The Yankee Years

[Keeper]

The timing of the book could have been better. Can't imagine it's going to lead to good vibes in the Dodgers clubhouse.

[rician blast]

It doesn't matter if he hurt his feelings' date=' it is just bad form. [/quote']

 

This is largely the way things go for those in the public eye in this country. Some celebs make themselves fodder for such comments, as ARod did. I'm not surprised by any of this, and while I might not ever provide such details if I were in Torre's or ARod's teammates' place, I can't get up in arms over it since this is part of life for these guys. Many of them simply deserve each other.

 

Now, if something like this happened in Boston my concern would mainly be with what it means to the team on the field of play...beyond that? I'm not sure I'd get too worked up.

[Dipre]

This is largely the way things go for those in the public eye in this country. Some celebs make themselves fodder for such comments, as ARod did. I'm not surprised by any of this, and while I might not ever provide such details if I were in Torre's or ARod's teammates' place, I can't get up in arms over it since this is part of life for these guys. Many of them simply deserve each other.

 

Now, if something like this happened in Boston my concern would mainly be with what it means to the team on the field of play...beyond that? I'm not sure I'd get too worked up.

 

Spot on.

 

It's just a book, read it, take it for what it's worth, have a laugh at A-Rod, an move on.

 

That's about the size of it.

[YazsTripleCrown]

It's not the first time. The Bronx Zoo and Ball Four have both shed light inside the clubhouse. The Yanks snubbed him at their fair well ceremony. They took great pride in doing so. So you can't say they didn't have it coming.

[BSN07]

Now the Yankees are kicking around the idea of barring tell all books in future contracts of FO employees, and Managers,

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3869467

 

....Only the Yankees:rolleyes:

[jacksonianmarch]

its what should happen regardless. I think the lockerroom is a sacred space and violating that after fact should only be done when the players whose confidence you'd be violating are done. Making comments on ARod while he's still a yankee are uncalled for and unprofessional

[BoSox21]

I don't get it, why is it ok for players to talk s*** about where they used to play and who they used to play with or play for but it isnt ok for Joe Torre to do it?

 

And really? To go as far as to contractually-obligate someone to not bash the organization after they've left unceremoniously? Talk about petty...

[italstallianion]

lol at the Yankees. They would do such a thing...

[TheKilo]

http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/01/28/great-balls-of-fire/

 

One of my favorite moments in the Verducci/Torre book is about Roger Clemens as he prepared to face the Mets in Game 2 of the 2000 World Serious. Verducci writes that Clemens’ usual pregame preparation included taking a whirlpool bath at the hottest temperature possible. “He’d come out looking like a lobster,” Yankee trainer Steve Donahue told Verducci. Donahue would then rub hot liniment all over Clemens’ body. “Then Donahue would rub the hottest possible liniment on his testicles,” Verducci writes.

 

“He’d start snorting like a bull,” the trainer said. “That’s when he was ready to pitch."

[TheKilo]

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2009/01/the-yankee-haters-guide-to-the-yankee-years-by-joe-torre.html

 

Yanks owner George Steinbrenner was so--I don't know--cheap, or petty, or spoiled by victory that his scouts had to wait a full year to get their World Series rings after the 1999 season, and never got rings for the last year they won, in 2000, even though Steinbrenner pals like Billy Crystal did.

 

After the Yanks came back to tie game 7 of the 2003 series against the Sox, closer Mariano Rivera ran off the bullpun mound to cry in the bathroom, from the sheer emotion of the game. Not a Yankee-hater moment, particularly, just a great window into what a crazy game it was, when even the iciest closer in baseball history was overcome. As Chris said, there's a whole lot of crying in the book, almost all of it by Yankees pitchers: by my count Rivera, John Habyan, Kevin Brown, Clemens, and Kyle Farnsworth were all reduced to tears at one point or another. Tom Gordon, on the other hand, just threw up.

