Patrick O’Keefe IM’d me yesterday afternoon and asked if I heard anything about Mariano Rivera. O’Keefe told me that his site devoted to Mariano Rivera had it’s all-time record attendence due to a bogus story that was making the rounds about Rivera being involved in a car accident. There was no truth to the story, and Rivera pitched one solid inning against the Blue Jays last night. In case you missed it, Jack Curry’s story on Rivera earlier this week in the Times is worth checking out.

So last night, Emily and I were sitting on the couch filling each other in on the events of the day. After awhile I clicked the TV on and discovered that the Yankees and Blue Jays were on YES. Our first game of the year. Em promptly announced, “Time to knit,” which is what she does while we watch baseball. We watched the last four innings and saw Godzilla hit a three-run homer. I don’t know why, but it was especially comforting to see him again. It was good to see all of the guys, and curious to see some of the new faces too. (Giambi looks really big again.) I have to admit, it was disorienting to see Tino Martinez in the line up. Talk about back to the future. It’s going to take a minute to get used to seeing his coiled, intense self on this version of the Yankees. It was also nice to watch Joe Girardi, looking trim, hair buzzed low, sitting next to Joe Torre. Most of all, it was just great to see a baseball game, no matter how meaningless. And I was reminded of how lucky I am to have a partner who not only tolerates my love of the game, but actively enjoys it herself.

There is a sympathetic profile of Jason Giambi by Nate Penn in the latest issue of GQ magazine. Giambi is anything, if not well-liked by those who know him:

On a visit to Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago, Bastion, Giambi’s high school coach, toured Monument Park with an usher: “He raved about Jason

Hey yo, yo, yo. Welcome to Bronx Banter’s new home, Baseball Toaster. After a great run at All-Baseball.com, we’re starting f-r-e-s-h for 2005. Course it should be nothing short of another entertaining baseball season in the Boogie Down.

I’m proud to announce that Cliff Corcoran will be co-writing Bronx Banter with me this season. When I started this blog, I always dreamed of having collaborators, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have writers like Chris DeRosa, Edward Cossette, and Brian Gunn submit articles periodically. But I’ve long craved something more permanent. I don’t pretend to be any kind of baseball expert, which is why I enjoying linking to other writing around the web. Now, there will be another distinct voice right here. I think the two of us will compliment each other nicely and be able to provide you with even more balanced Yankee thoughts and coverage than ever. Cliff is actually emotionally stable when it comes to the Yanks, which is comforting, knowing how nuts I tend to get when the going gets tough. What’s really cool about having Cliff aboard is that he’s a crack analyst. He does just the kind of stuff that I love reading but am not so interested in writing myself. I’m not going anywhere but now you’ll get two writers for the price of none!

I’m sure a lot of you are already familar with Cliff’s stuff, but do wish him a warm welcome (and not a Bronx Cheer) to the blog when you get a minute.

Also, bear with us for a minute as the technical kinks sort themselves out. As Robert DeNiro told his cronies in Good Fellas: “It’s gunna be a good summer!”

When I was but a wee lad, knee-high to a sowís ear (er . . . whatever), my elders would often lean over me in a terrifying manner and say such horrible things as “enjoy it while you can, it wonít last forever” and “these are the best days of your life, you know.” I took them for fools at the time. Still do. Certainly there are advantages to the responsibility-free lifestyle of childhood, but with that lack of responsibility comes a significant lack of personal freedom. School, for example, is downright fascist.

Still, one thing I do miss about the nine months of ritualistic abuse that comprised the school year is the optimism and clean slate with which I would approach each new grade in September. Armed with a brand new pencil case and the latest model Trapper Keeper, I was always sure that this would be the year Iíd complete every homework assignment (on time, no less), and get “a hundred” on every test. It never happened that way, of course, but that feeling of hope, ambition, and freedom from the previous yearís failures and shortcomings was invigorating, something Iíve never been able to recreate in a work environment.

The closest I come to that feeling as an “adult” is not the change over of the calendar, with itís empty resolutions and tradition of starting the new year on the worst footing possible thanks to the debauchery that ends the previous one (of which I generally donít partake), but the beginning of the baseball season as players report to spring training in late February and early March. Suffering from the same delusions that plagued me in past Septembers, each player arrives at camp with a brand new pencil case and the latest model Trapper Keeper, sure that this is the year theyíll learn to lay off the slider low and away, hit the cut-off man, avoid the injury bug, and finally work up to their potential and play well with others.

