New Year’s Wishes

What I’m wishing for in 2004



By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
December 28, 2003


I’m wishing for (in no particular order):

Bernie Williams to find his youth and speed

Gary Sheffield to find a non-confrontational personality

Alfonso Soriano to develop more discipline at the plate

George Steinbrenner to have good health and a case of laryngitis

Jason Giambi rediscovering his stroke

Aaron Boone finding a lot of hits in his bat

The starting rotation to be second to none

Hideki Matsui to have an even better sophomore year

Derek Jeter another ring (plus 24 more just like his)

Jorge Posada an MVP trophy

The Yankees to have another winning season and at least one more win than Boston

Enrique Wilson beating up on Pedro Martinez some more

Jon Lieber good health and a strong pitching arm

A quality left-handed starter

Po, Godzilla, Giambino, Sheff and Bernie to remember it's only 314 feet to right field

Jose Contreras having a monster year and more of that wicked stuff we saw glimpses of last year

A Yankees sweep in Anaheim

Another quiet 9/11 for New York City and the rest of the good old U.S.A.

#27

Brian Cashman to find a big bottle of Excedrin and some ear plugs

David Wells to have a healthy back

A continued strong economy

Another 3 million + customers through the turnstyles at Yankee Stadium

A strong bullpen (and not just on paper)

Steve Karsay to have a healthy shoulder and back

Mo to be Mo

The new Yankees lineup to be the modern day version of Murderer’s Row

Pete Rose to finally get his nod for the Hall of Fame

Roger Clemens sticking to his retirement

Joe and Mel to be in the Yankees dugout in 2005

Bud Selig to sign his retirement papers early

A healthy and prosperous New Year to all the members of this site

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!



Play Ball!


(c) 2003 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

Redistribution, rewriting, rebroadcast, or republication of this story is prohibited without the prior written consent of Yankees Talk Shop and it's affilitates

THANKS FOR NOTHING GEORGE!

Pettitte Signs With Astros, Leaving Yankees Without A Lefty Starter



By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
December 11, 2003


I’m not going to even pretend right now. I am so ticked off at the Yankees and how they handled the Andy Pettitte situation I can’t even see straight. I tried counting to ten to calm down and it didn’t work. I’m still mad. I’m as mad as I’ve ever been at the Yankees’ organization. What they didn’t do is a travesty, and I lay the whole mess at the feet of one George “The Boss” Steinbrenner.

He totally misread Andy Pettitte. He took a loyal soldier and transformed him into a turncoat. Andy Pettitte will tell you he signed with the Houston Astros, because of his family, but let’s not fool ourselves. He signed, because he was disgusted at how the Yankees treated him.

Andy Pettitte spent 9 years in a Yankees’ uniform. Over those 9 years he went 149-78, which is over 16-1/2 wins a season. Nobody pitching for New York did better during that stretch. NOBODY!!! Andy is a left-hander. One of the best and he used to be on our team. All this guy did while he was in New York City was winning ballgames at a place called Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte was a home grown product, brought up through the farm system. His name was one of the names you’d throw out when people accused the Boss and company of buying championships. Well we can’t throw that name out anymore, because AP won’t be playing at 161st Street @ River Avenue next season.

Personally, I don’t think George Steinbrenner ever cared much for Andy. Let’s go back to 1999 when Andy went through a rough stretch and Steinbrenner wanted to ship him out of town. Andy stayed because Joe Torre and his coaches went to bat for Pettitte and told George he would be making a big mistake. How providential and right they were. Only George waited 4 more years to make it.

The term “too little, too late” echoes through my brain. As reported in the New York news sources Brian Cashman contacted Andy immediately after the Marlins celebrated on the Yankees’ home field. He told Andy he’d be in touch. According, to Andy’s father Tom they thought that meant a couple of days. It turned out to be two weeks. Andy, understandably, felt unimportant. The pitching hero of the playoffs filed for free agency on November 7th. A full 11 days after the end of the World Series. Still, Pettitte received no phone call from Cashman or anyone else from the Yankees. What the hell was that all about?

Give credit to the Houston Astros. They smelled blood. They saw the slimmest of lights emitting through the Yankee abyss. They contacted Andy Pettitte and his representatives and rolled out the red carpet. Still the Yankees did nothing. They kept telling us Andy Pettitte was their number one priority, yet, they signed guys named Heredia, Boone, Wilson, Sierra and Quantrill, but no Andy Pettitte.

It wasn’t until yesterday the Yankees finally got off their collective rear ends and made Andy an offer. They offered him $39M over three years. The same money they offered Gary Sheffield, a guy who’s never played one game in pinstripes. Andy said NO! He took nearly $9M less over the same period to pitch for the Astros.

To add insult to injury, as soon as the Astros announced they had their man the Yankees announced they were going with their backup plan. And what backup plan is this you ask? How about trading 27-year old pitcher Jeff Weaver to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 38-year old, often broken down, Kevin Brown. Plus the Yankees get to inherit the last two years of Brown’s, then historical, seven year, $105M contract. Let me save you the math. That’s $15M per year. Wonderful. Let me get this straight. The Yankees wait until the last second to offer Andy Pettitte, their winningest pitcher over the past nine years, $13M per year, but now that he’s gone they’ll gladly assume Brown’s $15M per year baggage? Madness!! Now we have no left-handers (unless David Wells returns with bad back and all) and we don’t even have a full compliment of starters.

There is one thing I want to congratulate George Steinbrenner on. That is his seeming ability to conquer time. Yep, old George has proven one can indeed go back into time. Welcome to the 1980s folks. It’s the same decade that brought you players like Ed Whitson, Butch Wynegar, Mike Pagliarulo, etc. I also want to thank George for personally handing over the AL East reigns to their most hated rival. I was looking forward to February 20, 2004. That’s the day pitchers and catchers report. Now I’m dreading it. For the first time in many years I’m feeling a sense of foreboding. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so. Now you must forgive me as I have to go. Silly me, I bet a luncheon that the Yankees would re-sign Andy. Now I have to pay up.

PLAY BALL!


(c) 2003 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

Redistribution, rewriting, rebroadcast, or republication of this story is prohibited without the prior written consent of Yankees Talk Shop and it's affilitates