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- Sutcliffe leaves a big tip:
Hours before they were to do battle with the Red Sox Tuesday night, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were involved in different type of confrontation, this one inside the Yankees’ clubhouse.
Upset with an accusation made by ESPN’s Rick Sutcliffe two weeks ago, the two players approached the former Cy Young winner to discuss the situation.
Sutcliffe said on the air that A-Rod had been feeding Teixeira verbal signs from the on-deck circle, giving his teammate a heads-up on the catcher’s location before the pitch was delivered. Teixeira and A-Rod pulled Sutcliffe aside when they saw him in the clubhouse last night, expressing their displeasure with his charges.
“Me, Alex and him talked about it,” Teixeira told the Daily News, confirming that the conversation took place. “No doubt it’s disappointing when someone makes an accusation like that. Whatever. I can’t control what they say.”
[My take: Has Rick been hitting the sauce again? Doesn’t he have better things to do, like ogle Erin Andrews or something? Sigh …]
- Ken Davidoff is NOT a fan of A.J. Burnett:
If you’re going to invest $82.5 million in a guy in part because he pitches well against the Red Sox – rather than, you know, his larger body of work – then what choice do we have but to crush him when said guy doesn’t deliver on his alleged skill set?
The blame must fall on the $82.5-million man Burnett, who has pitched horribly in his two starts against the Red Sox as a Yankee, last night’s worst than his first. . . .
In two starts against the Sawx this season, both at Fenway, Burnett is 0-1 with a 12.91 ERA.
That doesn’t quite live up to the career numbers versus Boston – 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA, in eight starts – that he brought to last winter’s negotiations.
- Johnny Damon is on a mission . . . :
Johnny Damon wants the Yankees to get back to the postseason for many reasons. One is to prove Joe Torre wrong.
Damon said Torre’s book, “The Yankee Years,” has “fired” him up to have a big season. The ex-Red Sox star went into last night’s Battle for First at Fenway batting .299 with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs and five stolen bases.
“It really did,” Damon, 35, told The Post, “because it was a private matter. This game is a team game. Me and Jason [Giambi] weren’t the reason we were losing. If [Torre] feels that way, then, oh well, but I’ll tell you one thing, me and Jason were the reason why we made the playoffs [in 2007]. We made that push. As soon as I got healthy, this team got going.”
- Phil Coke reflects on his amateur draft story:
“It’s a crazy process,” Coke said. “You hear stories when you’re a young kid in school about getting drafted, and nobody knows how it goes in a small town like where I was from. All you know is what you think you’ve heard through the grapevine, and it’s probably been twisted and turned in different directions. You don’t know what to expect.” . . .
Coke had finished his roller-coaster rides and was pitching at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., when the Yankees reached out, as scout and former big leaguer Tim McIntosh made arrangements to drop by Coke’s home.
Originally, Coke didn’t even believe McIntosh was representing the Yankees, skeptical that he was the victim of a practical joke. But after a few scribbles of his name, Coke threw on a new Yankees T-shirt and completed his first radio interview downtown as a professional ballplayer.
“I was just trying to do the best I could,” Coke said. “I wasn’t really concerned with who or when or how — I was concerned with making sure that I performed to the best of my abilities and hoped for the best. The fact that I got drafted back-to-back years and went from the 49th round to 26th round as a draft-and-follow, it’s not bad. If I had to go back again, I’d hope I’d cut in half again.”
- Of the Yankees’ 27 picks in Tuesday’s portion of the draft, 16 were pitchers.
- One-time prospect Yhency Brazobon turns 29 today. Brazobon’s major contribution for the Yanks was being part of the deal (with Brandon Weeden (minors), Jeff Weaver and cash) that brought Kevin Brown to NY in 2003.
- On this date in 1974, Mel Stottlemyre made his 272nd consecutive start, with no relief appearances, to set an American League record.
- On this date in 1988, Rick Rhoden of the Yankees became the first pitcher to start a game as a designated hitter since the rule was adopted in 1973.
- On this date in 2003, Houston Astros pitchers Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner combined for the first no-hitter against the Yankees in 45 years (6,980 games), winning 8 – 0. Houston’s sextet also set a record for the highest number of pitchers to combine for a no-hitter in major league history.
