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Yankees News For April 8
Topic Started: Apr 8 2005, 07:31 AM (14 Views)
Giambino
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Yankees News For April 8

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Mo's pitches are stuff of debate
April 8
New York Daily News: Mariano Rivera's locker is on the right-hand wall of the Yankees clubhouse at the Stadium, a few spaces in from the end. On Wednesday, for the second straight afternoon, the crush of media crowding around Rivera was so big that several reporters overflowed into Bernie Williams' locker down in the corner, peering over the top of cameras as Rivera stood in the middle.
The questions flew at the prized closer quickly, and most of them were a derivative on the same theme: What's wrong with you?
Rivera smiled and shrugged over and over, and it's obvious that there is no easy answer. While on-edge Yankee fans (and, perhaps, overzealous Sox supporters) are turning the last two days into the prologue of Rivera's ultimate demise, the Yankees refuse to become alarmed.
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Kay: Don't say boo to Rivera
April 8
New York Daily News: It was a sports-talk radio moment waiting to happen.
Joe Torre was standing at the mound Wednesday afternoon preparing to lift Mariano Rivera, after the Yankee closer had blown his second consecutive 2005 save opportunity against Boston. On the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, Michael Kay, the play-by-play man, wondered what kind of "reception" Rivera would receive from fans as he walked back to the dugout.
"If he gets booed you really have to question the fans, after what he's done (throughout his Yankees career)," Kay said. "You hope there aren't boos."
Kay's statement was strange on a number of levels. Most notable was the fact that on Tuesday, after Rivera had gagged against Boston in Game2 of the season-opening series, it was Kay, on ESPN-1050 radio, who ripped into the pitcher, casting doubt about Rivera's future.
While there were no "boos" in Kay's Tuesday spiel, his content was a lot harsher, and more cutting, than the sentiment offered by Stadium boo-birds Wednesday afternoon. Kay's outrage over the booing was overdone.
But outraged he was.
"I'm totally flabbergasted that the fans booed Mariano Rivera," Kay said as the Al-Yankzeera cameras (surprise, surprise) elected to focus on fans who were actually cheering the pitcher as he walked off the mound. "Would you boo Sinatra because he hit a bad note. I'm shocked!"
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Jeter Decision On Hold
April 8
New York Post: Brian Cashman will wait until Joe Torre talks to Derek Jeter today before knowing if the Yankee captain will start tonight against the Orioles at the Stadium.
"I don't know," the GM said yesterday, an off-day for the club. "Joe will take his temperature and see how he is doing."
Knowing Jeter's distaste for sitting out games, he will tell Torre he is fine. Unless the ringing in his ears and the wooziness caused by being hit in the head by Boston right-hander Mike Timlin Wednesday hasn't subsided.
Jeter stayed in the game to run the bases but didn't go to short for the ninth inning, replaced by Rey Sanchez. He showered and went to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for a CT-Scan that didn't show any abnormal activity in Jeter's head.
Jeter was one of five Yankees hit by Red Sox pitching in the season-opening three-game series. Jason Giambi was hit twice by David Wells and once by John Halama. Jeter was drilled twice. Matt Clement got him on the left hand Tuesday and Timlin's fastball collided with Jeter's batting helmet.
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Wright Of Spring
April 8
New York Post: Jaret Wright shot his father a quizzical glance. Clyde, a former big-league pitcher, was telling reporters he always thought his son would pitch for the Yankees. Clyde didn't give a reason and Jaret let it go, just another part of Clyde's engaging personality.
Later, Jaret admitted he heard that for the first time.
"He never said that to me," explained Wright, who will make his Yankee debut tonight against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium in front of Clyde and mom, Vicki. "He never told me about it."
Tonight is the latest triumph over injury for Wright, who started Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for the Indians at 21 and never came close to tasting that type of success until he won 15 games for the Braves last year.
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Fellow Pitchers Feel Rivera's Red Sox Pain
April 8
New York Times: Mariano Rivera cannot dissect it now, when the scrutiny of his struggles with the Boston Red Sox has never been more intense. But the day may come when Rivera will shake his head and sigh at the mention of the Red Sox, and how often he seemed to suffer against them. It happens. Ask Rollie Fingers, the first closer to enter the Hall of Fame. Ask Tom Gordon, the Yankees' setup man, who once converted 54 consecutive save chances. The Red Sox vex Rivera, but that does not mean he is through.
"Every ballplayer has a certain ballpark or a certain team they have a problem with," said Fingers, the first pitcher to save 300 games. "Mine was the Minnesota Twins and Metropolitan Stadium. When I pitched in Boston against the Red Sox, I had good luck against them. Same with the Yankees. That's just the way baseball is sometimes."
Gordon would not acknowledge that the Red Sox fluster Rivera, who has blown his last four save opportunities against them. But Gordon made the same point as Fingers.
"All players and all pitchers have a team they really don't play well against," Gordon said. "With me, it was Cleveland. I just hated looking at them. If I had one win against them, I don't remember it. And then I'd go to Seattle, and it was like I was Cy Young. Little things just happen - ground ball, pop-up, blooper. Sometimes it's totally out of your control."
Rivera would probably appreciate the support. He was booed off the mound in Wednesday's 7-3 loss and, at 35, his baseball immortality is suddenly in doubt.
By early yesterday evening, more than 30,000 people had responded to a poll on the ESPN Web site asking a question that has been a nonissue for nine years: "What should the Yankees do about their closer role?"
Eighteen percent - or more than 5,000 people - voted for the Yankees to trade for a "proven closer" or give the job to Gordon. It is safe to say that Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, was not among them.
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