CHUMP CHANGE
According to a report in the New York Times this morning, the Yankees will fine Boomer Wells $100,000 for embarrassing the organization with comments made in the pitcher’s new book. Sparky Lyle and Craig Nettles got their asses shipped out of town after they published their books (“The Bronx Zoo,” and “Balls”).
Boomer should consider his fat ass lucky. Fuggin degenerate.
NO CONTEST
Although it’s seemed clear for a while now that Jeff Weaver will earn a spot in the starting rotation over Jose Contreras, Contreras’ third poor outing helped solidify the feeling that the big Cuban will start the season in Triple A or the bullpen.
Joe Torre, who all but promised Weaver a starting role at the end of last year, doesn’t need convincing.
“He didn’t have to make a case for me, everbody knows that,” Torre said. “I like what I see, obviously.”
Contreras relieved starter Jeff Weaver yesterday and gave up 7 runs on 7 hits in 3 innings of work against the Devil Rays. But another poor performance is the least of the Jose’s problems:
There is so much going on inside Jose Contreras’ head. His 80-year-old father, Florentino, who was recovering from surgery on an intestinal blockage, had a stroke Saturday and is in intensive care in a Havana hospital.His wife and two daughters are in Cuba, too, and Contreras, who has rarely been apart from his wife since they married as teenagers 15 years ago, doesn’t know if he’ll ever see them again.
…”I think I pitched 10 years of Triple-A in Cuba,” Contreras said through a translator. “The level of Cuba is equivalent to Triple-A. Just because I struggled and have had a few bad outings, doesn’t mean I’m not ready for this.
“The last few outings, you haven’t seen the pitcher I am,” Contreras added. “Once I get out of this rut in the near future, you’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Weaver allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 4 innings of work. Not only does Weaver have the support of his manager, Joe Torre, but GM Brian Cashman is a big fan too. And rightfully so. The deal that brought Weaver to New York was all Cashman.
According to Tyler Kepner in an article that appeared in the Sunday Times:
Weaver is here because of Cashman. It may be no coincidence, then, that the right-handed Weaver sometimes seems to be a spare part on the Yankees’ staff. His stuff is electric but his profile is low. He is not here because the owner demanded it.… “We didn’t have a need for him, but I was like, `This is my opportunity; I have to take advantage of it,’ ” Cashman said. “A guy at this age, with this contract, everything that we believe he is, we have to somehow try to make this work.”
Weaver learned of the trade at his hotel in Boston, when Dombrowski summoned him back to Fenway Park at midnight. When he got the news, Weaver cried. But talking to Cashman that night took away some of the sting.
“He was straightforward and straight up,” Weaver said. “He told me: `I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. We have a few extras in there, but the rotation is getting up in age, and who knows how long they’ll be able to go? We want you to be here for the future, to make the transition a continuous one.’ “
…”I can’t profess to know him well,” Cashman said. “I can’t tell you we’re friends. But I like him. I like everything about him. I get excited when he’s on that mound.”
BIBLE STUDIES
In the latest installment of the Pinstriped Bible, Steven Goldman compares Yankee DH Nick Johnson, to former Bronx Bomber Ron Blomberg, who was the first designated hitter to appear in the big leagues. Hopefully for Yankee fans, Johnson will have a more successful career than Blomberg. Still, it’s an interesting comparison:
Johnson’s body is what it is; if his wrists betray him it’s no fault of his. Still, it takes a ballplayer an instant to be labeled as fragile, a lifetime to live it down. This spring is a crucible moment for his career — he’s either going to establish himself now or face an uphill climb. This is only partially because he’s in an organization that can’t afford to wait, and mainly because when a youngster goes from “first base prospect” to “first base option,” he is thrown into a large pool of players from which it is very difficult to distinguish oneself. Call it “The Ivan Cruz Zone.” It’s easy to get in, nigh impossible to get out.
