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Kudos to the Los Angeles Times -- which, like Newsday, is a Tribune-owned newspaper -- for finding out the names of players Jason Grimsley reportedly mentioned to federal authorities as users of performance-enhancing drugs.
Here are the names Grimsley reportedly mentioned:
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettitte
Miguel Tejada
Brian Roberts
Jay Gibbons
David Segui also told ESPN a while ago he was on the list.
Lotsa news today:
--Randy Johnson played catch in the outfield on Saturday and will throw off a mound Sunday. He didn't sound like the epidural helped that much, but he's going to try all he can to pitch Game 3. Figure on the Yankees making a decision Monday.
--Joe Torre announced that Gary Sheffield will indeed be the first baseman in the postseason.
--Andy Phillips, Miguel Cairo, Brian Bruney and Ron Villone made the postseason roster. Craig Wilson, Aaron Guiel, Nick Green, Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens and Carl Pavano didn't.
--Going into the Tigers' game on Saturday night, it's 66.7% certain the Yankees will play the Twins in the first round. The Tigers have a magic number of one to clinch the Central.
--Derek Jeter went 3-for-3 and is one point behind Joe Mauer in the batting race (.346-.345). Jeter will play Sunday. Mauer may or may not.
I promise this is worth the click.
For the full effect, make sure to turn your volume on.
So we're nearing the decision day, and I'm interested in what everyone thinks about the Gary Sheffield experiment.
Surely first base is an easy way to get his bat in the lineup, but is it worth it? I believe he could play the position well after a full spring training.
But right now I think it's very questionable to use him in the playoffs there. Seems destined to hurt the Yankees more than his bat will help them. And that's a key factor here. If Sheffield was showing the offensive form of a year or two ago, then maybe yes. But he was having a down power year even before the injury.
(This is Sheffield on rehab assignment in 1994 with the Portland SeaDogs, courtesy of their official team Web site.)
Spent some time with Kevin Millar before last night's game talking about the intimidation factor a team must overcome when they see the Yankees in the playoffs. Obviously I'm not breaking any new ground here, but he really is a funny guy.
Quick example. I'm standing a few feet away from him, awaiting for him to signal he's ready to begin the interview. But he suddenly announces loudly to the entire clubhouse, "Anyone have any greenies? Anyone? How about B-12? Where's Miggy?"
(Do a google search on Miguel Tejada and B-12 and you'll get the joke.)
Covering Tom Gordon for two seasons in the Bronx was, uh, interesting.
One day he was the nicest guy in the clubhouse, talking openly about most subjects. One time he randomly told me he spent the offseason taking Yoga classes because he wanted to be stronger in the postseason. Hearing him describe the sweat drop off his forehead during his yoga sessions was a bit bizarre.
Anyway, the thing about Gordon was, he was so nice one day, then the next day he acted like he had never met you. And I'll never forget on the day he cleaned up his locker for the last time as a Yankee, matter of factly saying he believed the media wanted to run him out of town. Huh?
In any case, here's the latest from Gordon, via the Philadelphia Daily News. In talking about Jimmy Rollins as a shortstop, he said, "I think J's better than Jete. Every time the team needed something done, Jete did it. I see the same thing from J-Roll. Like with Jeter, the game just comes to him naturally."
Jimmy Rollins better than Derek Jeter?
Sure....
Just in case you missed FredZepplin's latest post... Here it is. Any thoughts?
CF J Damon ($13,000,000)
SS D Jeter ($20,600,000)
RF B Abreu ($13,600,000)
1B J Giambi ($20,428,571)
3B A Rodriguez ($16,000,000)**
DH G Sheffield ($10,756,171)
LF H Matsui ($13,000,000)
C J Posada ($12,000,000)
2B R Cano ($381,100)
Mussina ($19,000,000)
Wang ($353,175)
Johnson ($15,661,427)
Wright ($7,666,667)
Lidle (3,300,000)
Rivera ($10,500,000)
Farnsworth ($5,416,667)
Villone ($2,250,000)
Proctor ($353,675)
Myers ($1,150,000)
Bruney ($327,000)
Lineup: $129,446,569.00 on debit Steinbrenner.
