On the Yankees beat

Bubba's comments were honest and sincere. I wish him well. I always felt that Torre did not give him a valid opportunity to prove himself. Thou, expectations in Cinn. and NY could not be any more different. This does account for some of what Torre does to manage the Yanks.

I not trying to restart the Bubba conversation just commenting on his remarks.

I agree with Larry that Bubba was just giving an honest and sincere comment on the differences in the two clubhouses. No big controversy. While I don't think he was ever going to be a GREAT hitter, it is true he never really got a fair chance as a hitter in NY.

I loved this guy! He hustled his butt off, could actually bunt as a major league player, and showed some pop at times. I wish he would have gotten a better chance here. He's one of those David Eckstein type players and I've always had an affinity for them. There good to have on a team!

Best of luck Bubba, I loved you man!

Gary Sheffield rips Joe. Sheffield said Joe Torre took the fire out of him.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02212007/sport...king.htm?page=0

I wish Bubba nothing but the best. That said, he's not a better player than any of the guys who were starting ahead of him, and when he had an opportunity to play he unfortunately got hurt and opened the door for Melky. With Cincy, he'll have ample opportunities to win a job and fill in for Griffey.

Bubba's entire Yankee career culminated on that dropped ball/collision with Sheff, in Game 5 against the Angels. If the catch is made, the Yanks would have defeated the Angels, and advanced in the playoffs. But the ball fell, the Yanks were eliminated, and as far as the Yankees were concerned, Bubba had a one-way ticket to Palookaville.

Bubba said something that everyone one here can see and what the press has jumped on to expose to the public. You can't be mad at him.

I don't think the Yankees are the only team with that type of atmosphere though but since they are always in the lime light and when the baseball news and game analysis go flat or don't make big head lines the press knows they can always corner Alex to put his foot in his mouth or stir something between these players because they aren't the best of friends. That's sports and the media in NY.

Jeter said it the best, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Whether or not these guys are best friends they are professional athletes that want to win and play the game right.

Torre has to take the reins here and control what the press sees and what the players say to the press to avoid the distracting questions and get back to baseball.

Roy

I'm sorry, but the collision was clearly Sheffield's fault. It's the ONLY time he actually hustled for a ball in 3 years and it obviously took Bubba by surprise.

Also, when two OF's are both calling for a ball, it is the CF's ball. He is the quarterback out there. Sheffield should have backed off. But, once again, Sheffield's ego and attitude towards "reserves" gets in the way of the Yanks winning. If Sheffield had backed off, Bubba catches that ball with ease!

OYF- Torre is not a "take the reins" guy. He even lets his own pitchers decide when they are going to come out of games. What you are calling for is a Billy Martin type of manager. That type of manager went the way of the "complete game" pitcher.

Just read the Bubba article,he really hasn't earned a spot on the Reds ballclub as yet . I guess clowning around in a clubhouse is the key ingredient that translates into a winning atmosphere ? As Larry said above "expectations in Cinn, and NY could not be more different."All Bubba will end up doing is being Griffeys caddie if and when he makes the team.

RICK- I'm not blaming Bubba. The blame, (if you wanna get into that), rests with Cashman. Bernie had physical problems most of that season, and Cashman had plenty of time and opportunity to trade for a replacement in CF. He elected to not make a trade, and in mid Sept. Bubba was made the everyday centerfielder. Had Bubba and Sheff played more together, I believe Sheff would have known Bubba's range to the alley, and backed off that ball.

Again, not to say it's completely the Yankees' fault, but the pinstripes have become the image of Major League Baseball's core deficiencies -- a corporation structured behind the ideals of the Republican party where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
It's 2007 thinking spreading nationwide. And the Yankees are to blame.

In 1998, the year the Yankees won 114 regular season games and the first of three straight World Series, it was the Orioles, not the Yankees, who had the highest opening day salary. In 1999 and 2000, the payroll disparity between the Yankees and the other top teams was minimal. Those Yankees teams won more because of heart and determination than money. Since passing the $100 million mark in 2001, the Yankees have not won a World Series. From 1982-1995,the Yankees had plenty of resourses and yet they won nothing during those years.

Ofcourse, having a higher payroll puts them at an advantage over some teams. But, there are many other wealthy teams such as the Angles, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, White Sox and Red Sox, just to name a few.

People look at the Yankees wealth as the cause of all that is wrong with the world. They assume that the Yankees money is the only reason for their success. Yet they fail to recognize that perhaps it could be the other way around - that their wealth is a byproduct of a nearly a century's worth of dominance. Why shouldn't their sustained success be rewarded? Why should the Yankees have to share their money, which they earn, with the Pittsburgh's and Tampa Bays of the world? Why is it the Yankee's fault that the Pirates or the Brewers dont win?

The fact is that they are a scapegoat for fans of other teams who blame the Yankees for the failures of their own teams.

The worst New York fans are the Mets fans, not the Yankee fans. The Mets fans act like they are some power house in baseball when they haven't won in forever. Look at their payroll as well, they can't buy a championship either.

I for one cannot wait until I start reading box-scores instead of soap operas! I know there's not a lot of baseball activity going on yet, but man, the papers sure do fuel the fires of these mini-controversies. Hopefully, once pitches start getting hit by batters, this stuff will fade away.

