Post by ShakyGiambino on May 24, 2005 6:17:31 GMT -5
Yankees News for May 24
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Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 24: www.yankeemania.com
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Unit's speed in slide
May 24
New York Daily News: There have been moments for Randy Johnson. Moments like Saturday in the seventh inning, when he came up and in against Cliff Floyd and then whiffed the Mets slugger down and away.
Moments like the first inning of the April 29 game against Toronto, when he gave up a leadoff single and then struck out the side with a mixture of simple power and sophisticated trickery from his mystifying slider.
Moments like May 9, when his 119th and final pitch of the day sent Mariners second baseman Bret Boone flailing as the Big Unit bounded to the dugout in exhilaration.
But there have been fewer moments than in the past. Johnson arrived in the Bronx with a reputation as the premiere power pitcher of his generation - perhaps the greatest lefty in baseball history - yet he has recorded only 55 strikeouts in his first nine starts; he had 81 over the same number of outings last year.
Much has been made of that number. Fans have wondered if that is the reason for Johnson's inconsistency at the start of this season, or if it's a critical sign of a downfall. Approached at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Shea Sunday, Johnson admitted he understands the focus on that particular statistic - but isn't worried about it.
"People want to see me strike out batters," he said. "I know that. They've become accustomed to me doing it. But having a high number of strikeouts doesn't mean that I'm in great shape or pitching well or that we're definitely going to win the game. I've struck out 19 batters in a game and lost. I've struck out 20 in a game and gotten a no-decision. Strikeouts are a sign of domination, but that doesn't mean we're winning games, and that is what I'm here to do."
Critics have pointed to the lack of strikeouts as a tangible indication of decline in Johnson. Some scouts note that his fastball has lost three or four miles per hour from previous seasons and, in combination with his inconsistency so far, wonder if the 41-year-old is fading.
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Alex's field of screams
May 24
New York Daily News: Any way you rate it - anecdotally, statistically, saber metrically or by his own harsh self-criticism - Alex Rodriguez is off to a bad start at third base after showing unusual mastery of the position last year in his first go-round at the hot corner.
It's certainly not enough to change his nickname to E-Rod, but Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, has seven errors already after making only 13 all last season. He has five errors in his last 15 games and is on pace to commit 26 errors. Several of his boots have cost the Yankees runs.
His fielding has been a stark contrast to the comfort he's shown at the plate - he leads the majors in home runs (14), RBI (43) and runs scored (37). "You can tell how relaxed he is up there just by the way he walks to the plate," Yankee coach Luis Sojo said.
But are Rodriguez's glove troubles merely a slump or part of a trend? Yankee GM Brian Cashman said it was "a phase" and predicted Rodriguez would recover rapidly. Sojo said a recent tweak to A-Rod's stance will help.
One major-league scout said Rodriguez was in a slump, but another suggested A-Rod was rushing himself on defense, a sign that he was trying to "do too much." Rodriguez, the scout said, has been trying to compensate for the Yanks' early spell of mediocrity.
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Sheff: Get That Shot Out Of Here!
May 24
New York Post: Knowing that a cortisone shot would likely force him to miss a third straight game tonight, Gary Sheffield refused the spike yesterday to calm an inflamed ten don in the left hand.
Sheffield underwent an MRI yesterday and was examined Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser, a hand specialist, who suggested the shot to treat tendinitis.
But Sheffield, who missed the final two games of the Subway Series at Shea Stadium this past weekend, shunned the needle and wants to play tonight when the Yankees open a six-game home stand against the Tigers with the Red Sox in for the weekend.
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Jeter trying to elbow way back into lineup
May 24
New York Daily News: Derek Jeter went to the Stadium for treatment on his left elbow yesterday. GM Brian Cashman said he couldn't say for sure that the Yankees captain would return to the lineup tonight against the Tigers.
"I can't tell you he's going to play," Cashman said. "The off day came at a good time, there's no doubt. Every day the swelling goes down a little bit, but it's still pretty sore."
