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The YES Network Yankees broadcast team of Al Leiter, Ken Singleton, John Flaherty and Michael Kay sat down with Post columnist Steve Serby at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse for some Q&A.
Q: What’s your favorite Mariano Rivera anecdote?
Kay: I think the first game that he came up, he was a starting pitcher against the White Sox, and the White Sox had a scouting report that he didn’t throw hard, threw a lot of breaking stuff, and don’t worry about his fastball. And I think he pitched eight innings, and he was throwing 96, 97 miles an hour. And I remember the White Sock players were screaming at the manager and the scouts: “What kind of scouting report was this?”
Q: If the 2000 Mets had Mariano, how do you think the Subway Series would have turned out?
Leiter: Forget about the 2000 Mets, how about every other team that’s ever played, or been in postseason?
Q: Was it a helpless feeling on the other side watching him come in to close a game?
Leiter: The psychological advantage … to where you just feel like you’re defeated already, especially in his prime.
Q: What was it like catching him?
Flaherty: To Al’s point, playing against the Yankees when you had Mariano at the end of the game, you always knew he was there, and it was always in your mind that you gotta get on the board early and try to play with a lead. It put so much pressure on your lineup. It’s almost like a catcher always knowing where the No. 4 guy in the lineup is. And then, on the flip side, catching him, it was as easy as could be. He would lull you to sleep with his delivery. He would put the ball exactly where you want it. And to call a game, all you’d have to do was, “Is it a cutter away or a cutter in or a sinker in?” It was pretty simple. Maybe elevate. But It was as simple of a guy you could ever want to catch because he’s so perfect.
Q: How about hitting against him?
Flaherty: We didn’t know a whole lot about him, and I went out to the on-deck circle at the old Yankee Stadium and I’m watching him warm up, and I’m thinking, “This guy’s built right in for me.” It’s all fastballs, it doesn’t look overpowering, it looks like it’s nice and easy, and I thought, “All right, this is what I’m gonna make my living on.” And the first fastball just exploded on me, and I remember the thought like, “What the hell was that?” I struck out on a couple of pitches. He threw me a slider one year and I hit a double and drove in Fred McGriff ,and he told me he’s never thrown a slider after that ever again. That was in July of I forget what year. He didn’t give up another run the rest of the year into the postseason.
Q: He’s as smooth as you were at the plate.
Singleton: Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not. I have never seen a pitcher repeat his delivery as well as Mariano does. Very smooth, very easy, and boom. Now, watching him all these years and when he’s working, you can almost see him setting up hitters. … You just want to yell out to the hitter, “You’re in a bad spot right there.” Because he’s throwing all these cutters in on the left-handed hitters, he’s got two strikes on you, he’s broken one of your bats already, and here comes that one over the backdoor, and you’re looking so far inside the outside corner might as well be across the street. And he hits the outside corner and you’re back in the dugout.
Q: What would you tell Yankees fans about what life will be like without Mariano?
Singleton: They’ll never find anybody as competent as him.
Kay: Life is gonna be like what it is for 29 other teams. It’s gonna be a reality check. Even when you have great closers, they make you sweat. For the most part, Mariano never makes you sweat, and now they’re gonna sweat a little bit.
Q: Describe the first time you met Derek Jeter.
Kay: I was in the booth with John Sterling. The Yankees always brought their No. 1 pick up to the radio booth to talk. I just said, “Wow, this guy looks like a skinny kid.” Very quiet, almost shy. And the thing I remember the most though is the next day going down to Buck Showalter’s office. I said, “What’d you think of the kid?” He goes, “Well, I don’t know what type of player he’s gonna be, all the reports are good. But I will tell you this: If he’s here 20 years, he will never ever embarrass the New York Yankee organization. He will always do the right thing.” I said, “How could you tell that?” He goes, “’Cause I met the parents. You can always know the kid from the parents, and in all the years I’ve been in baseball, I’ve never seen two more impressive parents than that.”