Rotation: $45,981,269.00 on debit Steinbrenner.
Bullpen: $19,997,342.00 on debit Steinbrenner.
27th World Championship, beating the Mets again in The Series: Priceless
** I corrected this figure. Yes, A-Rod makes $25 million, but the Yankees only pay $16 million. The Rangers pay the rest, as per the details of their February 2004 trade.
Is there anyone out there who is planning or hoping to attend both the Yankees and Mets home playoff games next week on whatever day they play on the same day?
Minutes ago, Joe Torre announced the pitching rotation for the first three games of the postseason: Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson. He left Game 4 up in the air between Jaret Wright and Cory Lidle.
Check out the starting lineup:
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A-Rod 3B
Giambi DH
Sheffield 1B
Matsui LF
Posada C
Cano 2B
Torre said we shouldn't read anything into the batting order. What do you think?
"I want to play the Yankees. I want to take those guys out. For two years in a row they've been eating our butts up, and now I want to do the biting."
What a wacky scene at The Trop last night after the Yankees' 16-1 win.
Joe Torre dropped the news of Randy Johnson's achy back postgame, and by the time he was done talking Johnson was already out of the clubhouse. So a few of us ran off through the tunnel in search of the team bus. Once we got outside, the first buses we found were for the Devil Rays, but then we turned left and there was Randy, standing in front of the bus, already talking with a reporter.
It's not everyday you have to chase a player down by the buses and I give Randy credit for talking with us. He could have dismissively waved us off and entered the bus. Instead he talked, with the sound of the bus' engine loudly idling in the background. It felt like a scene from one of those low-budget reality shows.
On a separate note, Joe Torre seemed to indicate yesterday that Andy Phillips has the inside track to make the postseason roster.
Torre said he is putting a great deal of importance on defense for the last player, which makes sense given Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi are defensive liabilities. Miguel Cairo also will be on the roster and has been playing a lot of first base, but Torre rated Phillips as his best option for defense late in the game.
Randy Johnson will not throw another pitch until the postseason. He told the Yankees today his back has been hurting for three weeks and counting, getting worse and worse every time.
Don't you think the Yankees would have liked that info two or three weeks ago?
Don't think the Yankees were too happy about that, but too late for that now. Johnson is now in line to pitch Game 3 of the ALDS, which will provide 12 days of rest for The Big Unit's back.
We caught up to Johnson in front of the team bus in the Tropicana Field parking lot -- that's another story -- and when he was asked about going Game 3 instead of 2, Johnson said, "That's the least of my worries right now."
Jaret Wright has just finished throwing two scoreless innings, although they weren't exactly the most economical innings, to say the least.
Joe Torre has lauded Wright for being far more aggressive recently, but that hasn't been the case thus far tonight. Torre has already all but anointed Wright as his fourth starter, but you've got to believe if Lidle goes out tomorrow and throws a gem, they reserve the right to reconsider.
Who do you like better as your fourth starter?
Watching the Yankees yesterday made me sick. I had been feeling under the weather for about a week, but it finally came on strong yesterday, and the only reason I can come up with is that ugly game. Okay, okay, joking, I don't blame the Yankees. But obviously based on the responses, some fans are really bothered by their play, and understandably so. Joe Torre insisted after the game that he's not worried, saying his team always responded to pressure games this season and he expects that to continue.
Some points from yesterday:
* Ron Villone believes he knows why he stinks right now. At times he overthrows, but mostly he has been "recoiling," which means he subconsciously stops short at the end of his delivery. The result has been straight fastballs, and hitters teeing off as if it was batting practice. Torre all but said he's still on the postseason roster, but with a week left a lot can still happen.
* Jason Giambi is trying to accelerate his rehab schedule to allow for him to hit off a tee today. He wants to return to games as early as tomorrow night in the Bronx. I would imagine the Yankees will put handcuffs on him, knowing full well he has only a limited amount of bullets left in his left wrist and they can't waste him now.
