Post by ShakyGiambino on May 18, 2005 6:05:00 GMT -5
Yankees News for May 18
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Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 18: www.yankeemania.com
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Giambi's HR, 3 RBIs Spark 10th Straight Win
May 18
New York Post:
A week ago Jason Giambi told the Yankees he and they would be better served by him staying with the team instead of trying to find his stroke in the minors.
Last night Giambi backed up those words with his best game of the season to help the sizzling Yankees, winners of 10 straight games, top the Mariners, 6-0, in front of 35,549 at Safeco Field.
Giambi, who was given six games to prove he can help, went 3-for-4, homered and drove in three runs. It was his first homer in 56 at-bats. That's 14 at-bats shy of his longest homerless streak set last year.
Asked if he had anything to prove, Giambi said, "I'm not worried about it. I work hard, and that's all I can do."
Carl Pavano, rocked in his previous three outings — in which he gave up 14 runs in 16 innings (7.88 ERA) and 26 hits, seven of which have been homers — was brilliant last night. He went the distance, allowing five hits and improved to 3-2.
"It was a nice win, especially with the stretch we've been through," Pavano said. "It's nice to be part of the mix." It was Pavano's first win since April 26 and fifth career complete-game shutout.
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Rocket rumors soar
May 18
New York Daily News: It is a scene that stirs hearts from the corridors of power at the Stadium to the Barcalounger of any Yankee fan, to perhaps, Roger Clemens' sprawl in a Houston suburb: The Rocket, back in pinstripes, riding to the Yankees' rescue like some flame-throwing cowboy.
But how possible is a reunion between one of baseball's all-time greats and its most famous team? Depends on who's talking.
The struggling Astros say they are not shopping their ace, but their owner did not rule it out. Clemens recently said, "I'm not going anywhere now, I know that for sure," but he didn't invoke his no-trade clause or slam the door, either. Some rival baseball executives believe Houston will deal Clemens for future help if it continues to stumble, especially if the Astros find a rich contender willing to rent him for half a season.
The Yankees, meanwhile, watch with interest, but no public comment. Privately, they wonder if Clemens has a handshake deal with Houston owner Drayton McLane that would trigger a trade to the Yankees if Clemens wanted out. And what it would take to bring Clemens back.
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Yanks wins 10th in row
May 18
Newark Star-Ledger: Jason Giambi may not play for the Yankees tonight. Not as punishment, but because he can rest his case.
Giambi homered for the first time in nearly a month, drove in three runs and went 3-for-4 last night in support of Carl Pavano's five-hitter, and the Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners, 6-0, at Safeco Field for their 10th consecutive victory.
"I knew I wasn't that far off," Giambi said. "It feels great. Of course I was concerned that I was struggling, but I knew I didn't have very many at-bats."
Manager Joe Torre said a week ago that he would use the trip, which began in Oakland, to give Giambi a chance to play regularly and earn a more permanent spot in the lineup. But Torre has seen enough evidence that he may not play Giambi tonight.
"He needs some more at-bats, but I think we're seeing some light here," Torre said. "He's good."
Asked if Giambi is close to form, hitting coach Don Mattingly said, "You never know how close. Maybe he's there right now. This may have been the day. You don't know how the tide turns. At this point, he's going in the right direction. You want to keep sustaining that. If you do that for a period of time, all of a sudden, you're back."
The Yankees have the longest winning streak in the majors since Houston won 12 in a row last Aug. 27-Sept. 8. The Yankees' previous 10-game winning streak was June 30-July 12, 1998.
At 21-19, the Yankees are two games over .500 for the first time since they were 2-0; they have not been three games over .500 this season.
They will go for a sweep of the six-game trip tonight, and a victory would mean the franchise's longest-winning streak since 1985 (and just the Yankees' second of 11 or more since 1964).
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Bernie won't pine on bench
May 18
New York Daily News: Bernie Williams says he never took playing for granted, says he never showed up at the ballpark assuming his name would be on the lineup card stuck to the door.
And maybe that's why he seems to be handling his new status with the Yankees so well. After playing almost every day for the past 10 years, Williams has suddenly become a part-timer, the sort of player who can, for example, hit a grand slam in one game and not necessarily start the next night.