EXPLOSIONS
I love the idea of the Expos as the “Slap Shot” team of the Major Leagues. Owned by Major League Baseball, run by Omar Minaya, managed by Frank Robinson, and led by the inimitable Vlad Guerreo, the Expos are interesting if nothing else.
Phil Rogers has a long article on Montreal today, over at ESPN, which also reprints its hot stove report on Frank Robinson’s bunch too. And just for the hell of it, here are two more articles on from North of the Border.
WHAT KEEPS US ALL UP AT NIGHT
Rob Neyer profiles Angels GM Bill Stoneman, and Giants GM Brian Sabean over at ESPN. When asked what keeps him up at night, Stoneman spoke for baseball fans everywhere, not only his fellow GM’s:
The same thing that keeps a lot of GMs up at night: health questions. The unexpected. Something serious that might cost us a good player. That stuff you don’t control. We’ve got pretty good depth on the bench. Some of the same guys we had last year, plus Eric Owens. But you still don’t like to lose your No. 1 guys, and that’s something you just can’t control.
On that note, Mets pitcher Pedro Astacio and Yankee second baseman Alfonso Soriano are hurting.
Speaking of pain, the Boomer Wells story has become a sore for sight eyes. While the Yankees continue to deliberate on how to punish Wells, Rocket Clemens fired away at Boomer on Michael Kay’s radio show yesterday.
Link at your own risk.
HEY, GOOD LOOKIN’
Everything is a-okay in Red Sox Nation this morning. Pedro Martinez was his usual impressive self in his spring training debut against the Twinkies yesterday. Last year, Thomas Boswell used the phrase “imperial disdain” to describe Barry Bonds at the plate. I think it applies to Prince P on the mound as well.
Kevin Kernan has a nice little piece on Jason Giambi’s relationship with Ted Williams in the Post, while Joel Sherman offers a puff piece on Cliff Floyd.
NOT A BELIEVER
While the Orioles are making waves about aquiring Junior Griffey, Lee Sinns isn’t sure it would be a wise move:
I think that Griffey’s days as a top of the line player are over. He was never the best player in baseball. He was never as good as Bonds, even when Bonds wasn’t the Bonds of 2001-02. He was never the best player in the league. Even in his “mvp” season, Frank Thomas was much more productive than him and Griffey was only barely the most productive player on his own team, with Edgar Martinez giving him a great run for his money.Griffey’s also not had a sharp all of a sudden decline. He’s been in a consistent state of decline for years–
YEAR SLG OBA OPS RCAA OWP RC/G
1997 .646 .382 1.028 65 .731 9.04
1998 .611 .365 .977 51 .692 8.00
1999 .576 .384 .960 45 .669 8.28
2000 .556 .387 .942 27 .614 7.87
2001 .533 .365 .898 18 .628 7.02
2002 .426 .358 .784 -2 .476 5.16
NO PEPPER GAMES ALLOWED
According to Lee Sinn’s ATM report today:
1) Orioles owner Peter Angelos has given the team permission to trade for Ken Griffey Jr. According to the Baltimore Sun, “the Orioles remain determined to add a major run producer to their lineup, and Griffey has quietly hovered near the top of their target list, along with Kansas City Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran.” The paper reports the Orioles are willing to include Sidney Ponson and one or two prospects in a deal, with Brian Roberts being a possibility.2) Yankees P Steve Karsay complained of shoulder soreness and is being shut
down for a few days. He’s coming off back surgery and, while the Yankees
have been insisting that he’ll be ready for Opening Day, Baseball
Prospectus’s injury expert Will Carroll hasn’t been so optimistic.After 3.76 ERA/11 RSAA and 2.35 ERA/21 RSAA seasons, Karsay had a 3.26
ERA/11 RSAA in 78 games in his first year with the Yankees. He has a 3.88
career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.62, and 47 RSAA in 321 games.Karsay became the 4th pitcher to have 3 consecutive years with 70+ games,
10+ RSAA and an ERA at least 1.00 better than the league average–T1 Duane Ward 1991-93 3
T1 Jeff Shaw 1996-98 3
T1 Scott Sullivan 1999-01 3
T1 Steve Karsay 2000-02 3
Sinn’s daily ATM report is essential for any hardcore fan. What’s better, is it’s free, baby. Don’t sleep.