Q: Your memories of the young Derek Jeter.
Leiter: I think my impression on Derek has been …
Kay: Didn’t he own you? He hit you well, right?
Leiter: Yeah I think so. Yeah. Thanks (smile). The way he played with a respectful enthusiasm. It kinda gets lost a little bit, where guys don’t seem to have as much fun, or can’t have fun, or not allowed to have fun. I like the idea that even as a young player, he used to come and be at the front of the line, get out of the dugout, high-five guys. Initially, it’s like, “Who’s this guy? Where’s [Don] Mattingly? Where are the older guys?” But you could tell that the respect was there, the enthusiasm for playing the game was there, and then eventually when you get to meet him and know who he is … You talk about Mariano being consistent, his behavior from Day 1 … he’s just been … class.
Q: What can the Yankees realistically expect from Jeter now?
Leiter: If he’s healthy … what I do like, and I think that he has, is a slump-proof swing.
Flaherty: My first impression was: “How do we get this guy out?” I mean, everything he does, he hits to right field, so you try to jam him, and then he fights that off the other way. You try to go offspeed, he pulled it. He’ll find a way to hit when he comes back.
Q: If the Yankees asked him to play the outfield, could he?
Singleton: I don’t think Derek will play the outfield. I think that when the time comes, he’ll know, and then decide, “I can’t play this game anymore, at least not the way I want to,” and then he’ll be gone and do something else. I think the greatest memory I’ll have is the speech he gave when they closed the old Stadium That’s gonna be something that’s gonna be played over and over and over again over the years, in relation to Derek.
Q: If Alex Rodriguez never plays again for the Yankees, what will his Yankees legacy be?
Kay: It’s probably gonna be mixed. I think they’ll remember 2009 ’cause I think he was directly responsible for winning that World Series. But, for the most part, they’ll probably be disappointed, because when he came here they expected great things — they expected the home run record to be broken, and all the side stuff that’s gone on, I think that tinges it in a way that Yankee fans didn’t expect. They’ll probably concentrate more on the failures in the postseason than the one great postseason he had in 2009.
Q: Was Alex one of those guys who took longer to adapt to New York?
Leiter: Absolutely. He’s a pleaser. I think he wants people to like him. I think in doing so, there’s the lack of realness. And I think it’s not because of not trying … you try so hard to want to …
Kay: He becomes the person that, the person he’s talking to, he thinks he wants him to be.
Leiter: He was enamored with my ability while playing seven years with the Mets. He was intrigued with my openness and my honesty — brutal honesty at times. “I was awful. … I stunk.” Whatever. I was very truthful in my analysis. He wanted to know kinda how to do it. I said, ”Just be honest. Don’t disguise it.”
Q: Favorite Jorge Posada anecdote?
Flaherty: Multiple times where he would get in pitchers’ grills in the clubhouse when he wasn’t happy with something.
Q: Who for instance?
Flaherty: David Wells and him would go at it. There were stories of El Duque [Orlando Hernandez] and him going at it. He wanted the pitchers to do well, and he took a lot of pride in it, and if he didn’t feel like he was getting an honest effort, he would let ’em know about it.
Q: Why did you have a good relationship with Randy Johnson on the field?
Flaherty: Because I would yell and scream at him for however long he was in there. We didn’t have a good relationship — we didn’t like each other, we didn’t hang out off the field. But that one day that he pitched, Joe Torre told me, “If you want a ring, you gotta find a way to get this guy … to win.”
Q: Did Jorge accept that you were his personal catcher?
Flaherty: Once the decision was made, I went right to Jorge, and as everybody would expect, he said, “I do not care. I want him to pitch well, and whatever it takes. We need him to win.”
Q: Al, you went head-to-head with Andy Pettitte in Game 1 and Game 5 of the 2000 Subway Series. What was that like?
Leiter: Talk about the ultimate competitor. A guy that was gonna battle. Knew your lineup was gonna have a tough time.