That's what happened last night. Although Joe Torre said after Williams' dramatic homer Monday night that he would consider changing his plan and play the switch-hitter, he ultimately opted to sit Williams and tab him for today's lineup as originally scheduled.
Williams, however, is not upset about his place in Yankeeland. He is realistic, refusing to admit that his ego has suffered a blow.
"At this point in my career, who cares what I do?" he said. "All we care about is winning games and getting to the postseason."
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Sierra suffers minor setback
May 18
New York Daily News: Ruben Sierra (torn biceps muscle/strained rib cage) left an extended spring training game in Tampa yesterday after just one at-bat, complaining of a cramp in his left leg. GM Brian Cashman said it's unclear how serious the injury is, but expects Sierra to try to play in another extended spring game today. If it was only a cramp, Cashman said, the switch-hitter could still rejoin the Yanks this weekend as originally hoped.
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Wang Making Himself Comfortable With Yanks
May 18
New York Times: Poised and surprisingly confident, Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang took on one of the biggest challenges of his brief major league career Monday night - after the game.
The winning pitcher in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field, the Taiwan-born Wang took reporters' questions in English near his locker with the Yankees' media relations director, Rick Cerrone, alongside. The scene was curious, since Cerrone speaks no Mandarin, and no one else in the vicinity appeared to be Chinese. Wang was doing this without an interpreter.
When someone asked a question, Wang turned to Cerrone with a measure of eagerness and puzzlement, and Cerrone repeated the gist of the question in English, slowly. And Wang answered simply.
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Willie: What's all the fuss about?
May 18
Newsday: Willie Randolph has been a Yankees player, Yankees coach and Mets player and is now the Mets manager. So he knows about Mets vs. Yankees, all the way back to the Mayor's Trophy exhibition games of the 1970s. So Randolph must be really excited about this weekend's Subway Series, right? "Not really," Randolph said yesterday. "Because I know that's just a short series and we've got Atlanta and the Marlins right after that. You guys have to understand that the players really don't get into all this, they really don't. I was on the other side for a long time and we see it as something that's over-hyped."
Over-hyped? Oh, Willie, it's only Wednesday. You ain't seen nothing yet.
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Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 18: 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 18: www.yankeemania.com
---------------------
Giambi's HR, 3 RBIs Spark 10th Straight Win
May 18
New York Post:
A week ago Jason Giambi told the Yankees he and they would be better served by him staying with the team instead of trying to find his stroke in the minors.
Last night Giambi backed up those words with his best game of the season to help the sizzling Yankees, winners of 10 straight games, top the Mariners, 6-0, in front of 35,549 at Safeco Field.
Giambi, who was given six games to prove he can help, went 3-for-4, homered and drove in three runs. It was his first homer in 56 at-bats. That's 14 at-bats shy of his longest homerless streak set last year.
Asked if he had anything to prove, Giambi said, "I'm not worried about it. I work hard, and that's all I can do."
Carl Pavano, rocked in his previous three outings — in which he gave up 14 runs in 16 innings (7.88 ERA) and 26 hits, seven of which have been homers — was brilliant last night. He went the distance, allowing five hits and improved to 3-2.
"It was a nice win, especially with the stretch we've been through," Pavano said. "It's nice to be part of the mix." It was Pavano's first win since April 26 and fifth career complete-game shutout.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocket rumors soar
May 18
New York Daily News: It is a scene that stirs hearts from the corridors of power at the Stadium to the Barcalounger of any Yankee fan, to perhaps, Roger Clemens' sprawl in a Houston suburb: The Rocket, back in pinstripes, riding to the Yankees' rescue like some flame-throwing cowboy.
But how possible is a reunion between one of baseball's all-time greats and its most famous team? Depends on who's talking.
The struggling Astros say they are not shopping their ace, but their owner did not rule it out. Clemens recently said, "I'm not going anywhere now, I know that for sure," but he didn't invoke his no-trade clause or slam the door, either. Some rival baseball executives believe Houston will deal Clemens for future help if it continues to stumble, especially if the Astros find a rich contender willing to rent him for half a season.