This year, that feeling for me is especially strong because of the confluence of spring training, my move here to Bronx Banter, and the launching of our new host, Baseball Toaster. So, with the crisp spring air in our lungs and visions of a 162-0 Yankee team dancing in our heads, letís all get out a clean sheet of loose leaf paper and, in our best, clearest handwriting, take a look at this yearís crop of Yankee campers.

(more…)

In the Times, Tyler Kepner captures one of the most interesting off-the-field realities that the Bronx Bombers will encounter this year:

The Yankees were on the field, but Jason Giambi was not. He was the designated hitter in the team’s exhibition opener Thursday, and as the Pittsburgh Pirates hit in the middle innings, Giambi was back in the Yankees’ clubhouse, taking shadow swings in full uniform.

The clubhouse TV showed the game, and some players milled around watching it. Then the commentators started talking about Giambi and steroids. Giambi stopped what he was doing and stared at the screen.

His expression never changed, and he never said a word. None of the other players did, either. Welcome to the awkward new world of Giambi, recovering ballplayer and reported former steroid user.

Yesterday, David Pinto linked an article that Ed Price wrote in the Newark Star- Ledger about the Yankee line-up. Today, there is more good news regarding the prospects of Tony Womack leading off. It just may not happen. Looks as if Joe Torre is comfortable with Derek Jeter leading off and Womack hitting ninth:

Derek Jeter batted leadoff Thursday, with the new second baseman, Tony Womack, batting ninth. Manager Joe Torre said he expected to stick with that arrangement, mainly because he could not think of another everyday player who could bat ninth. (N.Y.Times)

Phil Allard has a good interview with the author Peter Golenbock over at NYYFans.com. It’s part one of two, and worth checking out if you are into Yankee history. Speaking of which, peace to Repoz for linking this article on Jim Bouton early in the week. Here’s a good one from the Bulldog:

“Baseball has become a gross game presented in a gross manner with loud noises and advertising,”Bouton said. “There’s nothing beautiful about it. Nothing contemplative. Baseball’s beauty is its timelessness. There’s no clock.

“But now when you walk into a ballpark you are blasted with advertising messages and a big TV set in centerfield. You don’t listen for the crack of the bat. Now it’s all about home runs. It’s not about bunting or moving the runner over and all the little things. It’s just a different game.

“A home run is now as boring as the dunk is in basketball.”

I remember that the Pirates had one night last summer where they shut down the electronic scoreboard and just had an organist play during the game. Man, I wish I could have been there for that. Not to be a snob, but it sounded so, well, civilized.

The Veteran’s Committe did not elect anyone to the Hall of Fame yesterday. (Say what you want about Maury Wills, but I don’t get how he gets twice as many votes as Minnie Minoso…okay, I understand how, I just don’t think it’s fair.) In the Times, columnist Dave Anderson questions the committe’s methods:

After two veterans committee shutouts, it’s fair to wonder how responsibly do the Hall of Famers, especially the 58 ex-players among them, take their duty as voters?

Do they really study the two pages of statistics, rankings and highlights supplied to them for each of the 25 candidates on the ballot – particularly those of players from other eras whom they never competed against and probably know nothing about?

Do they just glance at the list and make a snap judgment?

…Particularly annoying is that three committee members did not cast a ballot. (A fourth committee member, Murray Chass, the baseball columnist of The New York Times, does not vote, in accordance with the newspaper’s policies.) If they were ill, that’s understandable. But if they simply did not care enough about the process to fill out the ballot, they should be removed from the committee. No vote this time, no ballot in two years when the committee will be polled again.

For more excellent Hall of Fame coverage, check out what my label-mate Mike Carminati has to say. (Oh, and while you are there, Yankee and Red Sox fans should definately read the first part of Mike’s history of trades between the two teams.)

The Yankees play their first exhibition game of the spring today, and all is quiet in the clubhouse, much to the chagrin of some. Man, oh man, how I wish I was at home watching. Just cause, you know?

Former Met Al Leiter thinks that syndicated radio personalities Mike and the Mad Dog done him wrong. In today’s Daily News, he tells John Harper:

“They influence not only fans but organizations,” said Leiter, who is paid to do a weekly spot on Michael Kay’s ESPN radio show. “Teams in New York listen to those guys. Why I don’t know. One guy’s a know-it-all, and his opinions are better than anybody else’s, and the other guy is a clown who throws a ball 47 miles-an-hour and plays tennis.

“They called me every name in the book, and questioned my integrity. Chris said I was done in 2003, and then when I had a strong second half, he said, ‘I guess I was wrong.’ Like a 10-second retraction was enough after he ripped me up and down in every way as if I’d done something to his wife and kids.”