Q: You retired when you were 40. Why is Andy still going and you had to retire?
Leiter: ’Cause I was fat and out of shape (smile). And I drank more beer (laugh). My style of pitching, I think didn’t really behoove me to go deeper or later. And when it fell off, it fell off, ’cause I still relied on power. He was always cutting it, he always had that little backdoor slider, sinkerball, occasional changeup. I didn’t really do that.
Q: When you look at Andy at age 40 now, what do you see?
Leiter: I think his ability to be able to use both sides of the plate, recognize that he’s not throwing 90 plus anymore, and that’s OK. … I think the idea that Joe [Girardi is] gonna give him a chance to get a couple of extra days here and there, if they can get 27, 28 starts is a good thing. Bobby Valentine did that for me at the latter part of my career when he was with the Mets. If there was some kind of crankiness, just back you off, and I think you’re gonna see that with Andy this year.
Q: Tell me what you remember about catching Andy.
Flaherty: It was not 100 miles an hour velocity, but his body language was he was gonna charge the plate. It was maximum effort — here’s my power cutter, here’s my power breaking ball — and he was as hard on himself as any pitcher I’d ever caught. Almost to the point where it was entertaining when you would catch him because he would make you laugh. Because he was so tough on himself if he gave up a run or a hit, that it was almost comical to work with him.
Q: What have you seen from Andy over the years?
Singleton: One thing I’ve always admired about him is his … ability to get out of jams. Throw the right pitch at the right time. Get the double play, field his position. As he’s moved along here, he doesn’t throw always as well as he used to, but I think he’s one of the smarter pitchers. Over the years watching the Yankees here, my two favorite pitchers were Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.
Q: What do you notice about Kevin Youkilis at the plate?
Singleton: I know that he’s a good hitter, he’s a smart hitter, he uses the whole field. I think he still has something to prove personally, and if not an All-Star, a near-All-Star.
Q: What kind of guy is he?
Kay: I think he’s perfect for this situation. If you can deal with the Boston media, I don’t think New York’s gonna scare you. I think he’s gonna fit in perfectly here. He’s got the right demeanor.
Q: When you played, is there anybody who had a swing comparable to Robby Cano?
Singleton: Rod Carew. Carew was very smooth. He had that swing when he was 15 years old because I played against him in The Bronx. Robinson Cano is more of a well-rounded hitter. Robinson Cano can win a batting title, but he can also be in the top four or five in the league in home runs.
Q: Describe the evolution of Joe Girardi from a rookie manager to now.
Flaherty: I think he’s learned to have better relationships with the guys who cover the team every day and give them a little bit of something, and still guarding the integrity of the clubhouse.
Q: How does Girardi handle criticism?
Kay: He never brings it up. He was up in that booth, he knows exactly what it is, it’s not personal. I’d rather him succeed than not, ’cause I like him as a person, so he knows if I’m criticizing him it’s not because I’m taking a cheap shot.
Q: What is holding Phil Hughes back?
Leiter: With his velocity drop at times, a flat fastball up is not good. When he’s setting up away, it’s not consistent. I think it’s more of a command issue, assuming that he’s healthy.
Q: Did the Joba Rules ruin Joba Chamberlain?
Leiter: I don’t think it ruined him. … I think during that window, it did. Coming from somebody who had a surgery at 23 and a surgery at 25, and I played 13 years after that — never made an All-Star game til after that, threw a no-hitter after that — he’s not ruined for his career. He can take it upon himself to figure it out. Will he have the same stuff? He hasn’t shown it since that first year of 98, 99, with an unhittable slider.
Q: Did you envision him as an ace in the rotation then?
Leiter: No. I always thought of him as a closer guy. Just his physique alone. And he’s a two-pitch pitcher. Fastball-slider.
Flaherty: I wish he would be more aggressive in the strike zone. I feel like he tries to be too fine sometimes.