Is there a story behind that Rick Rhoden DH appearance? Seems odd. Rhoden pitched and lost the day before, even though 3 of the 5 runs he gave up were unearned thanks to a Jack Clark error. Wonder why Billy Martin let him bat?
I don't get it. Why do Texeira and Alex care what knucklehead like Sutcliffe says? Do they plan to confront every commentator and reporter? Because if they did, they would have no time left play baseball. They both need to chill out.
I sympathize with Damon, I really do. But I think A-Rod might have been the reason they made the playoffs two years ago...just saysin'.
[2] I think it has a lot to do with the subject matter. If Sutcliffe had simply been saying they discuss locations between innings or something, no big deal, but the accusation that A-Rod was tipping locations and/or pitches for Teixeira (particularly after Selena Roberts' accusations) was just a little over the line. Especially the way ESPN repeatedly played Teixeira's home run and showed Alex in a split-screen while Sutcliffe tried to figure out what the signal was.
Sutcliffe is pretty bad about saying things on-air that he hasn't actually researched. Couple of gems last night as well that upon a simple google search turned out to be completely false.
I'm a bit puzzled by the Damon story. That was before the RS signed him, fer cryin' out loud! He's nursing a grudge that old? And it's not like he was wandering in the baseball desert all that time. Just strikes me odd.
[5] I think his beef comes from the thing in the book where Torre said something about him having anxiety issues in '07 and coming close to quitting, and guys on the team apparently losing patience with him.
If I were Damon I wouldn't want that out there either.
[0][2] My take--I don't understand why it should be a problem if A-Rod was guilty as charged. It has never made sense to me that one team is allowed to use signals (basically a code to mask intentions) but the other is not allowed to try to break the code. i mean really, doesn't the fact that you are using a code to begin with assume that someone will try to figure out what you are doing?
This is one of those unwritten rules that I will never get.
[1] I distinctly remember watching that game, and being 10, was awed at a Yankees pitcher hitting - but I have no memories of why Rhoden DH'd. IIRC, he was quite the hitter, for a pitcher at least.
Didn't Charles Hudson DH or pinch-hit at one point in his brief Yankees career as well?
[0] I don't know if the draft's been discussed in detail in any of the game threads, so before anyone rants about the Yanks drafting more pitchers, my understanding is that this was a pitcher-heavy draft. It also seems like the Yanks took quite a few lefty pitchers, which the system could use.
[1],[8] Just about everyone was hurt.
[1] [8] [9] I distinctly remember that game as well. It was an NBC game of the week on Saturday and Rhoden actually hit a sac fly that carried to the warning track. I think the reason he was used was due to a combination of injuries and the Yanks facing a lefty.
1988 was a pretty weird season.
funny thing about the Rhoden game is that he actually batted ahead of Santana and Skinner...which says a hell of a lot about the Yankees offense at that point of the season.
[9] [10] Thanks! Retrosheet says the game, an 8-6 Yanks' win vs Baltimore, took just 2 hours and 39 minutes. Can you imagine that - a Yanks-Os game with all those runs finishing under 3 hours? Or how about this IF: Tolleson at 3B, Santana at SS, Meacham at 2B. What would today's Banter say about that lineup?
'88 was weird indeed.
Anyone else remember Rhoden trying to become a pro golfer after he retired from MLB?
1988 was a pretty weird season.
I'll say. From injuries, to lousy pitching (which would be overhauled after the season), to Billy's antics (which eventually got him fired), it was a weird season.
And they were still in the race up until they met up with the Red Sox late in the season... I remember it being a weak division, the "AL Least." My, how things have changed.
2 divisions
14 teams
Milwaukee was in the AL
LAAA were known as the California Angels
Yankee Stadium (NY), Exhibition Stadium (TOR), Tiger Stadium (DET), Memorial Stadium (BAL), Comiskey Park (CHI), Municipal Stadium (CLE), County Stadium (MIL), Arlington Stadium (TEX) and the Kingdome (SEA) have been replaced
Tampa Bay didn't have a team, though the White Sox threatened to move there.
Retrosheet says the game, an 8-6 Yanks’ win vs Baltimore, took just 2 hours and 39 minutes.
That's how it is when you don't have much in the way of commercial breaks.