* Don't get too worried over Gary Sheffield at first base just yet. That fourth inning was interesting, to say the least, but the good thing is he saw several different plays and now has the chance to learn from them. The big test starts tonight, as it will be interesting to see what he does the next time plays like that come up. Right now I think there's a better than 50-50 chance he is the first baseman in Game 1.
* Mike Mussina showed us the base of his left thumb, which got whacked by a liner by Carl Crawford. You could barely see where he was hit. He isn't worried, says it's not going to be an issue, and I believe him. If it's his pitching hand, that's another story.
I'll give a full update this evening about what the feeling is in the clubhouse on the mess on the field this afternoon, and what it all means for the postseason. In the meantime, let's hear what worries you about the Yankees going into the playoffs?
After watching that incident filled fourth inning -- more on that later -- three of us reporters took a wander to right-centerfield to see what the Devil Rays call their "Touch Tank." It's a three-feet deep, 35-feet long, 10,000-gallon tank with 30 cownose rays swimming around and around. The fine Devil Rays attendant gave us a special touring, even letting us stick our fingers in the tank. (I was the only one who opted against that, with you blog regulars in mind. How would you read my entry if I didn't have my fingers to type it. Yeah, that's the reason why, yeah, yeah.) In any case, the tank is actually quite neat. And although the opening is small, it's possible for a home run to enter the water. Check out a cell phone photo of the tank here at Pete Abraham's Journal News blog.
Getting back to the postseason roster, here are my picks for the final spots. For the final two position player spots, I take Miguel Cairo and Aaron Guiel. For the final three bullpen spots, I take Cory Lidle, Ron Villone and Brian Bruney. Thoughts?
Some tidbits for your enjoyment...
* Robinson Cano continued on his tear, going 2-for-4 with a double and home run. He moved ahead of Derek Jeter in the batting race, .340 to .338. And he is in contention for the American League batting title, trailing Minnesota's Joe Mauer by only .004. To qualify for the title Cano needs 30 plate appearances over the final nine games, and Joe Torre seems willing to give him the opportunity. Cano probably would have sat Friday night, but he was the designated hitter instead, a half-day off instead of a full. "You will be seeing more of that for that reason," Torre said. Since coming off the disabled list August 8, Cano is 64-176 (.364) with 23 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBIs. Could Cano be the Yankees' best hitter?
* Too bad Chien-Ming Wang isn't facing the Devil Rays in the playoffs. Wang allowed only one run in seven innings Friday to improve to 18-6, and in four starts against Tampa this season he is 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA. That's four earned runs in 31 1/3 innings.
* T.J. Beam was told before the game he will pitch in the Arizona Fall League, an experience the Yankees believe will have him on the right track for the start of spring training when he could be vying for a roster spot.
* Also, general manager Brian Cashman told me before the game the Yankees have signed amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer to an extension, and according to a person familiar with the situation it's a two-year deal. Oppenheimer has run the last two amateur drafts, and Cashman said he has been happy with Oppenheimer's picks and signings. On that note, the contracts of Tampa-based executives Mark Newman, Billy Connors and Gordon Blakeley will be expiring later this year. The rumblings right now point to them staying with similiar two-year deals.
Joe Torre and Brian Cashman decided it was best for Carl Pavano to show up here today, hoping his presence would alleviate some of the tension that exists between he and his teammates (who think he's a joke).
The jury is out on that.
"Whatever they choose to take from it or voice to him is certainly up to them," Torre said. "There was no meeting about the fact that he is going to be here, so here he is, guys, have at it. And vice versa. He’s a member of this team. My feeling is he should mingle a little bit and let them know he’s here."
That didn't really happen, at least not while us reporters were allowed in the room. Pavano stayed by his locker the whole time. Jaret Wright came over to chat, and Derek Jeter stopped for a brief hello. Pavano also spoke with Darrell Rasner and Randy Johnson, both of whom had lockers around him.
Pavano had no plans to address the team.
"We’re all men," he said. "I'm sure guys have things to say to me. I have an open ear. But I don’t expect me to be their focus right now. Their focus is obviously going after something more important than dealing with me ... I’ll be in the clubhouse. As far as I’m concerned, these are my teammates and we support each other."