Q: Could he be in the mix to succeed Mariano?
Flaherty: Sure. Yeah. He’s got the stuff to do it, but you need to see more confidence that “I can throw it by you, I can challenge you on halves of the plate.” That’s more of a mindset . He’s got the stuff to do it.
Q: How effective can CC Sabathia be with a lesser velocity?
Leiter: If he’s gonna consistently throw 90, 91, he’s gotta have the putaway slider and that little changeup.
Q: How concerned should Yankees fans be about Mark Tiexiera’s wrist?
Singleton: I would [hope] that he wouldn’t come back too soon, because it can linger and get worse. What I’ve noticed about them over the years, when somebody comes back from injury, they’re usually pretty ready to go.
Q: Recollections of Ichiro Suzuki.
Leiter: The first time I ever faced him was in ’98 — major league players go over to Japan, and did this little All-Star game. His ability to still have his bat back long enough to still hit the ball hard and spray the ball around the infield. His ability to understand about hitting the ball on the ground to the left side and beat it out. Even when you thought he was fooled, he can still barrel it up.
Q: And now?
Leiter: He’ll get his 150-175 hits, whatever.
Flaherty: He’s a lot easier to pitch to now than he ever was.
Q: Because?
Flaherty: When he first came up, if he hit a ground ball to the other side, you couldn’t throw him out. You’d almost have to force him to pull the ball in order to get a groundball and to be able to get him out. He doesn’t run as well as he used to, but that being said, I agree with Al, he’s gonna hit, it’s only a matter of time.
Q: What do you think of Travis Hafner?
Singleton: He’s got a beautiful swing. I think the fact that he’s just a DH and they don’t have to worry about him going in the field, that will help keep him healthy.
Q: What have you observed about Vernon Wells?
Singleton: His bat looks a lot quicker.
Q: You like David Robertson in the eighth inning?
Leiter: I do. When he gets ahead, his curveball to me is unhittable.
Q: Ivan Nova?
Leiter: I think somewhere along the line, he’s gotta figure out when he’s actually doing a good job.
Q: What is your view of the Yankees’ catching situation?
Flaherty: A lot better today than it was at the beginning of spring training. Cervelli has impressed me with how he tightened up his throwing. Cervelli also is a guy swinging the bat well and gets big hits. Chris Stewart is a better hitter in New York than he’s ever been. I think he’s a perfect backup.
Q: Who was your favorite teammate?
Leiter: Johnny Franco. Johnny was a guy that I thought united the whole room. I couldn’t tell you how many times on the road we’d have a table of 15 guys.
Flaherty: Kirk Gibson, because of how he taught me how to be a big-leaguer and also had a defining moment where he let me know I was never gonna go to the minor leagues again, because I had kinda graduated.
Singleton: The guy who is my best friend to this day is Al Bumbry. One year I was getting down towards the end of the year, and I needed a few RBIs to get to 100, and he and Rich Dauer batted in front of me. I said, “Whichever one of you guys scores that run, you’re gonna get $100.” And Al crossed the plate in Boston — by the time I got back to the dugout he said, “You owe me $100!”
Q: Do the Yankees make the playoffs?
Singleton: I think they will. The people they brought in are professionals, they can play, they’ve had some good years in other places, it’s just a matter of getting it all together, and when the other guys get back, hopefully it doesn’t take them too long to hit their stride. Usually the Yankees don’t take off till June anyway.
Flaherty: I really wanted to see the team on that road trip to Detroit and Cleveland, covering it and being around them, and I had a much better feeling being around this team than I did in spring training. It’s like a fun group to root for now. Vernon Wells plays hard, Youkilis has that intensity. It seems like it’s an easy team, to root for and feel good about. I think they’re gonna be right there. I’m actually happy that Boston has gotten off to a good start, ’cause I think American League East baseball is about the Red Sox and Yankees.