 

The greatest comic relief throughout is the Carl Pavano saga: The Pitcher Who Didn't Want to Pitch, which peaks either with Mike Mussina's offhand comment that the disabled list is now called the "15-Day Pavano," or with Pavano's girlfriend's line, when she calls to say Pavano can't make an offseason banquet: "Carl's not going to be able to make it. He wants me to tell you that he's sick, but he's not. But that's what he told me to say."

 

Bullpen catcher Mike Borzello, giving his assessment of the first throwing session for Kei Igawa, the Japanese import the Yankees brought in for $46 million to compete with the Sox' signing of Dice-K Matsuzaka: "I hope he's either seriously hurt or badly hung over, so there's an explanation for throwing like that."

[TheKilo]

Mike Mussina:

 

"We're up 3-0 and Mo Rivera came in with the lead and lost it. He lost it again. As great as he is and it's amazing what he does, if you start the evaluation again since I got here, he has accomplished nothing in comparison to what he accomplished in the four years before. He blew the world series in '01. He lost the Boston series. He didn't lose it himself, but we had a chance to win it in the ninth and sweep them and he doesn't do it there."

 

lolz

[BoSox21]

I have to seriously consider getting this book

[26 to 6]

Wow good stuff

 

Lol at Clemens snorting like a bull when Donahue would rub the hot liniment on his balls

[Keeper]

When does it come out again?

[BoSox21]

February 3rd

[Cocos Disciples]

This is high comedy.

[BSN07]

This is comedic gold. I might buy the book now.

[26 to 6]

Book comes out tomorrow people, let's brace ourselves

 

Unfortunately I won't get my hands on it until next week when I'll be getting an autographed copy as a b-day present. I guess it's worth the wait, but I am aching to pick this book up. I'll get through it in 2 days tops lol.

[BoSox21]

I can wait for the paperback

[Mr Crunchy]

I wouldnt read it for free, i hate every single character in the book including the ""classy"" Joe Torre, what a f***ing **** exposing all the dirty laundry in his locker room.

what comes around goes around Joe

[BoSox21]

to Joe, this is what is coming around to the Yankee FO

[riverside sluggers]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view/2009_02_02_In_Joe_Torre_book__trainer_says_some_Jays_used_drugs/

 

Roger Clemens' buddy Brian McNamee is in the book, and he calls out Blue Jays players for taking steroids

[riverside sluggers]

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/MikeGwizdala/2009/02/03/Moose_Call_Off_Base_On_Mo

 

More Yankee loving... Mike Mussina blasts... Mariano Rivera. Citing that Mo hasnt done much since theyve won the 4 championships

 

"As great as he is, and it's amazing what he does, if you start the evaluation again since I've been here, he has accomplished nothing in comparison to what he accomplished the four years before. He blew the World Series in '01. He lost the Boston series. He didn't lose it himself, but we had a chance to win in the ninth and sweep them and he doesn't do it there. . . . That's what I remember about the '04 series."

[26 to 6]

Mussina just did a real good interview on WFAN with Mike Francesa. He had a lot to say about the book, and regarding the Rivera quotes he claims he didn't mean to bash Rivera or blame him for any losses in particular, and even went as far as to say that without Rivera he couldn't have accomplished all that he accomplished duringhis 8 years with the Yankees. He claims that he was pointing out the differences between the pre-2001 teams and the post-2001 teams, a comparrison that wasn't just limited tothe Rivera quotes. Of course to some extent it's ********, but I don't think he had any ill intentions of bashing Mo, he knows who Rivera is and what he's done.

[rician blast]

Heard some of the interview with Moose. I'm not sure I believe him when he says he hasn't read the book yet, although I do think that is the easiest way to protect himself...when asked a tough question he said a number of times "I really don't know what's in there."

 

I thought he did a good job of walking the line between being true to what he said in the past and not allowing it to be characterized as a slam on the Yanks or his former teammates. The motivation, IMO, was self-preservation, not honesty...I do think he's a bit of a ****.

[26 to 6]

I agree about your point that self-preservation was the motive rather than honesty.