due to health reasons it became fairly public knowledge that he began undergoing treatment at Sloan-Kettering which can only mean one thing.
I really hope he gets better
To be fair, MTU is not saying to bench Tex just to move him down in the lineup. So he is not saying he does not want to ride out his early season slump, just not ride it out in such a key part in the lineup.
Tex has become known as a notoriously slow starter (he has started out well twice though) so I can see the logic. Personally, I would not move him down because he is in the best position to succeed and break out hitting in the 3 hole than lower. But, if going forward the Yankees decided that Tex is what he is and is going to struggle in April I would not be upset if they decided to start him lower and put him in the 3 hole when he starts heating up.
There certainly have been far worse ideas thrown around on here so I would not be so hard on MTU
Betsy-
“If not Thursday, MTU, then soon – I’m confident in him”
Then I hope he rewards your support with a killer game ASAP.
I’m not worried either but I take the longer view.
just sit back and think about what Alex did last post-season.
it’s really hard to comprehend.
they should have given him about ten of those rings.
What a garbage effort by David Robertson. The yankees should take Robertson ring back Mariano should of never been in that game!!
Good news for the Angels:
I just walked by their hotel and there is no evidence of this morning’s horrible event.
That ring almost looks small on Arod’s hand. He might need a couple more to make it really stand out.
LGY-
Apparently, it was a bone-headed idea but thanks for the support.
And you did state my POV correctly.
Bronx-
“He might need a couple more to make it really stand out.”
Their coming !
So I can understand this this, you want to relocate Mark Texeria who has hit 30 dingers and has driven in 100 in the last 6 seasons after 7 games ?????
Don’t mess with Tex’s (spot in the batting order).
“Just the Luchino of the draw, it’s our problem”
Well worth the repost Nick, nice one! Hehehe.
Pat M.-
I don’t want to do anything.
I merely posed a question and solicited opinions on it.
LGY stated my thought(s) better than I could.
It was not meant as a permanent move.
Don’t bother shooting it down again.
SJ and others have done a commendable job of that.
And I have already been chastised and moved on.
Thanks, Dano. Cheers!
Regarding my earlier post showing Teixeira’s career splits, I was not displaying any disdain or disappointment in Teixeira. Rather, I was pointing out that I am fine with his performance because I know that this is the way he prepares himself to perform well over the course of the entire season.
That said, The Teixeira who is developing his swing in April is not the same Teixeira that will put up the 30/100.
The Yankees, early in the season, are a more potent lineup with Texiera batting 7th or 8th rather than 3rd. This is a reflection of the abilities of the entire Yankee order.
The baseball season is long and there is nothing wrong with saying that the best miler may not run the fastest 100m sprint.
I don’t care how great of a manager Mike Scioscia is, the Angels are hot trash this year.
The AL is absolutely there for the taking.
7789 April 13th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
What a garbage effort by David Robertson. The yankees should take Robertson ring back Mariano should of never been in that game!!
““““““““`
Think about it. Mariano got 2 quick outs with a low pitch count. That’s what teammates are for …… to pick each other up when needed. No pitcher has a perfect outing every single time out. David Robertson will more than make up for it in short order.
MTU, I was out of line……After reading the all the postings, I understand your point
Ohta, I still think the Angels take it. Even with the departure of Lackey, they have a pretty solid rotation with Santana, Saunders, Kazmir, Weaver and I’m blanking on the fifth starter.
The A’s, though off to a hot start have a terrible lineup as do the Mariners (though I am a big fan of their pitching and defensive moves).
The Rangers should contend but it seems like Kinsler and Hamilton can’t stay off the DL, and who knows with Guerrero. Plus the rotation is pretty weak.
Pat M.-
“MTU, I was out of line……After reading the all the postings, I understand your point”.
No apology necessary.
You know me.
I’m not a serious poster anyway.
Maybe I should just stick to the attempts at humor, flights of fancy, or the bad puns ?
Now all that is left is for me to see Phil Hughes pitch Thursday.
Can Nick stroll to the plate to “Midnight Rider?” Chad?
Leave Teixeira alone, early struggles be damned.