Torre, meanwhile, had some very interesting things to say about what Pavano has to do going forward.
Here are some snippets.
About his status in the clubhouse: "He’s got some work to do in that regard. These guys busted their tails all year. And nobody is saying he wasn’t hurt. But you have to help yourself, and there may be some thought process that he could have done a better job helping himself."
About his upcoming offseason: "I think he has to understand what his priority is. Im not accusing him of anything. But the fact that baseball is something right now that has to be his life. He’s going to have to live his life that way."
Pavano had little to say in his defense.
"I could sit here all day and rehash everything, but it’s not going to do me any good. Personally everything I've done has been disappointing, frustrating, humiliating, so the best thing I can do is continue to look forward to 07. I'm not going to take anything away from the team. They played all year."
Here are some more Pavano snippets:
On whether it would be best for everyone if he was in another organization: "It hasn’t even crossed my mind. I’m a Yankee."
On maybe playing winter ball: "I've thought about it."
On whether the Yankees will try to void his contract: "That's the least of my concerns."
On the wallpaper of back pages screaming "Crash Test Dummy" that covered his locker in the days after the revelation of his car accident: "I haven't heard about that."
Also, he hired Gregg Clifton as his new agent. If you recall, he fired Scott Shapiro as his agent a year ago and told the union he was doing so because Shapiro did not follow through on his promise to get him a four-year, $40-million deal. Pavano, of course, signed for four years and $39.95 million. Anyway, he hired Clifton because, "This is getting to be too much for me to handle by myself. I need a sounding board, and he sounds like the right guy."
This is how I translate that: The Yankees will soon interrogate me about the details surrounding my car accident and I need to have representation. So I went with Clifton.
That's all from here for now. Enjoy watching Sheffield at first.
Here are the locks, as I see it:
Position Players
Jorge Posada
Sal Fasano
Jason Giambi
Robinson Cano
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Gary Sheffield
Melky Cabrera
Johnny Damon
Bobby Abreu
Hideki Matsui
Bernie Williams
Pitchers
Chien-Ming Wang
Randy Johnson
Mike Mussina
Jaret Wright
Mariano Rivera
Kyle Farnsworth
Scott Proctor
Mike Myers
Here are the candidates to fill the final two position player spots:
Aaron Guiel
Craig Wilson
Nick Green
Miguel Cairo
Andy Phillips
Here are the candidates to fill the final three pitcher spots:
Ron Villone
Brian Bruney
Cory Lidle
Joe Veras
Darrell Rasner
Jeff Karstens
T.J. Beam
What do you do?
NOTE:
I just ammended this to include old man Bernie. I apologize for forgetting about him.
Jason Giambi visited Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser again today and he received yet another injection in his left wrist, presumably cortisone, which marks his third shot in as many weeks. Giambi had another MRI and CT scan on his wrist and the Yankees said the tests showed nothing new from their previous tests. But the Yankees did add that if pain persisted Giambi "arthroscopic surgery might be necessary" in the offseason.
And for those of you following "Project Runaway: The Carl Pavano Story" ... I asked Brian Cashman not too long ago whether Pavano being shut down will mean he will not have to face his teammates in St. Pete this weekend. "We'll see," Cashman said.
Returned to sunny Long Island a few hours ago, and the first question everyone asked was this: "What's it like in the clubhouse during that celebration?"
Well, as a reporter, there are some mixed feelings.
It's neat to witness the celebration firsthand considering you've seen so much else throughout the season, beginning with pitchers and catchers in the middle of February. But at the same time you are walking a thin line in the clubhouse, trying to take note of everything that's going on while standing far away from the action, desperately wanting to keep dry. It's a tough go.
And you know what else? The smell of champagne is so thick in the air, it's almost hard to breathe. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. It's very overwhelmning when you walk into the room and hit that wall of champagne.
Last night's celebration, in my estimation, was bigger than their parties celebrating division titles in 2004 and 2005. Had to have been some flight to Tampa last night...
And for those of you wondering about my computer woes, everything has been fixed. Surgery was much shorter than I expected. Thanks for all the emails of support.