[13] I also remember a 4-games series against the Tigers in early September that the Yankees swept. They had to come back in all four games and won three of them on walk off HRs. The first walkoff was by Gary Ward on Thursday night (the Saturday headlines read "AWard Winning Perforance") and the other two were by Claudell Washington, including an 18th inning blast on Sunday.
1988 was also the end of the road for Gator, Winfield's last great season (and final full season in pinstripes), Randolph's Yankee swan song, Rickey's final full season with the Yankees, and the first sign of trouble for Donnie.
[14] I'm pretty sure they had commercial breaks in 1988. Rather, when you have Rhoden, Santana, Skinner, Meacham and Tolleson in the lineup, something tells me it's going to be a pretty quick game.
I'm sure the game had commercial breaks, and I'm sure they were for (in no particular order): The Money Store, Chemical Bank, NYNEX, and whatever movie was on channel 11 that night ("Rocky II" most likely)
I’m pretty sure they had commercial breaks in 1988
I'm sure they did too, but I don't remember between inning breaks taking as long then as they do now. Despite having 5 outs in the lineup, they still managed to score 8 runs.
Looks like no one is buying the Selena Roberts' ARod book:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-06-10-a-rod-book_N.htm?csp=34
The main thing about the Rhoden DH game is that Billy Martin was pretty much insane during those days. I also remember watching that Game of the Week on NBC, and it was an embarrassment. Remember, this was also the era when Martin forced poor Mike Pagliarulo to go to the plate and hit right handed one time, and then set a record by sending out five pinch hitters in a row in one inning of a game they eventually lost. The Yankees were the punchline to every joke back then. Even they hadn't yet descended to the depths they'd find in the early 90s, they were still ridiculous.
And yes, Rhoden was quite a golfer. For a long time he was the top guy on the pro celebrity tour.
[17] I'd bet a fortune that Canon had a few spots as well.
I always liked the radio sponsors better: the Lincoln Savings bank ("you'll get better thinkin' at Lincoln"), Getty (sponsor of the Getty Goner Award), Thumans, Okidata and Kodak.
[20] I can remember Costas and Kubek being a little bewildered, but the funny thing is the Yankees were a first place team at the time, and played very well up until Martin was eventually fired.
The Yankees were the punchline to every joke back then.
I think you're confusing NY with Cleveland :)
[21] thats not all you got at Lincoln...
The next winning streak starts tonight.
[25] As I mentioned in the recap thread, this is the first time they've lost two in a row since the beginning of May, when they dropped two to the Rays following two to the good ol' Red Sox ...
[25] I hope so, but I just have this bad feeling that CC will give up a few early runs and the Yankee bats will go to sleep.
When I look at the two teams, I really think the Yankees are better. There is more to this 0-7 record than meets the eye, and I am not so sure it ends tonight.
[26] [27] There is definitely a significant psychological component to what has transpired. Even a bad team would beat the Sox once or twice in seven games. If Girardi can't change the negative mindset, then he needs to go. More specifically, I think bunting and smallball sends the wrong message to a team that should be an offensive powerhouse against almost any pitcher in MLB. I'm not high on Eiland either, but I think CC will negate a lot of that tonight.
[17] After thinking about it some more, I don't think Chemical sponsored the Yankees, but I do recall them sponsoring the Mets (I recall the Gary Carter commerical when he says "they've got the best stuff I've ever seen...sorry Dwight).
On the radio side, the Yankees mid-1980's financial sponsors were The Lincoln Savings Bank, Manufacturers Hanover Trust and the Anchor Bank. On TV, it was Citibank.
Manufacturers Hanover was bought by Chemical, which later bought Chase and kept that name before it combined with JPMorgan to form JP Morgan Chase.
The Lincoln Savings Bank was bought out by Dime, which later merged with Anchor before being acquired by Washington Mutual, which itself was later gobbled up by JP Morgan Chase.
So, in summary, I guess the Yankees were sponsored by Chemical, just very indirectly before the fact.
Yankees and Boston, game-by-game, since 1901
http://tinyurl.com/mpoo5u
(you are welcome) :-)
[30] 1108 to 931...are you trying to say that the law of average is finally catching up?
[12] Just trot that lineup out anytime there's bitchin' & moanin' about Girardi's lineup.