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George now is a shell of Boss
May 24
New York Daily News: Near the end of an interview presented Sunday by the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, George Steinbrenner was asked to name his favorite song.
"Anything (Frank) Sinatra does," Steinbrenner said.
Considering what had transpired during the interview, the Sinatra reference was more than symbolic. At the end of his legendary career, Sinatra's voice was shot. He could not remember lines to songs and he was only getting by because of who he was.
During his lengthy chat with Michael Kay, Steinbrenner too was a shell of himself. The steely stare has given way to hollow eyes. Arrogance and bluster replaced by the tinny-toned voice of a grandfather suddenly awakened from a nap.
No energy.
No animation.
Steinbrenner was not registering. He seemed incapable of getting in-depth or offering details. This was a session of stock answers and repetition.
In Sinatra's case, the people who paid to see him in the end could not have cared less about the performance they were witnessing. Memories of those nights of virtuosity were too powerful. And just as was the case with Ol' Blue Eyes, there are many reasons to believe the people who love Steinbrenner for what he has done for the Yankees - spending freely to provide them with winner after winner - won't care how he projected himself in this interview.
It did not matter what Steinbrenner was asked. Just hearing him answer the questions and seeing how he looked while answering made this interview eerie and, in a bizarre sense, compelling. This is a man who clearly has lost his fastball.
The interview was revealing, all right.
A revelation in sadness.
It became obvious that Steinbrenner had problems remembering how he had answered Kay's questions. During the 90 minutes he used the exact same words - "a great competitor" - to describe Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Joe Torre, Bob Lemon, Billy Martin, Tino Martinez and Len Dawson (whom he coached at Purdue).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of New York
May 24
New York Daily News: Each week during the 2005 baseball season, the Daily News will select the three best individual performances on the Yankees and Mets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 24: www.yankeemania.com
---------------------
Vote for my site. Just click here let the page load and your done. thanks: www.sportsinfinity.com/in.php?site=1039541572
---------------------
Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 24: www.yankeemania.com
---------------------
Unit's speed in slide
May 24
New York Daily News: There have been moments for Randy Johnson. Moments like Saturday in the seventh inning, when he came up and in against Cliff Floyd and then whiffed the Mets slugger down and away.
Moments like the first inning of the April 29 game against Toronto, when he gave up a leadoff single and then struck out the side with a mixture of simple power and sophisticated trickery from his mystifying slider.
Moments like May 9, when his 119th and final pitch of the day sent Mariners second baseman Bret Boone flailing as the Big Unit bounded to the dugout in exhilaration.
But there have been fewer moments than in the past. Johnson arrived in the Bronx with a reputation as the premiere power pitcher of his generation - perhaps the greatest lefty in baseball history - yet he has recorded only 55 strikeouts in his first nine starts; he had 81 over the same number of outings last year.
Much has been made of that number. Fans have wondered if that is the reason for Johnson's inconsistency at the start of this season, or if it's a critical sign of a downfall. Approached at his locker in the visitors' clubhouse at Shea Sunday, Johnson admitted he understands the focus on that particular statistic - but isn't worried about it.
"People want to see me strike out batters," he said. "I know that. They've become accustomed to me doing it. But having a high number of strikeouts doesn't mean that I'm in great shape or pitching well or that we're definitely going to win the game. I've struck out 19 batters in a game and lost. I've struck out 20 in a game and gotten a no-decision. Strikeouts are a sign of domination, but that doesn't mean we're winning games, and that is what I'm here to do."
Critics have pointed to the lack of strikeouts as a tangible indication of decline in Johnson. Some scouts note that his fastball has lost three or four miles per hour from previous seasons and, in combination with his inconsistency so far, wonder if the 41-year-old is fading.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex's field of screams
May 24
New York Daily News: Any way you rate it - anecdotally, statistically, saber metrically or by his own harsh self-criticism - Alex Rodriguez is off to a bad start at third base after showing unusual mastery of the position last year in his first go-round at the hot corner.