Here's the medical report coming to you before the potential clincher...
* Mariano Rivera has been officially cleared to pitch in a game this weekend against the Devil Rays, and he will not need to throw another bullpen session before then.
* Johnny Damon had a bandage covering bruises on his left hand he suffered when he fell after making an on-the-run catch to end the fifth with the bases loaded Tuesday.
* Derek Jeter, as expected, reported “no problems” with his right hand, a day after he was hit by a pitch in the first and later left the park with it wrapped.
Neither Jeter nor Damon was in the lineup tonight, but Torre said that was decided before they suffered minor injuries. He said each of the regulars will get either last night or Friday night, a way to give them two days off combined with today’s off-day.
* Cory Lidle, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 13 because of inflammation in his right index finger, threw only fastballs in the bullpen before the game but reported improvement. Torre said there’s still time to get Lidle two more starts, making it seem likely Lidle will start Tuesday night and the season finale on Sunday.
* Carl Pavano apparently will not have to face his teammates this weekend after all. The pain in his ribs is still there and the Yankees have shut him down, GM Brian Cashman said. That means Pavano won’t have to show up in St. Pete.
And finally...
The Yankees’ ties to Columbus officially came to an end today when the Clippers board of directors met to approve a two-year deal to become the Triple-A affiliate of the Nationals. The Yankees are expected to sign with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Rented a laptop from my hotel for the evening. Using some intense negotiation skills I learned from covering agent Scott Boras, I was able to get the price down from $300 to $200. Still think that's way too much, but it will have to do. As for your Yankees, what a night last night. Pulling within one win (or one Red Sox loss) of clinching should be a happy event. But injuries overshadowed that.
Got to be worried about Jason Giambi right now. He's already had two cortisone shots for his left wrist, and it's still bothering him. He's talking about getting a third one right before the playoffs because he said it feels good right after the shot. But if the first two shots wore off within a week, what good will that be? At this point it's hard to expect him to give the Yankees much in the playoffs, I think. He hasn't homered since August 20 and says he thinks it's gone downhill from playing defense recently. Okay, so the optimistic fan might say, good thing they have Gary Sheffield coming back to play first. Well, let's see how he does there in a game before we get too excited about that scenario.
Also of note, Derek Jeter got hit in the hand and, in a rare moment of honesty after the game, likened the pain at the time of impact to slamming the clubhouse door on your hand. Not good. He'll get tonight off. It's a concern, sure, but there's little reason to doubt he won't be back in the lineup soon, playing up to his usual high level of play. His track record overcoming injuries speaks for itself.
Oh, and now it appears Carl Pavano isn't going to come back. That's a shame. I think the Yankees were really counting on him, cough, cough. What I'm interested to see is if he still chooses to show his face in the Yankees clubhouse in St. Petersburg, Fla. this weekend. My guess? No way.
Sorry for the lack of neat photos recently. My computer woes have limited my time to scour Google Images for vintage Yankee shots.
Rieber here from Shea Stadium. I'm posting this for Jim. If you read on you'll see why.
By Jim Baumbach
From Toronto
First let me update you on wretched computer - it has officially shut down, having given in to that nasty virus. It put up a good fight, but just like the Red Sox this season, it just couldn't make it to the finish line healthy.
But the Yankees don't stop playing just because I am laptopless. So here's what's happening today...
* Gary Sheffield took swings off pitching coach Ron Guidry five hours before the game, and then was activated from the DL. Expect Joe Torre to give him considerable time at first base once the Yankees clinch. Speaking of that, do you think we'll be seeing a lot of Sheffield at first in the playoffs? It's hard to answer that right now, but this certainly adds a lot of interest to the final two weeks.
* Chien-Ming Wang pitches Friday, Randy Johnson Saturday, Mike Mussina Sunday and Jaret Wright Monday. Torre said don't read into how he lined it up, but I think it's safe to say that's the most likely rotation for the ALDS.