Besides, Girardi would sooner move Gardner to the cleanup role than mess with Teixeira whether he has a history of early struggles or not.
If Girardi didn’t move Teixeira last season (temporarily or not), he won’t ever do it.
Laura April 13th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Say what you will about Alex, he is one handsome dude.
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I swear, I was just thinking the same thing Miss Laura
In the words of my brother’s oncologist: kick its ass Geno!
Thank God for Mariano.
Pat,
The logic does not pertain to these 7 games. It pertains to what could very well be called the norm for Teixiera in April. It is not a normal mid-season slump. It may not even be labeled as a slump at all. There could very well be something about Tex and his swing that causes him to start slow.
If the Yankees determine that this problem is not fixable and Tex just needs more time seeing major league pitchers to get ready than other players, I can see the reasons to keep Tex lower in the lineup until he starts hitting.
It is not Tex bashing and it is not a knee-jerk reaction. It is identifying a flaw in his game and trying to figure out the best way to deal with this flaw in Tex’s and the team’s best interest. MTU just posted it as something to consider, and there are reasons to consider it IMO. At the very least it is interesting to discuss.
Tomorrow will be interesting with Javy on the mound.
I hope he is not spooked.
Damn Pat! I wrote that whole long post and just noticed you said you understand MTU’s point.
to the Nick Johnson haters:
hope you were able to see the game today. On base 4 times, with a HR, and a double
does Arod have lipstick on, in that picture?
I won’t lie, it got a little dusty here when Geno and Matsui were getting their ovations from the fans.
I like the way Eiland sat Robertson down after his rough showing and; to quote Michael Kay “School was in session.” That’s one of the problems I always had with Mel; he was never one to sit a pitcher down right after he struggled and talk to him about what he did wrong. He, much like Torre, just seemed to give up on a young pitcher who struggled.
David Robertson had a bad game. Who cares.
David Robertson is the truth
I believe Tex’ spring slumps are psychological, probably dating back to high school.
Some players just need constant stimulus at the plate and the winter layoff is too long for Tex.
Once he gets going there are no slumps. Joe won’t mess with him as he didn’t with Swish last season. Just leave him alone and he will work his way out of it. A nice pie to the face will loosen him up.
YES replay on now
D-Rob will be fine. Although it is going to take him a looong time to get that ERA down. One of the hard things about evaluating relievers. This one bad outing (really one bad pitch) can potentially really skew his final season numbers.
“What a garbage effort by David Robertson. The yankees should take Robertson ring back”
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and your posting priviledges.
Vinny-
“David Robertson is the truth”
And the way.
And the light.
No.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it that’s Montero.
Sorry for the mix up.
I believe that Tex’s spring slumps are a pyschologcal reaction to coming north and realizing just how perilously close he came to becoming a Redsock. Note that he was bad in Boston but picked it up slightly when the team went down to Tampa to play the Rays.
Once Tex adjusts to being in the northeast but being a Yankee, he’ll be fine, just like he was last season. Getting a couple in-season pinstriped paychecks helps too.
Watching the ring ceremony now-
I really wish Johnny Damon was there
wzup, MTU
That’s pretty moving stuff about George.
vinny, why bother acknowledging garbage like that, it’s just what a troll wants.
funny how more attention is paid to these children than to intelligent remarks.
I just watched the footage of Matsui getting his ring and all of the Yankees surrounding him-I have to admit, I got a little choked up. I’m such a girl. lol
Maybe Tex needs a talk from Damon..
I did not see the pre-game festivities.
What kind of reception did Grandy, NJ, and Javy get when they announced the roster?
I believe Tex had one good game this year when Girardi predicted he would the night before.
Maybe he needs a pat on the back to loosen him up. He does seem uptight at times.
“vinny, why bother acknowledging garbage like that, it’s just what a troll wants.
funny how more attention is paid to these children than to intelligent remarks”
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true. Point taken, Mick.
Tomorrow will be interesting with Javy on the mound.
I hope he is not spooked.
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Tomorrow’s the perfect game for Javier to make his NY debut being a mid-week afternoon game.
Ok this ceremony is making me cry already….