It's certainly not enough to change his nickname to E-Rod, but Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, has seven errors already after making only 13 all last season. He has five errors in his last 15 games and is on pace to commit 26 errors. Several of his boots have cost the Yankees runs.
His fielding has been a stark contrast to the comfort he's shown at the plate - he leads the majors in home runs (14), RBI (43) and runs scored (37). "You can tell how relaxed he is up there just by the way he walks to the plate," Yankee coach Luis Sojo said.
But are Rodriguez's glove troubles merely a slump or part of a trend? Yankee GM Brian Cashman said it was "a phase" and predicted Rodriguez would recover rapidly. Sojo said a recent tweak to A-Rod's stance will help.
One major-league scout said Rodriguez was in a slump, but another suggested A-Rod was rushing himself on defense, a sign that he was trying to "do too much." Rodriguez, the scout said, has been trying to compensate for the Yanks' early spell of mediocrity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheff: Get That Shot Out Of Here!
May 24
New York Post: Knowing that a cortisone shot would likely force him to miss a third straight game tonight, Gary Sheffield refused the spike yesterday to calm an inflamed ten don in the left hand.
Sheffield underwent an MRI yesterday and was examined Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser, a hand specialist, who suggested the shot to treat tendinitis.
But Sheffield, who missed the final two games of the Subway Series at Shea Stadium this past weekend, shunned the needle and wants to play tonight when the Yankees open a six-game home stand against the Tigers with the Red Sox in for the weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeter trying to elbow way back into lineup
May 24
New York Daily News: Derek Jeter went to the Stadium for treatment on his left elbow yesterday. GM Brian Cashman said he couldn't say for sure that the Yankees captain would return to the lineup tonight against the Tigers.
"I can't tell you he's going to play," Cashman said. "The off day came at a good time, there's no doubt. Every day the swelling goes down a little bit, but it's still pretty sore."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George now is a shell of Boss
May 24
New York Daily News: Near the end of an interview presented Sunday by the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, George Steinbrenner was asked to name his favorite song.
"Anything (Frank) Sinatra does," Steinbrenner said.
Considering what had transpired during the interview, the Sinatra reference was more than symbolic. At the end of his legendary career, Sinatra's voice was shot. He could not remember lines to songs and he was only getting by because of who he was.
During his lengthy chat with Michael Kay, Steinbrenner too was a shell of himself. The steely stare has given way to hollow eyes. Arrogance and bluster replaced by the tinny-toned voice of a grandfather suddenly awakened from a nap.
No energy.
No animation.
Steinbrenner was not registering. He seemed incapable of getting in-depth or offering details. This was a session of stock answers and repetition.
In Sinatra's case, the people who paid to see him in the end could not have cared less about the performance they were witnessing. Memories of those nights of virtuosity were too powerful. And just as was the case with Ol' Blue Eyes, there are many reasons to believe the people who love Steinbrenner for what he has done for the Yankees - spending freely to provide them with winner after winner - won't care how he projected himself in this interview.
It did not matter what Steinbrenner was asked. Just hearing him answer the questions and seeing how he looked while answering made this interview eerie and, in a bizarre sense, compelling. This is a man who clearly has lost his fastball.
The interview was revealing, all right.
A revelation in sadness.
It became obvious that Steinbrenner had problems remembering how he had answered Kay's questions. During the 90 minutes he used the exact same words - "a great competitor" - to describe Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Joe Torre, Bob Lemon, Billy Martin, Tino Martinez and Len Dawson (whom he coached at Purdue).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of New York
May 24
New York Daily News: Each week during the 2005 baseball season, the Daily News will select the three best individual performances on the Yankees and Mets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 24: www.yankeemania.com
---------------------
Vote for my site. Just click here let the page load and your done. thanks: www.sportsinfinity.com/in.php?site=1039541572