Leiter: I think the Yankees win because a big move that was a curious move for me that said, maybe the [$189 million] isn’t all that they keep talking about or what we’ve heard with the threshold of the salary for next year. By adding the $13 million or whatever they did with Vernon Wells said a lot as far as what I think the Yankees are going to do during this year.
Q: You think they’ll make more moves?
Leiter: I do. It’ll be one-year deals, it’ll be catching that need to fill holes. The Yanks will make the playoffs if CC pitches like an ace. I think you get 27, 28 starts out of Andy. I like Kuroda, he’s a good pitcher. And the guys that need to get back and be healthy, when they come back, they perform.
Kay: It’s the only time I can remember the AL East where you can make a compelling argument for every one of the five teams for finishing first, or finishing last. I think the Yankees are actually going to win the East, not just make the playoffs, because I’m gonna assume that their pitching’s gonna be healthy, and then they’re gonna make what could amount to four humongous trades: They’re gonna acquire a 43-home run center fielder [Curtis Granderson]. … They’re gonna acquire a Hall of Fame shortstop [Jeter]. … They’re gonna acquire a switch-hitting first baseman, Gold Glove-winning first baseman [Teixeira], all of this without giving anything up. And there’s a wild card too — they could end up getting Alex Rodriguez back at the All-Star break, and he’s gonna be really motivated to do well.
Q: How do you see Yankees fans receiving him if and when he does come back?
Kay: If he gets off and does well early, they’ll love him, and if he’s 0-for-his-first-10, they’ll boo him out of the ballpark. If he comes back and he’s the savior, they’ll embrace him.
Q: The days after 9/11, what do you remember?
Kay: I remember the first game we did in Chicago, I didn’t say “See Ya,” for a home run call, I thought it was so trivial. And then people started writing letters —“You have to return to normal for us to return to normal.” I just felt an unease about doing games.
Flaherty: I was still a player in Tampa. I was the player rep, so I had to deal with all the conference calls with the union, and luckily we were home in Tampa, so all of the players and their families were together. It was chaos for a week, we didn’t know what we were doing. Being a New Yorker, I made phone calls to people who had buddies who worked in the Trade Center, when they were OK. … I had a kid I played Little League with, he was one of the first responders and he passed away in the Trade Center, so it was just a lot of chaos and fear even though I was in Tampa.
Singleton: I was in town. Roger Clemens was scheduled to pitch that night against Chicago. I remember I had ESPN on, and one of my buddies sent me an instant message and said, “Turn to CNN.” The city was on lockdown. I called my wife, I said, “I don’t know when I can get out of here.” A few days later, they started letting people cross the George Washington Bridge. Driving through the city, the city was empty, it was like a movie. And when I crossed the George Washington Bridge it was only my car and another car going west across the George Washington Bridge. And when I turned south on the New Jersey Turnpike, I saw the smoke, I said, “This is for real, and this is only the beginning.”
Leiter: Driving over the Triborough, seeing the two buildings burning, in a cab, with a female cab driver … I’m on the phone with [Mets PR chief] Jay Horwitz, saying, “I gotta get to Pittsburgh. I gotta pitch tonight.” This was before the Pentagon, and the whole bit.” So Jay’s like, “New York’s shut down.” I said, “Get me a flight out of Philly.” She’s crying, we’re all crying, and she said, “I’ll take you. I’ll take you.” My plan was to go to Philly. The GW’s shut down, I’m going toward the Tappan Zee, that’s when we hear the rest. So I called Michael.
Q: How do you think New Yorkers will respond to the tragic events in Boston?
Singleton: I would hope that New Yorkers respond to Boston the same way the rest of the country responded to New York.
Leiter: Like Americans … like everybody responded to what happened here. That night when we came back — and I know Piazza hit the home run — but the feeling that we all experienced, just from the emotion of sadness and anger, to a baseball game that didn’t mean anything, to hearing USA chant all night long … I mean, unbelievable experience — better than a World Series experience, and I’ve been in a few.