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The Yankees are the worst in all of sports when they win and the worst in all of sports when they lose. When they win it's because they're supposed to and when they lose it's because there is no way all of that high-priced talent can come together as a team. I guess you're damned if you do and damned it you don't. That's a pretty rough standard to be held to.
The Yankees won four World Series in five years behind homegrown talent, including Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.

AngryYankeeFan

Thank goodness there aren't any RICH Democrats!

AngryYankeeFan- Pay no attention to what "others" think of your team. The "homegrown" talent is on the way. Look to, and enjoy that. Don't be distracted by "Yankee Haters". The more "noise" they make, the better the Yankees are doing.

There is no rule against spending the most to get back the most on your product, save luxury tax.
So people bitching that the Yankees can unfairly spend money are dead wrong. The owners of SEVERAL TEAMS have plenty of money but don't want to spend it.

And after what the Sox did this offseason, no Boston fan can ever bring this argument up again.

Fans of 3rd place teams, frequently come up with 3rd rate arguments.

AngryYankeeFan: Baseball is something like a 5 billion dollar a yr business,having said that the Yankee payroll is lower this yr than last and will continue to deflate once Mussina,Giambi and Pettitte' contracts expire...and even more so if A-Rod decides to leave after 2007 .I'm just guessing but by the beginning of 2009 the Yanks might have shed 50-70 million in annual contracts,while maybe adding 20-30 million in free agent signings.With a new stadium the Yanks are exempt from either revenue sharing or luxury tax,I forget which ,maybe someone could clarify that for me...anyway fiscally sound and a model capitalist enterprise.

Angry Yankee Fan- Stop being such a reactionary. What other teams' fans say has no bearing on anything and you'd better spend your time by learning about your own team and supporting the players than thinking up defenses to such ridiculous criticisms.
And please please please don't look at baseball as a microcosm of the country or of anything else. This is just a sport and what happens in it has nothing to do with Republican vs. Democrat, Rebels vs. Galactic Empire (Star Wars), or any of the other ridiculous analogies that we've heard in the last few years. To think otherwise really takes this all way too seriously.

To Angry Yankee Fan: First, Who cares what an opposing fan thinks of our Yanks. And the question that I throw back to the real idiot opposing fan is. If, the owner of your team was not getting anything back from his ownership. Would he hold on to ownership? The answer of course is no. Because most of the mega rich owners, keep salaries down, and collect revenue sharing from all different directions. Example. Miami Marlins make 60 million in profit before a ticket or game is played just for owning the team. And he traded away all his talent. I applaud GS and feel no sympathy for the KC's of the league. The yankees have a mission statement, "win the WS."

Rumor circulating that maybe Jim can look into:

A-Rod to the Cubs ? its rumored that jim hendry has been contacted by brian cashman about a possible movement of players that could include Ceasar Izturis, Sean Marshall, Juan Meteo, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman, minor league 3b prospect Scott Moore and Casey Mcghee. with possible return of Carl Pavano, a-rod.

Name a ex-Yankee who doesn't shoot out comments about the team. Bubba is not the trouble makers Lofton and Sheff and Unit and etc. Bubba's remarks were sincere, how can anyone fault them.

If he's telling the truth -- go talk to Jeter -- it's his club house.

Speaking of Torre. I think if he likes you, you play a lot no matter how good you are on the field/hitting. Take Cairo for instance. I'd rather have Bernie as a back up.

Can somebody tell me why the Yanks didn't give Wilson a chance to play 1st base/OF?

He hits righty can back up the OF and isn't a one dimensional player like Doug M or Phelps or Philips and can put up better numbers offensively.

Wilson hated it in NY and the Yanks knew they had no chance of retaining him. He also played poorly and didn't make a great impression on them.

I've always liked Bubba and it's unfortunate he never made it very far with the Yankees, but the fact is that he just wasn't as good as the competition on this exceptionally talented team. It's so true, as Ruse stated, that he hasn't yet earned a spot on the Reds, so maybe he should reserve his self-proclaimed deliverance until a more appropriate time in the future.

While Bubba and Newsday writers are convinced that camaraderie is the key to a team's success, history has proven otherwise. Nevertheless, when the Yankees enter the clubhouse, they may focus more on the game than socializing. A lack of whooping it up in the locker room is not an indication that the team doesn't enjoy each other's company outside of the ballpark. Did it ever occur to Bubba that possibly the Reds might be more wrapped up in the fun of it all rather than taking the game more seriously and that might ultimately result in a distraction for the team? After all, when is the last time they won a World Series or even a pennant? Bubba's comments seem a bit too bitter and premature, and Newsday writers are becoming more absurd in their selection of news that's fit to print.

Lucy : Exactly !

How can you take a guy with the name 'Bubba' seriously?

He does make great burgers tho!

Bubba is a 4 A player

sums it up read....

Part of Wallace MAtthews article.

Williams doesn't like to pinch hit and, by his own admission, doesn't hit well unless he plays regularly. The three outfield spots are spoken for and Melky Cabrera is the No. 1 backup. And yet the Yankees were willing to try to find a spot if Williams would come in and show them something.

RE: Wallace Matthews column 02/21/07.
"....between he and Rodriguez....."

Bad grammer!