A missive from Baron Steinbrenner
Uh oh.
I think he's venting. He doesn't want to spend the next two years thinking of Joe Torre sitting on a beach in Hawaii, cashing checks on the $13 million he's still owed.
I often disagree with Torre's moves (I thought, for instance, he should have pitched Mike Mussina on the last game of the season, tried to get home field for the division series, and pitched Shawn Chacon -- the best pitcher the Yankees had down the stretch -- in games one and five). But Torre did an amazing job this year, steering the lumbering (and, yes, $200 million) ship of state to 95 wins, basically without benefit of a bullpen other than Gordon and Rivera. Something like $30 million in salaries were tied up in Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright, and Carl Pavano, none of whom were healthy or could pitch. He didn't have a center fielder who could cover the acreage and make throws. He had virtually no production from first base for the first three months of the season. He had Tony Womack. And Torre couldn't stand in there and hit for Rodriguez, Sheffield, and Matsui in the last four games of the ALDS. Torre took this poorly constructed team as far as it would go. And if Cashman, the GM, goes there may be no one in a position to temper the madness of Steinbrenner's "baseball people" in Tampa.
What new Womack do they have in store for us next year?
"I congratulate the Angels and their manager on the great job they've done," Steinbrenner said through his spokesman, Howard Rubenstein. "Our team played hard, but we let our fans down. Our fans are the greatest in the world and I want to thank them for their amazing support throughout the season. We will do better."
I think he's venting. He doesn't want to spend the next two years thinking of Joe Torre sitting on a beach in Hawaii, cashing checks on the $13 million he's still owed.
I often disagree with Torre's moves (I thought, for instance, he should have pitched Mike Mussina on the last game of the season, tried to get home field for the division series, and pitched Shawn Chacon -- the best pitcher the Yankees had down the stretch -- in games one and five). But Torre did an amazing job this year, steering the lumbering (and, yes, $200 million) ship of state to 95 wins, basically without benefit of a bullpen other than Gordon and Rivera. Something like $30 million in salaries were tied up in Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright, and Carl Pavano, none of whom were healthy or could pitch. He didn't have a center fielder who could cover the acreage and make throws. He had virtually no production from first base for the first three months of the season. He had Tony Womack. And Torre couldn't stand in there and hit for Rodriguez, Sheffield, and Matsui in the last four games of the ALDS. Torre took this poorly constructed team as far as it would go. And if Cashman, the GM, goes there may be no one in a position to temper the madness of Steinbrenner's "baseball people" in Tampa.
What new Womack do they have in store for us next year?
posted by John at 12:07 PM
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