* Mariano Rivera threw 30 pitches off a mound in the bullpen - his second such session in four days - and he came away saying he felt good. He said he will play catch tomorrow and did not know the plan after that. But it seems likely he will get into a game this weekend. And at that point there will be one heck of a collective exhale by Yankees fans everywhere.
* For all you Brian Bruney fans who noticed his gun readings were down a little on Monday, you're right. Torre said they plan to back off him a little to keep from wearing him down. His postseason spot certainly looks all locked up.
Blog regular Zander posted this not too long ago: "Despite the fact that Torre loves experienced players, Bruney, Rasner and Karstens will be on the playoff roster and Villone, Dotel and Lidle will be on the outside looking in."
I disagree. Bruney's spot is locked up barring a huge breakdown, but I don't see Karstens or Rasner making it. Here's the 11 pitchers I see on the team if it was today: Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Jaret Wright, Mariano Rivera, Kyle Farnsworth, Scott Proctor, Mike Myers, Cory Lidle, Brian Bruney, Ron Villone.
That means the following active pitchers will be left off the roster: T.J. Beam, Octavio Dotel, Sean Henn, Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner and Jose Veras. For all you Dotel fans out there, it's time to give up the dream that he's the bullpen's savior this year. Obviously he's not who used to be just yet, and Torre has mentioned twice in the past few days that it takes Dotel a long time to warm up in the bullpen. That doesn't work in his favor, and neither did the home run Troy Glaus hit last night.
Agree? Or disagree?
And not for nothing, but why is Dotel holding a bat in his Triple-A baseball card?
Hello from north of the Canadian border. Let me say, it's been one heck of a wild ride getting this post up. I'll spare you the ugly details, but let's just say my laptop has been attacked by a virus, and right now the virus is winning. It's going to be a very interesting few days here until I get to bring it to the Newsday doctors on Thursday's off day. Don't let anyone know, but I plan to smuggle a Cuban cigar to give to the Newsday tech for extra motivation.
Anyway, onto your Yankees. Funny scene last night after the day-night doubleheader ended. As they do every year, the Yankees replaced the rookies' travel clothes with something new, and this year's theme had all to do with their boss, The Boss. The seven rookies were given blue blazers, white turtlenecks, large sunglasses and wigs so they would resemble, oh yes, none other than George M. Steinbrenner III.
As for today, Gary Sheffield spent time on the field before the game working out at first base, with the help of just about the entire coaching staff. Rob Thomson stood around shortstop hitting grounders at Sheffield, essentially pretending as if they were hard throws in the dirt that Sheffield would have to scoop. Larry Bowa, Don Mattingly and Joe Torre stood behind Sheffield giving him advice. Should be interesting to see Sheffield play first in a game. It's not too often you see a player with as productive a career as he has enjoyed make a drastic position change this close to the playoffs.
We're in the eighth inning here and it looks as if Derek Jeter's 25-game hitting streak will end today. (In his last at-bat he swung 3-and-0 but grounded out to first.) It's the longest streak by a Yankee since Joe Gordon -- no relation to Tom -- hit in 29 straight games in 1942. Jeter went 40-for-109 (.367) with eight doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs during the streak. Of course there are still two innings left to play...
By John Sterling!
While surfing the Internet during the early innings of today's day-night doubleheader, I stumbled upon this find: John Sterling's blog.
Entries are short and he doesn't update too often, but it's still a humorous take on the Yankees. Too bad he doesn't have audio of himself dictating his blog entries. Enjoy.
Guess who is supposed to show his face in the Yankees clubhouse this Friday?
Yes, that's right. Carl Pavano.
Joe Torre was asked about Pavano's, uh, progress from his latest injury -- broken ribs from a car accident he hid from the team -- and Torre revealed that Pavano is scheduled to throw in front of them Friday. Pavano, who has been in Tampa recently, will report to St. Petersburg, Fla., to throw on the side, meaning he will have to show up in the clubhouse and face his teammates (many of whom think he's a joke).
Should be an interesting scene.
Here is Carl Pavano as a Red Sox prospect. Don't you think the Yankees wish the Red Sox were more successful wooing Pavano as a free agent back in the 2004 winter.