Anyone listening to Fatso and Fruit Loops this afternoon? If so, let me know how they respond. I love bullcrap like this.

So, will anyone be elected to the Hall of Fame later this afternoon? My vote would go to Ron Santo, Minnie Minoso, Joe Gordon and Dick Allen.

Randy Johnson has a sore left calf and will miss his first spring training start. Johnson insists that this is not a big issue. Meanwhile, Kevin Brown pitched two innings yesterday in a intra-squad game and felt good when all was said and done. It would be curious if Brown ended up being a valuable contributor in 2005, particularly after how he finished 2004.

Part three of Rich Lederer’s chat with Bill James is up:

BJ: Rickey [Henderson] is one of a kind. Someone should write a really good book about Rickey. There is an essential connection between ego and greatness and no one better illustrated that than Rickey. When Rickey is 52, he will still believe that he could play in the majors. You can say that his ego is out of scale to his real world, but his ego is what made him so special. Somebody should document mannerisms and Rickey was a walking catalog of annoying mannerisms. He was a show. Every at-bat was a show. It’s not like a Reggie Jackson show where it’s done for television. It’s a live show. It’s done for the guys in the ballpark and the guys on the field. The show made him totally unique.

Tim Raines was almost as great of a leadoff man and almost as great of a player. Tim is a good guy, just a nice, reasonable person that everybody likes. Rickey is a show. [laughs] The show was essential to his greatness.

I really enjoyed this conversation. I can’t wait for lunch.

Part Two of Rich Lederer’s “Breakfast with Bill” interview is up. I like this exchange regarding a trio of James’ former assistants:

RL:…I was wondering if you could talk about some of the different people that worked for you. The fact that your disciples have become notable in their own right reminds me of the success of Bill Walsh and his assistant coaches.

BJ: Jim Baker is a very talented person. I conducted perhaps an over-organized search for an assistant at that time and hired him. He was the most talented person I could find. He is an extremely funny writer. He’s hilarious. I think everybody who knows Jim and knows how good his stuff is has been waiting for him to explode as a popular pop icon for 20 years. It hasn’t happened yet and maybe it won’t, but he’s a very talented guy.

RL: Rob Neyer was your second assistant.

BJ: Rob is the easiest person to work with that I’ve had. I hired him just because I liked him. I knew he was a big baseball fan. It was sort of a trial thing and I didn’t really know how long it would last. He is a natural assistant to me because I’m not organized enough to spend any time directing anybody’s work. You give Neyer a stack full of baseball books and he’s busy. He was naturally doing it by his own intellectual curiosity and interests so I never really had to worry about what he was doing, which was a good thing for me.

RL: How about John Sickels?

BJ: I hired John because I was looking for an assistant. We went to lunch and one of the things I did was draw up a list of young players. I thought I’d ask John to see if he knew anything about them as sort of an intern test. He knew far more about these players than I did! Just off the top of his head, he could rattle off where they were last year and what they were doing. I was quite amazed at that. John always had — and it doesn’t have anything to do with me — an area of expertise. He always knew more about that stuff than anybody did. Through working with me, he was able to let people know all of the expertise he had in that area.

Chris Smith has a good profile of Mets general manager Omar Minaya in the latest issue of New York magazine. I don’t know whether or not Minaya is a good GM, but I like him:

In private conversation, the six-foot-tall Minaya leans forward, establishing an intimacy. Heís resolutely upbeat, flashing a broad smile, and instead of launching into monologues, he frequently stops and asks questions, appearing genuinely curious instead of slick.

…”When you grow up in New York, you go to it,” Minaya says. “You donít expect it to come to you. Maybe some of the tools we learn as New Yorkers

Rich Lederer has the first of his three-part interview with Bill James up today over at The Baseball Analysts. Anyone who has an even passing interest in James is in for a treat. It’s not often that he gives long interviews, and, if the first part is any indication, Lederer’s work is bound go down as a classic. It could end up being the definitive Bill James interview. I’ll link the second two installments as they appear.

“He certainly has the right to say what he wants to say. But don’t get yourself thinking that you have to respond to it. You do what you want. I don’t tell guys what to do. I just tell them this is part of being here. He’s The Boss. It’s something they should have known before they got here, anyway. Any time he says something, it’s news.” Joe Torre on his Boss (Newsday)

As expected, there a more thoughts on Steinbrenner’s weekend outburst today. Here’s a good one from Murray Chass in the Times:

Steinbrenner’s outburst risked jeopardizing the dual support for Giambi by focusing even greater attention on him, if that’s possible. Giambi has enough pressure on him without Steinbrenner creating more.