Christian Ruzich, The Cub Reporter, has a great report from the Cubbies training camp in Arizona.
David Pinto has two posts that are worth checking out: one is about how to speed up the game, and the other one is about Derek Jeter.
Finally, Ed Cossette has a fun column today over at Bambino’s Curse. He links articles about Prince Pedro Martinez, and Jurassic Carl Everett. The Everett piece is hilarious. Lord what a putz. As talented as Everett is, the Rangers can have him.
SPRING CHICKEN
Jeff Pearlman has an article on the Ancient Mariner, Jesse Orosco in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. Will Orosco, now 45, pitch until he’s 50? Uncle Jesse tells Pearlman:
The reason I’m still around is because I feel the ame way I did when I was in Little League, greasing up the mitt before the season. I’m excited for spring training. I love batting practice. The games are thrilling, even if I’m sitting in the bullpen. I’m the little boy who loves baseball. I don’t care what my job is.
THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW
Will Carroll, over at Baseball Prospectus, has posted his team health report for the New York Mets. Carroll has concerns about the usual suspects—Mo Vaughn, Cliff Floyd and Mike Piazza, and is skeptical about the Mets chances of winning the NL East:
The question going into this season is does removing a Bobby V-shaped tumor from the Mets and plugging in Howe’s soothing salve fix things? Does adding two big signings–both with some questions–push the big-money Mets back into contention? A team with the cash the Mets have should never have an organizational depth problem if they do the necessary due diligence. At the very least, they should fill Norfolk with Quadruple-A players while they’re developing young prospects. Yet somehow, the Mets have found ways to spend money without making themselves appreciably better.…In the new-look NL East, the Mets once again feel they are contenders. Fueled by an involved owner and a GM trying to hang onto his job, they should be nothing if not interesting. But despite a roster that looks to be healthy, it’s unlikely that the Mets can hang with the Phillies and Braves. One or two unexpected injuries could drop them behind the Expos and Marlins.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
David Cone appeared in his first game this spring, threw 15 pitches and induced two pop outs and a ground out, in a three-up, three-down inning of work. If David Wells’ name is mud right now, Cone is a man who can do no wrong.
HURTS SO GOOD
It’s been a tough week and a half for David Wells. The usually impervious Boomer can’t catch a break, and it seems to be getting to him. (Is there anyone out there who feels even the slightest bit of sympathy for him?) Wells gave up 9 hits and 5 runs in 3 innings against the Braves yesterday. To add insult to injury, Wells was knocked on his ass on a comebacker through the box, he threw a ball into center field on another play, and brought back memories of Hideki Irabu as he failed to cover first base on yet another play.
When it rains it pours. Boss George, who called Irabu a “fat pus-sy toad” for neglecting to cover first base in a 1999 spring training game, has yet to address the Wells issue. The Yankee faithful in Tampa let Wells have it though, showering him with a chorus of boos.
According to John Harper in the Daily News:
To be fair, this was no routine play yesterday, as a hard ground ball caromed off a diving Todd Zeile’s glove, right to second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Still, Wells admitted he shouldn’t have given up on the play.“It was my fault,” he said. “The way it was going out there, nothing I could do was right. When the ball went right to Soriano, I said, ‘Oh, bleep.'”
Yankee GM Brian Cashman is considering disciplinary action against Wells, but has yet to make a move.
“I’m talking to our personnel internally,” Cashman said. “Other than that, I can’t comment.”Several club officials said that the Yankees were not considering trading or releasing Wells and that they had not asked him to waive his no-trade clause, which Wells has said he will not do. But there is a growing sense that Cashman will try to discipline Wells in some way.