The Yankees, meanwhile, watch with interest, but no public comment. Privately, they wonder if Clemens has a handshake deal with Houston owner Drayton McLane that would trigger a trade to the Yankees if Clemens wanted out. And what it would take to bring Clemens back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yanks wins 10th in row
May 18
Newark Star-Ledger: Jason Giambi may not play for the Yankees tonight. Not as punishment, but because he can rest his case.
Giambi homered for the first time in nearly a month, drove in three runs and went 3-for-4 last night in support of Carl Pavano's five-hitter, and the Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners, 6-0, at Safeco Field for their 10th consecutive victory.
"I knew I wasn't that far off," Giambi said. "It feels great. Of course I was concerned that I was struggling, but I knew I didn't have very many at-bats."
Manager Joe Torre said a week ago that he would use the trip, which began in Oakland, to give Giambi a chance to play regularly and earn a more permanent spot in the lineup. But Torre has seen enough evidence that he may not play Giambi tonight.
"He needs some more at-bats, but I think we're seeing some light here," Torre said. "He's good."
Asked if Giambi is close to form, hitting coach Don Mattingly said, "You never know how close. Maybe he's there right now. This may have been the day. You don't know how the tide turns. At this point, he's going in the right direction. You want to keep sustaining that. If you do that for a period of time, all of a sudden, you're back."
The Yankees have the longest winning streak in the majors since Houston won 12 in a row last Aug. 27-Sept. 8. The Yankees' previous 10-game winning streak was June 30-July 12, 1998.
At 21-19, the Yankees are two games over .500 for the first time since they were 2-0; they have not been three games over .500 this season.
They will go for a sweep of the six-game trip tonight, and a victory would mean the franchise's longest-winning streak since 1985 (and just the Yankees' second of 11 or more since 1964).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bernie won't pine on bench
May 18
New York Daily News: Bernie Williams says he never took playing for granted, says he never showed up at the ballpark assuming his name would be on the lineup card stuck to the door.
And maybe that's why he seems to be handling his new status with the Yankees so well. After playing almost every day for the past 10 years, Williams has suddenly become a part-timer, the sort of player who can, for example, hit a grand slam in one game and not necessarily start the next night.
That's what happened last night. Although Joe Torre said after Williams' dramatic homer Monday night that he would consider changing his plan and play the switch-hitter, he ultimately opted to sit Williams and tab him for today's lineup as originally scheduled.
Williams, however, is not upset about his place in Yankeeland. He is realistic, refusing to admit that his ego has suffered a blow.
"At this point in my career, who cares what I do?" he said. "All we care about is winning games and getting to the postseason."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra suffers minor setback
May 18
New York Daily News: Ruben Sierra (torn biceps muscle/strained rib cage) left an extended spring training game in Tampa yesterday after just one at-bat, complaining of a cramp in his left leg. GM Brian Cashman said it's unclear how serious the injury is, but expects Sierra to try to play in another extended spring game today. If it was only a cramp, Cashman said, the switch-hitter could still rejoin the Yanks this weekend as originally hoped.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wang Making Himself Comfortable With Yanks
May 18
New York Times: Poised and surprisingly confident, Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang took on one of the biggest challenges of his brief major league career Monday night - after the game.
The winning pitcher in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field, the Taiwan-born Wang took reporters' questions in English near his locker with the Yankees' media relations director, Rick Cerrone, alongside. The scene was curious, since Cerrone speaks no Mandarin, and no one else in the vicinity appeared to be Chinese. Wang was doing this without an interpreter.
When someone asked a question, Wang turned to Cerrone with a measure of eagerness and puzzlement, and Cerrone repeated the gist of the question in English, slowly. And Wang answered simply.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Willie: What's all the fuss about?
May 18
Newsday: Willie Randolph has been a Yankees player, Yankees coach and Mets player and is now the Mets manager. So he knows about Mets vs. Yankees, all the way back to the Mayor's Trophy exhibition games of the 1970s. So Randolph must be really excited about this weekend's Subway Series, right? "Not really," Randolph said yesterday. "Because I know that's just a short series and we've got Atlanta and the Marlins right after that. You guys have to understand that the players really don't get into all this, they really don't. I was on the other side for a long time and we see it as something that's over-hyped."
Over-hyped? Oh, Willie, it's only Wednesday. You ain't seen nothing yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Click here for links to full articles then click READ MORE under Yankees news for May 18: www.yankeemania.com
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