[0] Funny how no one's commented on the six pitcher no-hitter yet. I forced myself to watch that entire game, even after it was apparent the Yankees weren't going to be able to buy a hit, even if they had $1 million in cash and there was a 10 for 1 sale at a hit store that opened in Yankee Stadium.
I think damon is right. And i think damon has been more or less a bad ass in his time in pinstripes. When he's been healthy he has provided way more bat than I ever expected from him.
And I too think the "Not Joe Torre's" book was a piece of crap and an unnecessary insult to Damon and to a lesser extent, Giambi.
[32] Some things are best left unsaid...
[30],[31] They're closing the gap! We need reinforcements! Batten down the hatches, hoist the mainsail, and lower the boom!! >;)
I don't know why I didcn't think of this long before, but Jason "Pirate" Bey had a nice ring to it for all the web-savvy privateers out there. Quite a missed opportunity if you ask me...
I do think there's a psychological component to the season series thus far, but probably not as much of one as we tend to think from the outside looking in. I'm sure the Yankees discount the earlier games as not having been at full power, and the last two getting sunk by their starting pitching. how much credence that has is debatable but the point is I don't think the psychological part is as substantial as it might seem. They did battle last night at the plate.
On the other hand, Girardi playing for the tie may send the wrong message. Come on, you're the mighty Yankees!
[19] HA! Good news as far as I'm concerned. A choice quote:
"Published in early May by HarperCollins with an announced first printing of 150,000, A-Rod has sold just 16,000 copies so far, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 75% of industry sales. The book sold 11,000 in its first week, then quickly faded."
(Bold is mine). I don't know what they paid the witch, but they might lose money on this one. It's only sold 5.000 copies since the first week. My guess is not too many more are coming.
[6] From memory, I believe it was VERY out. I believe JD said himself in interviews that he was questioning his own future. I'll guess he was very frustrated by his injury. I think what he resents is Torre pointing to JD for the Yankees (early in the year) failure. Anytime an important player underproduces, the team is hurt. This is the nature of having good players. But you can't blame a teams problems on 1 or 2 guys.
It's nice to see JD bothers by that, and feeling he has something to prove. Can't hurt that it's a contract year also.
[36] That's almost exactly what I think.
I try to take the nerdy view about things like this, which means being skeptical about the psychological factor. I try to say, "Look, the Yanks and Sox play many, many games over many, many seasons, and of course there are going to be some seven-game runs of failure and some similar runs of success, not because of any psych factor but just by chance..."
It's really hard to maintain that attitude. Really hard.
The fact that several of the seven losses were very close games does make it a bit easier. But I'm almost compelled to accept that there is *some* psychological factor going on here...
· It speaks volumes in our society and culture today, that representatives from the Yankees take a large amount of time proving they are who they say they are where prospective players' signings are concerned.
What a cruel joke to play on Phil had McIntosh not been legitimate. I couldn't imagine doing that to anyone! That thought had never crossed my mind...
· As far as Davidoff on Burnett goes, if he had accepted the fact that A.J. was pitching for himself and nobody else last year, as Burnett knew he was going to opt out of his Toronto deal all along, that might explain his Yankees performances to date. I would argue he could care less now, because he got the guaranteed money he "worked so hard for" in those Red Sox and Yankee starts last year, which was precisely why he did what he did against them...
I mean haven't we seen this before?
: /
Mike Francesa is picking a strange time to keep bringing up the Red Sox bullpen's superiority. I mean, yes, they are obviously superior, but the bullpens have not been the problem the last two games.
"If Girardi can’t change the negative mindset, then he needs to go. "
Wow.
I often think WE as fans get more hyperfocused on in-season vs Boston than the players do. I agree, in other words, with RIYank ... these guys know it levels out, and that it will, and that the two teams are a game apart at the 1/3 mark and both are in the playoffs as of today. I wouldn't fire my manager for this, nosirree.
I'm unsure myself as to best course with Wang but I EXPECT to be unsure because I (all of us) do not know enough. We are guessing 'physical' or 'mental' and hearing one guy say 'arm slot' and we're just spectators to a behind-the-scenes show. In general, I agree he's too valuable an asset to dump or sabotage but that doesn't mean I know the best way to restore him. I honestly doubt anyone here does, however assertive they sound.