“I shouldn’t have said it, but that’s how I feel,” Cashman said Steinbrenner told him. Maybe Steinbrenner has withdrawn so far into the background in the past year or two that he has forgotten the impact his words can have. Or, as always, he doesn’t care what impact his words have.

This time at least, he did not direct the words at one of his players. That left some room for humor. “Matsui said he wished he could speak better English,” Tellem said. “If he did, he could act as a marriage counselor for George and me.”

Speaking of the Boss, my good pal Repoz is what you’d call a classic-Steinbrenner-hater. It’s a label that he wears proudly. Growing up, Repoz fondly recalls the Mike Burke/CBS days, when he and his friends could move down to the good seats at the end of a game and actually shoot the breeze with Burke. Last Friday, Repoz sent me this bit from Burke’s 1984 autobiography:

I finally came across the Michael Burke book “Outrageous Good Fortune” from 1984 and I thought you would dig this little passage about the whole facade todo. During the planning stages of the The Yankee Stadium renovation, Burke was notified by architects, that the new Stadium could not support the facade without girders…so there could be no facade. Michael Burke wanted some of the facade to remain…somewhere.

From the book…Burke to the acrhitects…

“Then take it down and mount it around the perimeter wall behind the bleachers. We’ve got to preserve that characteristic somehow. Come back and
tell me you can do that.” They found a way.

Years later, long after I left the Yankees, I happened across a television interview with George Steinbrenner. The reporter asked him about preserving the facade, applauding the fact that it had been done. In response George
related how it came about. “You see, I was watching a game at the Stadium
one night in 1972, the last year in the old park. My good friend Cary Grant
was my guest. ‘George’, he said, ‘you’ve just got to keep that facade. It’s so characteristic of the Yankees.’ ‘OK, Cary,’ I said; ‘we’ll do it for you’ And we did.”

Oh, well.”

Alex…the book is chock full of anti-Stein material….a must read for those with that lovely trace of hatred still left in our soul.

The Don

Oh, and I liked this little bit buried in a Mets “notes” piece:

Willie Randolph called Joe Torre on Friday morning and got positive feedback from the Yankees’ skipper. “He said you guys have been nice to me,” Randolph said, referring to the media. “He said I’m doing okay. As long as I’m getting approval from the godfather, I’m all right.”

Man, it was a decent Sunday for the sports pages in New York as they finally had some Boss George news to splash. Okay, it isn’t that interesting

A couple of days ago, I was thinking about remarkable it is that we just don’t hear boo about our boy Hideki Matsui. Today, Joel Sherman has a really nice column on him:

Nothing changes at Legends Field for Matsui. He is still the most covered player on the most covered team. Whatever attention Randy Johnson is getting, or Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter, it pales when compared to Matsui.

…Under Joe Torre, the Yankees have wanted to portray a style that honors their heritage: Show up ready every day to play well, but never show up the opponent. Matsui embodies that as well as any player who was drafted and developed in the organization.

“You couldn’t ask for a better Yankee,” said Afterman, whose ties to Japan helped facilitate Matsui’s signing.

After improving offensively last season, and performing well in the playoffs, Matsui has become a fan favorite in New York. The Yankees are expected to try and work out an extension with Godzilla sometime this spring.

Room Service

The brightest moment out of Yankee camp yesterday was when Mike Stanton served a bp meatball to Bernie Williams, which was promptly crushed over the left field fence. Felix Rodriguez threw well, while Flash Gordon still hasn’t been able to entirely shake off his poor performance against the Red Sox last fall. Still, his manager thinks he’s a stand-up guy:

“He’s honest, and you can’t help but want to hug the guy.” – Joe Torre on Tom Gordon‘s admission that he was very anxious before pitching in Game 5 of ALCS last fall. (N.Y. Daily News)

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Finally, Bill Madden has a piece on Jon Lieber, the one who got away:

“To be honest,” Lieber was saying yesterday in the solitude of the clubhouse of the Phillies’ spring training complex, “I thought I’d be back, but there was always the chance they might decide otherwise. I guess that’s what happened. I have no hard feelings toward them. It was just business. I really appreciate everything they did for me. They stuck their necks out for me, gave me a chance when all the other clubs weren’t willing to go there. They committed to me for two years.”

But here’s the telling quote:

“In retrospect we probably should have picked up the option,” Yankee GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. “But who knew the market was going to explode the way it did?”

Straight-shooting from Cash.