Just a couple of tidbits as the Yankees get set for a weekend series with the Tigers in the Motor City:
1. Gary Sheffield received a two-game suspension for losing his cool last Sunday night against the Mets:
“I think the decision by Bob Watson was absolutely wrong,” Yankees president Randy Levine said. “The entire incident was precipitated by what we know today to be a completely incorrect call and an overreaction by the umpire in ejecting Sheff from the game prematurely.”
(N.Y. Daily News)
Sheffield will appeal the suspension.
2. Mike Stanton and Paul Quantrill are officially out. Wayne Franklin, a left-handed reliever who was released by the Giants in March, has been called up, as has Bubba Crosby.
3. George Steinbrenner turns 75 on Monday. Murray Chass and Mike Lupica both have articles today about why George just ain’t the same anymore.
4. Mike Mussina was scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Battling a stomach virus, he’ll give way to the Big Unit tonight, and pitch tomorrow instead.
5. Big shout out to our pal Steven Goldman and his wife Stephanie on the birth of their second child, a baby boy named Clemens (named after Samuel, not Roger).
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. Cliff and I will be in and around the tri-state area watcing the Yanks, so fall through if you like, we’ll be here.
1. That's BS about Sheff getting a suspension. It's arguable about getting tossed from the game (he did throw equipment, but the call was bad and the ump shouldn't have been so f'ing quick with the thumb).
The Mudhens just released Matt Roney (per his request). RHP, mostly in relief (last year had consecutive complete games in AA.)
http://www.mudhens.com/info/player.asp?id=22
WHIP of 1.2, era 0.95 27K/28.1 IP/11BB.
Might be a good, cheap pick up. (can't be much worse than, oh, say, Kevin Brown.)
2. Right, Sam Clemens, sure. Just like that candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's daughter.
Wayne Franklin? Wayne FRANKLIN?? What's the matter, wasn't Dan Schatzeder available? What's Rudy May up to?
3. Happy Birthday, George! It has been a blast. Never a dull moment with you in charge. Chass got it right. Steinbrenner has slowed down as he has gotten old, it happens to all of us. Lupica as usual is an obnoxious ass. Even as Steinbrenner enters his last days, Lupica won't give it a freaking rest. At Steinbrenner's funeral, I have no doubt Lupica will make sure to kick his dead body to squeeze out one more column. What a jackass.
When I saw Goldman's blurb explaining why he was missing in action with the name of his new son, I gasped in dismay thinking that he had been named after Roger Clemens. I hope that Goldman really did name his son after Samuel Clemens, though I think that "Samuel" is a much nicer name than "Clemens."
4. No self-respecting Yankee fan would name their kid after a hated rival even if he did assist in winning them some championships.
Of course, I thought Clemens was a heckuva pitcher, but I never liked the guy.
5. I think Clemens is a good unique name. I fear that many people will think he was named after the Rocket.
6. I can tell you that Steve is indeed a huge Twain fan, so rest assured, it's after Samuel. Besides, Clem Goldman is a great name if you ask me.
7. I suspect Clem Goldman will pitch many 25 win seasons based on the name alone.
Or write about a guy that pitches 25 wins in a season.
Or be a happy guy.
That name is better than Charlie Brown. "There goes Clem Goldman. Good ol' Clem Goldman. How I hate him!"
8. I don't know Steve Goldman but through his writing and I knew that the name was an homage to Twain. Goldman, in my humble opinion, is the Twain of baseball writing. He's a great writer and wit.
Incidentally, I'm surprised that Roger Clemens did not name one of his sons "Klemens." Seems like the perfect merging of theme and ego for the great one.
9. Klemens. LOL! Please don't give him any ideas, Nick.
10. Alex,
As a fellow-connoisseur of the occasional base-brawl and donneybrook, I thought you might like this Dodger-Brawl site:
http://www.dodgerblues.com/content/features_fights.html
I think it's pretty well-done, thorough and humorous. Now, does anything like this exist for the Yankees? If not, maybe it's time we created one.
11. Steve Goldman, if you're reading this, congratulations. And thanks for all the great writing!
12. Heh, nice page. I like ESPN2's list of the best brawls ever:
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/basebrawl.html
I'll never completely forgive Benitez for that pitch. What a bastard.
13. In the ESPN brawl list, I like 1984 Joe Torre comparing Dick Williams to Hitler for getting payback by throwing at the pitcher, followed immediately by 1998 Joe Torre lamenting the fact that the DH prevents you from getting payback by throwing at the pitcher.
14. Steve Goldman has figured out why Torre is playing Womack so much. WEEKLY WOE UPDATE:
http://www.yesnetwork.com/yankees/pinstripedbible.asp