Mariano Rivera threw 26 pitches from the bullpen mound before Game 1 of Saturday's first game and said he felt fine. He will do another bullpen session on Tuesday. If all goes well, he could be back next weekend.
Is there anyone out there who is going to attend all four games Saturday and Sunday?
A few tidbits from tonight's rainout:
-- There will be back-to-back day-night doubleheaders, and with the Yankees' top four starters all going, it's going to have a ripple effect on the Yankees rotation next week. Expect Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner and someone else pitching in Toronto.
-- Cory Lidle will miss his next start because of inflammation on the inside of his right index finger, which he believes is from throwing his split-fingered fastball. He believes it's why he has struggled so much in his last two starts. He hopes to miss only one start and return with two starts to convince the Yankees he should be their fourth starter in the playoffs. Right now it's clearly Jaret Wright's job to lose.
-- David Ortiz refused to speak with the media. Must be still fooling himself that he never ripped Derek Jeter. Jeter considers it a done issue.
-- Hideki Matsui will return to the outfield on the Yankees next homestand. It would be sooner, but the Yankees don't want him playing on the turf in Toronto and Tampa Bay. Should add an interesting subplot to the final week of the season, seeing where Melky Cabrera plays (the bench.)
-- Gary Sheffield will play in a simulated game before getting activated, and that won't happen until the Yankees are in Toronto next week, at the earliest. They scheduled him to do extra work at first base in the afternoon today and yesterday, but had to cancel it both times because of the rain.
From tomorrow's newspaper...
The Yankees have informed the management of the Columbus Clippers that they intend to find a new Triple-A affiliate, the latest sign of Brian Cashman’s increased power.
Columbus has been the Yankees’ Triple-A home for 28 years because of George Steinbrenner’s connections, having grown up in the Cleveland suburbs and a longtime Ohio State supporter.
But the Clippers’ stadium is widely regarded as the worst in the International League, and although a new stadium has been in the works for a while, it is not expected to be ready until 2009.
Cashman refused to comment yesterday, but Clippers GM Ken Schnacke told The Columbus Dispatch today that Yankee officials told the team about their intentions more than a week ago.
The Yankees undoubtedly are looking to move their top-level affiliate closer to the Metropolitan area, which will help to shuttle players, in addition to significantly upgraded facilities. One possibility is Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Phillies’ Triple-A home from 1989 until this season, which will be their last. Their plans to move to Allentown after a year in Ottawa have been widely reported.
Many current Yankees stopped in Columbus, from Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera to Chien-Ming Wang, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano.
Okay, okay, I admit it, I left tonight early.
It was 9 p.m., I was done with my stories for the night, and with nothing of great significance was taking place on the field, I left the stadium early. I went home.
But I don't feel too bad, because I wasn't the only one.
Gary Sheffield did the same.
If you pick up the print edition of Newsday on Friday -- thanks ahead of time -- you'll read about Don Mattingly in my "Countdown of October" piece.
And in the story I addressed his interest in managing, which he freely admits these days is something he would like to do down the line.
So Yankees fans, tell me, how do you think Mattingly would do as a manager? Do you see Mattingly as Joe Torre's replacement, whenever Torre retires? (Torre has one more year left on his three-year, $19.2-million extension.)
Have to say Mattingly deserves credit for the Yankees' steady offensive attack in a year in which they lost Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield to serious wrist injuries. Of course Bobby Abreu deserves credit, too.
With another first-inning single, Derek Jeter's hitting streak reaches 23 games -- with 33 games left until history (next April, of course).
1. Joe DiMaggio, 56 games, 1941
2. Hal Chase, 33 games, 1907
3(t). Roger Peckinpaugh, 29 games, 1919
Earl Combs, 29 games, 1931
Joe Gordon, 29 games, 1942
6. Babe Ruth, 26 games, 1921
7. Don Mattingly, 24 games, 1986
8(t). Joe DiMaggio, 23 games, 1940
Derek Jeter, 23 games, 2006
10. Joe DiMaggio, 22 games, 1937
11(t). Bernie Williams, 21 games, 1993
Wally Pipp, 21 games, 1923
