ON this night it was the Yankees who got beaned.
As you get ready to shine up another World Series trophy for the Yankees, consider this: The Marlins, who outlasted them, 11-9 last night at the Stadium, now own one more win than Joe Torre’s club. The same Marlins who lost 206 games the previous two years. This Pinstripe performance was as easy on the eyes as an Adam Sandler film-fest. Yankee pitchers surrendered 14 hits and even Derek Jeter made a critical error in the three-hour, 48-minute mosh pit of a game.
The second half of the season has begun, but the Yankees have many old problems. Into all this tonight walks Roger Clemens. He will make his first start since beaning Mike Piazza last Saturday night. Don’t expect Radar Rog to lighten up.
Torre made that clear last night. If you are a Met fan consider your fires officially stoked. Regarding Clemens’ whacking of Piazza in the helmet with a 94 MPH fastball and his buzzing of Lenny Harris and Derek Bell, Torre said of Clemens, “He pitched the way we wanted him to pitch. We had been wanting to have him move people off the plate, whatever.
“The thing that I find sad,” Torre added, “is that if this had happened to a lesser player over there, would this thing have gone away already?” The Yankees, via Clemens’ rocket red glare, went after Mr. Met. Not that anyone wanted to see Piazza hit in the head, the Yankees insist, but they sent a message and it will be up to the Mets to take care of business next time around, if the Mets and Yankees are good enough to make it to the World Series.
Last night’s putrid pitching performance by Orlando Hernandez (seven earned runs over 5.2 innings) was proof of just how big a deal the Yankees made Wednesday, acquiring Denny Neagle from the Reds. Bill Gates, take note, this is one monopoly that does not plan to disassemble quietly. In a weird Wall Street greed kind of way, you have to admire the Yankees’ Microhard attitude, even though their efforts to buy another pennant figure to be the ruination of the game.
In Neagle, the Yankees added a hard-to-find part to their rotation, a veteran lefty with post-season experience. He is a great Stadium fit, too. The Yanks had to dole out third baseman-QB Drew Henson and three other prospects but, the Reds could wind up with the second coming of John Elway, a talented player who will not break away from football. Henson sounds like he will be throwing the same kind of ball Elway did for a living.
“George has a bad taste in his mouth from Elway,” Torre said of the Boss’ old flirtation with the beer salesman. “I think Elway made the right choice.”
Marlin third baseman Mike Lowell was the last great Yankee third base prospect before Henson. He was dealt to Florida 18 months ago. He crushed his 13th homer of the season in the first, a three-run blast to kick-start the Marlins. He has overcome testicular cancer. He is a young man with priorities in order.
“It never stops in that organization,” Lowell said of the Yankees.
He wasn’t saying that in a bad way. Lowell couldn’t be happier with how things have worked out – cancer and all. He just admires how the Yankees go for the jugular and the ring.
“They’re always looking to fill the needs that they’ve got and it seems like they did a pretty good job getting Denny Neagle,” Lowell said. “That’s a pretty good caliber of pitcher.”
Torre even made a magical comparison to Tom Glavine. When everyone in the world is looking for pitching and you wind up with a lefty that is compared to Glavine, you’ve done some kind of job, Brian Cashman. Somebody wake up Steve Phillips.
Waiting for prospects, Torre knows, is a great way to become an ex-manager.
“I’ve been down that other road too many times,” he said, “and it always made sense, but I never really lasted that long to have the game plan work for me.”
Managers get paid to win now. Torre knows how to win big games. He is a brilliant manipulator. He has taken the ugly Clemens’ situation and made it a rallying cry. Clemens has never fit in with the Yankees, but now, ironically, the square peg is being defended by his manager because he is showing the take-no-prisoners attitude the Yankees hated when he was an opponent. Now Clemens believes Torre is fighting his fight.
If Piazza takes one on the helmet, too bad.
“If you’re interested in winning,” Torre noted, “this is a pretty good place to be. It goes far beyond putting numbers up and making moves, winning is beyond that. There is a lot more to playing baseball and winning than just playing baseball.”
Despite their problems, there’s no doubt the Yankees and their $105 million payroll are about winning at any cost, no matter whose head gets in the way.
Problem is, this could be 1964 all over again.