…Steinbrenner has stayed silent on all things Wells.
“I’m handling it solely,” Cashman said. “It’s in my lap to handle, as it should be.”
ETC.
The Yanks have hired Jimmy Key as a minor league instructor. Key will report to spring training and work with both the minor league and major league pitchers. Key is considered to be a possible replacement for Yankee pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre.
“I don’t know if it’s something he’d like to do,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “But with his ability, rZsumZ and demeanor, I’m sure that’s something he would be capable of doing.”
Alfonso Soriano signed a one-year $800,000 deal, insuring that he’ll remain one of the better bargains in the game, at least for one more season (knock on wood).
JOSE, CAN YOU PITCH?
Jose Contreras gave up three runs in three innings against the Red Sox yesterday in the Yankees 7-4 victory. The big Cuban wasn’t sharp, but he was better than he had been in his first outing. Contreras, whose father has been ill, didn’t have a live fastball, and relied on a lot of breaking pitches. How good/bad was he? That all depends on what paper you read.
The Daily News , The New York Post and The Boston Herald, were characteristically shrill, while the Times and The Boston Globe were measured and subdued in their coverage.
Boston GM, Theo Epstein told the Times:
“I was interested to watch a pitcher I had never seen before, and he was impressive,” Epstein said after the Yankees’ 7-4 victory. “He’s got five or six different pitches and he throws them for strikes. It looks like they’ve got a good one.“We got to him a little bit today, but anyone sitting behind home plate could see he’s going to be a very good pitcher.”
Johnny Damon was fair in his assessment as well:
”He’s going to be a very effective pitcher,” Damon said. ”He’s big, strong, and he’s a workhorse. He’s going to be good. Whether or not he’s going to be a force, that’s yet to be seen.”
The most inflammatory remark belonged to Shea Hillenbrand:
“I wasn’t impressed. Everybody hypes him up to be this big thing. He threw average. He kept throwing his breaking ball in the zone.“I don’t care how good he is, unless you’re Barry Zito or Mike Mussina, you’re going to be in trouble if you do that.”
Tough-talk like this in spring training is enough to make any fan nuts. Just ask BoSox blogger, Ed Cossette.
Shea, why don’t you just concentrate on getting your ass in the lineup everyday, tough tits, and leave the quotations to the pros, like Boomer Wells (who is getting spanked this afternoon by the Braves)?
AROUND THE LEAGUE: TRIBE VIBES
You mean to tell me that baseball exists outside of New York?
How is the rebuilding process coming along in Cleveland? Indians general manager, Mark Shapiro spoke with Jonah Keri of Baseball Prospectus at length last week.
Terry Pluto re-evaluates the Robbie Alomar trade to the Mets, and he also profiles rookie first baseman Travis Hefner, who is expected to make an impact this year for the Indians.
John Sickels reports that although Tribe fans lost one of their most cherished players in Jim Thome, they have a bonafide prospect in Hefner:
[Hafner has] worked hard to refine his swing, hone his strike zone judgment, and hit the ball to all fields, not just over the fence.He can still be fooled on occasion, but is good at making adjustments from at-bat to at-bat. Hafner destroys mediocre fastballs, and isn’t an automatic out against breaking pitches. Some people say he has trouble with plus fastballs, but this hasn’t been a problem in the games I’ve seen him play for Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma. His strike zone judgment is very good.
…Hafner has exceeded 20 homers four years in a row, while increasing his batting averages. His strikeout rate has actually dropped as he’s advanced, an excellent sign for his future and statistical evidence of his drive to improve. His MLEs mark him as a .280-.300 hitter with 25-30 homer power at the major league level.
He turns 26 in June, so he has not been young for his leagues. On the other hand, it also means he is physically and emotionally mature and ready for the majors now.