“I believe that Tex’s spring slumps are a pyschologcal reaction to coming north and realizing just how perilously close he came to becoming a Redsock. ”
Substitution formation?
Vinny-
Just tryin’ to stick to what I do best.
Whatever the heck that might be.
“I just watched the footage of Matsui getting his ring and all of the Yankees surrounding him-I have to admit, I got a little choked up. I’m such a girl. lol”
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the part where he was surrounded? I did too. And i’m not a girl
NYY626 April 13th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Ok this ceremony is making me cry already….
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Good, I wasn’t the only one!
I just hope Javy does not get booed off the mound if something goes wrong.
I, for one, will be there and wouldn’t lower myself.
Erin April 13th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I just watched the footage of Matsui getting his ring and all of the Yankees surrounding him-I have to admit, I got a little choked up. I’m such a girl. lol
___________________________________________________________________________
I think the boys get emotional too, they just dont like to admit it
vinny-b (Granderson is my fave NYY position player – no rite of passage necessary) April 13th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
“I just watched the footage of Matsui getting his ring and all of the Yankees surrounding him-I have to admit, I got a little choked up. I’m such a girl. lol”
———————————————————————-
the part where he was surrounded? I did too. And i’m not a girl
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Awww…that’s sweet vinny! I think I could watch that all night and not get tired of it.
Swisher and Sui getting phony rings was a riot. Jeter’s idea I believe.
found this interview with chan ho park on youtube and its hilarious…def a must watch…seriously no spam or ads its just a hilarious interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GIEHPGj9sI
As soon as Matsui finishes this series he can continue to hit all the home runs he wants.
Park was saying he had diarrea and Mo was cracking up behind him. He and NJ are funny interviews. Park sound a little like Latke.
mick April 13th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Park was saying he had diarrea and Mo was cracking up behind him. He and NJ are funny interviews. Park sound a little like Latke.
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I saw a tweet the other day that said that it’s Joba and Robertson who are hysterically laughing in the background.
Mick-
“Park sound a little like Latke.”
Maybe Park ate one too many latke’s and that’s what gave him the diarrhea ?
who said alex didnt get a nice ovation before? Sounded good to me
Laughing at all of the Angels running to look at Matsui’s ring on the dugout
i heard suis ring was rusty. possibly one of the handouts the fans get.
I don’t care what boston fans, ESPN, or the rest of America says about my Yankees. In my humble opinion, they are a class act. The actions today towards Matsui proves it, as if they needed to.
But on to other points…
Andy was dandy.
Nick is quick. We’ll not really, but he scored 3 runs today.
I predict that this year’s Ynkees may score more runs this seaso than last. To beat them, it appears that a team will need at least 7 runs on average.
D-Rob will be fine.
Mo is Mo. But it was telling that it wasn’t Joba who was brought in.
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yo.....eter-prank
I was working At the game guys.. Ovations were very loud.
1. Matsui
2. Gene~
3. Jeter
4. A-rod
5. Posada
6. Whitey
I’d place it in that order since I was on field level, let me know what you guys think
SWB winning 2-0 in the 2nd.
Nova pitching.
Winfree is hitting .381 so far, Nunez .350
I don’t think there was anything telling about Joba not pitching today.
They had a 6-run lead in the 9th inning. Not your typical 8th inning situation, clinging to a slim lead.
Joba last pitched Sun and Robertson last pitched Sat.
Because I was at work, I didn’t get a chance to see the pregame ceremonies until I got home; watched it over dinner.
Nobody does this stuff as well as the Yankees. It was tremendous. And to top it off with a win, HRs from Nick J. and Jeter, great pitching by Andy, and another save for Mo – what could be better. I gather Dave Robertson got knocked around a bit – it will happen, as it does to all athletes. I’ll see it on the Encore tonight, but so what. Only an idiot would focus on that today. Why acknowledge idiocy, especially when it’s done on purpose.
Hey Betsy, How are you? I hope all is well with you. Don’t think cause you don’t see many comments from me that I’m not checking whatever you are posting, I get all my baseball knowledge from your deep understanding of the game.
I bet you were as happy as me to see the Yanks get their rings, the way Matsui was treated by Yankee fans – really nice, made me proud to be a Yankee fan – the entire thing was really well done.