The Indians picked up Hafner when they moved catcher Einar Diaz to Texas. The Rangers already have super-prospects at the corners in Hank Blalock and Mark Teixeira, so John Hart was willing to part with Hafner. But Hart was also willing to part with Richie Sexson, Sean Casey and Brian Giles when he was with Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not this deal comes back to bite him in the ass. Having Teixeira and Blalock around probably makes it a worth while gamble.
Only time will tell…
BOOMER’S BOOK FLAP
David Wells will waive his no-trade clause according to a report in today’s Post. Yankee GM Brian Cashman is in the middle of reading Boomer’s book, and will act accordingly when he is finished. What that means remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Boss George continues to keep his lip zipped. The only thing reporters could pry out of the Yankee owner yesterday was:
“I am like a big elephant trying to get out of the tent,” Steinbrenner said, jokingly as he tried to break away from a stampede of media. “Let the young elephants in.”
Okay…I’m a leave this one alone. Insert Fat Guy jokes here.
Kevin Kernan continues his assault on the hefty lefy in the Post, saying it’s time the Yanks parted ways with the trouble-making pitcher, and Filip Bondy talks to Jim Bouton about the perils of locker room literature in the Daily News. Bouton, who was black-balled by the baseball establishment for years after the release of his seminal “Ball Four” had some words of wisdom for Boomer:
I’m officially forgiven,” said Bouton, who has been invited again to the next Old-Timers’ Day. “Wells can look forward to 15, 20 years from now, when everything will be fine.”
Regardless of the constant distractions in Yankee camp this spring, the usual reserved, even dour, Mike Mussina is having a grand ol’ time:
“Everybody wants to feel comfortable where they are,” Mussina was saying yesterday. “Having been in one organization for 10 years, it takes a little while to get that comfort level back again.”That is as close as Mussina will come to admitting he has let his guard down a bit this spring and allowed the media to get to know him a bit. But it’s true; out of nowhere he has become a favorite among the Yankee beat writers, chatting casually with them about everything from the recent Hall of Fame voting to his collection of classic cars.
…”I’ve noticed that he seems looser,” Stottlemyre said yesterday. “He’s more easy-going, and that’s good. It’s important for him to feel good about himself. He’s a perfectionist.
“And it’s not that he didn’t communicate in the past, he just seems to be doing it a little more freely now. Joking around and stuff. We’ve already talked more this spring than we did all of last spring training.”
…”This team is experienced enough not to let these things affect us,” Mussina said. “If we play well, the other stuff goes away. My last couple of years in Baltimore, we weren’t playing well and we had no fans at all. That’s a tough atmosphere to play in. You’re looking at the calendar in July and crossing off the days already.
“Here, you get accustomed to things going on around the team. With Boomer, I know there are certain issues that people are really upset about, and they certainly have a right to be, but in general I’m just having fun with it.
“When you take this many people and jam them together for as long as we’re together, there needs to be a lighter side. You can’t make it mentally without it.”
Over in Port St. Lucie, Al Leiter summed up the Mets take on the Yankees’ wild camp: “Better them than us.”
HOW AM I DOIN?
Godzilla Matsui hit his second homer of the spring yesterday. Today, Jose Contreras will get the start against the Red Sox. Think George will be watching?
The Boston Globe has a good piece on the allure of Yankee pinstripes, and how it made Jose Contreras a lock to land in the Bronx, not Beantown:
”It’s unbelievable how many Yankee fans there are in the world, but especially in Cuba,” Contreras said. ”I don’t know how they follow them, because they are not able to watch on TV, but I think Cuban people who live in the States ship videos and newspaper articles. Sometimes I think Cuban Yankee fans know more about the Yankees than the Yankee fans in the States.”There is a central park in Cuba where all the sports fans come together. Some people think I am a traitor, but the baseball fans are not like that. They argue about how many games I will win. That gives me energy.”
SPRING TRAINING NOTES
Peter Gammons previews the defending National League champions, and finds Barry Bonds in good form. David Pinto linked this article a few days ago and focused on Bonds’ approach to hitting. Bonds apparently picked up some tips from watching David Eckstein swing, which just goes to show that the greatest hitter on earth is still learning, still fine-tuning his craft.