Now, do you have any concerns about Javy tomorrow? If you were Javy, what pitches would you throw more often? You should really work for the Yanks, probably in advanced scouting. Do they even know that your talents are being wasted here on the interwebs?
Betsy, Your boy Hughes will be pitching soon, what line are you anticipating from him? I bet you must be excited.
How many wins are you anticipating this year from him?
Do you believe in global warming? I go back-and-forth on the topic. Today is colder than the earth’s average temperature, so I kind of don’t believe there’s any problem. That’s pretty sound thinking on my part, right?
Not that Jeter is usually scowling or anything, but in every picture I’ve seen of him today he is absolutely beaming! Winning is obviously his best color
The ring hijinx from Jeter on Matsui seems only fair since Matsui pulled off the marriage hijinx on Jeter a few years ago.
NYY626 April 13th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Ok this ceremony is making me cry already…
Me too. Not ashamed to admit. Gene’s welcome, and then the mob of HIGHDEKI!!
SWB winning 2 Zip thru 4.
Nova 4 innings 3 hits 1bb 3K’s
Montero 0 for 2 w. 1K
mlb.com has the entire ring ceremony online
Teixera is going to be just fine. He’s a timing hitter and he just doesn’t have it yet. It will come and when it does look out…, its been 7 games.
Andy was just masterful today. He works his way out of trouble so well and that cutter of his is just so good now and he’s able to mix in an occasional change which it which makes it even more deadly. He has looked better in these first 2 starts than much of the regular season last year.
Not really concerned about D Rob, that was a funky inning…really only gave up the one hard hit ball to Abreu (who looked just lost against Pettite)… no adrenaline coming in in that situation…some guys feed off that and if its not there they aren’t as sharp.
One other thing….today was the first time I’ve seen Tori Hunter play CF and thought to myself..”I think he’s losing a step”…maybe it was just me.
Great win today..
CR9 and NY626, I started crying when Kim Jones was talking about Matsui and the reaction expected from the Stadium and pretty much didn’t stop until the ceremony was over. Then watching Girardi talk about Gene Monahan on the postgame got me started again. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony, almost ruined for me by the silliness on the forum about who supposedly didn’t get enough applause, how the fans supposedly were an embarrassment because they supposedly didn’t clap enough for the team whey they were introduced after the ring ceremony, and like foolishness that didn’t have any truth to it whatsoever. And it came from people not even watching the ceremony! I’m sure that as you watch it you will see the love that came screaming through from the fans.
rish, BD will be happy to hear that. I know he didn’t get to watch it and really wished he could.
I wish I could have been there with those fans because I was never so proud of the fans at the Stadium as I was today, listening to them cheer for all of the guys.
(I didn’t have the applause meter running so I can’t give you a run down on who got the most and who got the least. Actually, who cares. They were all treated well by all the fans, and that’s what counts.)
Trisha – I agree. I thought the ceremony was perfect. I got chills watching it on TV so I cant imagine what it was like to actually be there. Jeter, Andy, Alex and Joe’s postgame interviews were all really good too.
I hope some of the guys get to hang out with Matsui tonight
Hey Trisha, I cry a lot too. I’m glad I’m not the only person who is in touch with their emotions. What made you cry more, the earthquakes in Hati and Chile, or the Yankee ring ceremony?
I have friends that cry when bad things happen to good people, I consider those people out of touch. I have more in common with people that cry during world series ring ceremonies for highly paid athletes.
All jokes aside, Gene Monahan made everyone I know choke up.
Robertson will be fine. and if he’s not, why worry? Boston and Angels are not as good as in the past and no other team is stepping up. Rays have a good lineup but their pitching is not up to snuff. Yanks will win the division by at least 8 games. Will in the al pennany, once in the Series, who knows but they will be there and hardly break a sweat getting there.
I saw the ring ceremony on MLB..very nice! The Melkman should have flied to da Bronx. A pity that he can’t party with Cano.
you dumbass yank fans keep thinking you’re out there competing. Its a purchase, just like Georgie handing the umps his AMEX. Wake up, this is not winning, its buying, morons