Last spring, ESPN ran a feature on Bonds, who demonstrated his technique of catching the ball with his bat. He stood at the plate with a mitt instead of a bat. As each pitch came in, Bonds, turning his hips, leveled his head, and went into his swing. Instead of hitting the pitch, he caught the ball. He then placed it on the plate, and then got ready for the next pitch. It was a remarkably simple concept, one that makes so much sense that we can only hope that Bonds follows in Teddy Ballgame’s footsteps and writes a book about hitting someday.
David Pinto also has a link to a nice little Yankee story that is worth reading.
The Boston Globe has an article on the Red Sox low-risk, “secret weapon,” relief pitcher, Chad Fox, and Bill Madden makes a case for Mets third base wanna-be, Ty Wigginton in the Daily News.
Finally, Pete Rose is back in the news today. Personally, I find his story so enervating, I can’t bring myself to write about it. At least not until something concrete happens. However, look no further than John Perricone’s Only Baseball Matters for complete Pete Rose coverage. He doesn’t have a new post regarding Rose as I’m writing this, but that won’t last long. He lives on the West Coast and is still sleepin.
Check out the Grandmaster asap.
TOUCH AND GO WITH MO
Last Friday I posted a link to Will Carroll’s team health report for the New York Yankees, and noted that he has concerns about the health of Bernie Williams, Nick Johnson, David Wells and Andy Pettitte. However, I neglected to comment that Carroll reserved his biggest concern for Mariano Rivera. My bad. Just lousy reporting on my part.
Here is what Carroll has to say about Mo:
The problems Mariano Rivera had last year are well chronicled, but there’s little in the way of facts regarding his injuries. Much of this can be laid at the feet of the always tight-lipped Yankees. After a New York Post writer misrepresented something I’d said in a UTK, Brian Cashman nearly shut off the flow of information entirely. Most concerning was the pattern of the injury, though–Rivera was rushed back in early August only to be back on the DL and into Jim Andrews office less than two weeks later. There didn’t appear to be any real reason why he should be rushed. Rivera came back from his third List stint and pitched effectively, if not approaching his previous dominance. Sources insist that his injury was purely muscular and the reports at the time always said “shoulder strain.” The rehab, however, seemed to be approached more like a rotator cuff impingement.Long term, Rivera is facing a similar situation to Pedro Martinez. He’ll have to remake his body and build stamina to keep his arm healthy. While Rivera is a reliever and pitches less innings than Martinez, he’s also not getting as regular a rest pattern and seldom is able to give less than maximum effort during an outing. I’m very concerned at Rivera’s ability to go an entire season without injury. Much will rely on the remade bullpen behind him. With Steve Karsay out for the early portion of the year, the Yankees have no clear “go to guy” which could put more pressure on Rivera. The red light indicates that I think Rivera will have a year much like 2002–effective when healthy, but likely to miss something on the order of a month.
Carroll also thinks the days of the Yankee dynasty are numbered:
Say what you will about an Evil Empire, but the Yankees money has really only bought two things–depth and the ability to buy their way out of personnel mistakes. Operation Shutdown killed the Pirates payroll last year, but bringing in Raul Mondesi is barely a blip for the Yankees. As other teams find their depth in the freely available talent in the Rule 5 or non-tender arenas, the Yankees will find that their advantage not only is eroded, but may work against them. Despite a roster that is as dominant on paper as any in my lifetime, it’s my belief that we’re seeing the last year of the current Yankee dynasty.
IS IT SOMETHING I SAID? YANKEE BOOK CLUB MEETS: WELLS PAYS PIPER
David Wells, the clown-prince of the Yankees, wasn’t laughing too tough over the weekend, as the fallout from published excerpts of his forthcoming book, hit him, and hit him hard. Boomer fumbled all over himself, clearly rocked, rattled, and rolled. It was not his finest moment, but a revealing one all the same.
Predictably, the Wells story dominated the sports pages in New York.
Here is the run-down:
Saturday: Daily News, Post, Times
There were plenty of people with plenty to say. Curiously, Boomer’s sugar daddy, Boss George was mum. (Wonder how that must make Jeter feel?) Expect another royal eruption coming soon to a backpage headline near you.
For the moment, here is some of the reaction to Boomer and his book:
Joe Torre: “I am sure he was distracted with everything swirling around and the meeting. I am sure he was uncomfortable. We talked to him about a lot of things. I sensed he was bothered. It’s something that’s not going away for a while, because the book is coming out.”
Cashman: “I take it seriously because we don’t want to be embarrassed. We don’t run pitchers out there drunk. The Yankees are hallowed ground and everybody better tread lightly. You are damn right I will read the book and have an opinion.”
Roger Clemens: “Boomer’s fun, isn’t he? I tease him that they say his nickname is Boomer. I call him Eli because if a story goes over 30 seconds he’s lying.I don’t worry about small [shit] in life and that’s all this is,” Clemens said. “I have more important things to worry about. He needs to live his life and leave the rest of us out of it.”
Giambi: “The way I grew up in the game is there are unwritten rules. Caminiti and Canseco were talking about things that happened or what they did. The hard part is being categorized. It’s one thing if he wants to talk about what he’s done on or off the field. But that’s always the tough part, when you start being grouped into that area where they’re talking about. Unless you’re going to take a survey, why even comment on it? Unless you know what’s going on or what everybody’s doing, there’s no reason to make an estimate, because you don’t know.He was a little worried that people were going to be upset. But he is Boomer and we still love him.”
Mike Mussina: “He had fun writing it, and we’re going to have fun responding to it…It’s simply Boomer on paper instead of Boomer live, which we get all the time…He said something to me because he didn’t want me to think he wasn’t pulling for me, that I wasn’t a teammate and to see if I have any animosity and I don’t…I’m going to have more fun with what’s written than worry about it.”
Bobby Valentine: “I can say that he’s an embarrassment to anyone who’s ever worn a uniform. I always thought he looked real embarrassing just because of his appearance, but he was blessed with an absolutely fabulous left arm. That’s his redeeming quality, obviously.In our community, he’s going to get a free pass, because that’s just Boomer and he’s a Yankee. I don’t think he should get a free pass. He should be held responsible by his peers.”
“I think it’s disgraceful that he would paint them all with the same brush by saying 40 percent were doing steroids. If he had any guts at all, he’d name names of people who have been doing amphetamines and steroids. Then let the innocent be innocent and let the others wear the scarlet letter. But responsibility is obviously something he knows nothing about.
“Those are two pretty key words, respect and responsibility. Another is reality. If this guy thinks that his reality is showing up drunk when he’s pitching for the greatest franchise in the history of baseball, he should wake up or sober up.”
Kevin Kernan led the Boomer-bashing with columns on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
It won’t be long before Wells is right where he belongs – no longer on the mound, but co-hosting the Best Damned Sports Show Period. He’s basically Tom Arnold with a fastball.…When Joe Torre, who called Wells a cartoon character Thursday, was asked yesterday if he was worried about that image, he said, “Sure you do. I’m proud of what’s gone on here. You certainly don’t want to compromise that or have people thinking there’s something going on here.”
Mike Lupica shared Kernan’s sentiment, and Ira Berkow called Wells “a wimp” in the Times today.
Wells was brash enough to live up to his wild-man image in print, but his true colors are showing as the shit has hit the fan. And right now, those colors are about fifty shades of yellow.
Torre said that this story won’t be over for a minute. But will it hurt the team? I doubt it. I’d venture to guess that a majority of Boomer’s teammates are enjoying watching him squirm. Like Mike Mussina said, “I’m going to have more fun with what’s written than worry about it.”
