gotham baseball summer 2006

SUMMER a008

THE PAST. PRESENT & fUTURE Of THE NEW YORK GAME

LETTER fRDM THE EOITDR

Iiennant Chases, hot dog races, and the promise of another Subway• Series is in the air.

It's been an interesting New York baseball season so far, and aneven more exciting summer for Gotham Baseball's entire staff. We've

undergone a complete redesign of both the magazine (thanks to Art DirectorEdward Leos) and the website (thanks to Senior Writer and Website DesignerJoe McDonald), and with some excellent additions to an already solid edito-rial staff, GB is ready for a postseason run of our own.

On the diamond, the Mets are playing their best baseball since the summerof200l, and the Yankees, despite injuries to Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsuiamong others, are staying in the thick of the AL East race. Like the days ofyore, the best of the best are plying their trade in Gotham. From Derek Jeterand Alex Rodriguez to David Wright and Carlos Beltran, the New York ballclubsboast some of the most valuable talent in the game.

However, there's one man that stands heads and shoulders above them all,and he's on our cover. Mariano Rivera is the game's best closer, and has beenso way longer than any closer has ever been. He is a homegrown Hall-of-Farner and a World Series ring-adorned stopper. He is the "Hammer of God".

So, enjoy what you read in the pages before you, and visit us online and tellus what you think. We're just about the only publication whose editorial staffis accountable to its readership, my friends, so take us at our word and stop by.

Think of us as a cyberspace stoop, kind of like the one you and your friendsused to spend your summers on, and argue about whether Lee Mazzilli orMickey Rivers was the better outfielder. See? Fits like a well-broken in glovenow, doesn't it?

Enjoy the rest of the season. See you in October. ~~ctJ;Mark Healey

Executive Editor

EXECUTIVE EDTOR: MARK HEALEYPUBLISHER: GENE BERARDELLI

ART DIRECTOR: EDWARD R. LEDS

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5l•..•IDR WRITERS:CHIP ARMDNAITIS.JOE McDONALD.

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I\DDITON~l PHOTDS BY:GENE BERARDELLI AND fAITH ARMDNAITIS

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~!1IEf PHOTOGRAE'I:I~R: LYNBROOK. NY 11663BUTCH MORAN

It has been a rendezvous ~oint, a pla~e for tailga~ing,cookouts and the occasional late night cocktail. Ithas been a staging point for 9/11 rescue operations,fireworks celebrations and it even had a cameo on

the HBO TV series "The Sopranos."But after 42 years, the Shea Stadium parking lot will soon

be getting an upgrade, as construction crews will replace base-ball fans, and the long awaited new Mets' ballpark will breakground sometime this summer."WORLD-CLASS"

"Our new ballpark is the realization of a dream," a beam-ing Mets' CEO Fred Wilpon announced at the stadium's pressconference in April. "To create a world-class environment andenduring experience for everyone, especially the best fans inthe world. This new ballpark will become the home our fanshave long deserved, one created for shared celebrations amongfuture Mets fans."

Scheduled to be completed in time to open the 2009 seasothis facility has been years in the making. Originally unveilein the late 1990s, the first designs called for a retractable rotand a rollout field, so the building could be used for concerand conventions when the Mets weren't playing. But, becausthe organization is now chipping in $550 million to this projecsome tough decisions had to be made, including scrapping thestimated $100 million covering.

Met officials were saddened by the decision, but due to thnew financial environment, they completely understood whthis project had to go the more traditional route.

In addition to the team's contribution, the City will contrilute $90 million in capital funds, while the State comes in at $7million to help pay for the infrastructure costs. The Mets, likthe Yankees with their project, will be responsible for the maintenance on this facility, which fell to the City in the past.

"Our breakthrough agreement with the Mets helped to create the foundation for a beautiful new home for the team whil

... -=- - -

-~;;{:;t- WWW.GOTHAMBASEBALL.GOM • 5-~~.e relieving the City of its obligation to maintain

Sadiron. thereby saving taxpayers hundreds of millionsid _;YC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We thank

taking on the financial responsibility of building,maintaining a new ballpark that will serve base-

mroughout the City."oq~inlri°on also expects to derive $10 million a year

_n-ing_ righ "since the building will have a corporatetime, no name had yet been chosen.

LLLlKIITS

ject has been scaled down, New Yorkers will~oy baseball played the way they have always

,~~:iellCed "-outdoors. The similarities won't end there, aswill be only a few feet away from where Sheads, and that means continuing to deal with

[.aIGull1fia-- airline traffic.have grown to

~)eC( tile thunderous engines,may even enjoyyd would never

llurion won'tn... nnh._"- familiar feature of~. rlIE~Df:'\T ballpark, as the de-

0_ e will invokeried baseball

IDe coestructi on will notemlbr.M:e _ Ie "history,

cdebl:'31e the team's.z:£em~:tl:mx~_!hthe Dodgers

the rotunda, 8 or 9 years old, holding my dad's hand and thrilledto be with him one-on-one."

On the outside, the building may appear retro. On the in-side, the latest in ballpark design and fan-friendly technologytake center stage.DOIIIG THE RESEARCH

Over the past few years, Mets' officials led by COO JeffWilpon took tours of new stadiums built around the country,including Camden Yards in Baltimore, Citizens Bank Park inPhiladelphia, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, PETCO Park in SanDiego and PNC Park in Pittsburgh. They took note of whatworked and what didn't and incorporated the positives intothe new Mets' home.

The organization then employed HOK Sport, the designerfor seven of the last eight major league stadiums to open, as

the architects of the project.Many of the highlight fea-tures of their showcase sta-diums are present in theirnew endeavor. All the seatsare angled towards homeplate and the field is visibleno matter where someonestands on the promenade.There are four restaurants- seating 3,334 fans all to-gether - that are situated atkey places in the park.

There will be no "badseats" in the house, becausethe stadim will hold a ca-pacity crowd of 42,500 to-tal with general admission.It's a drop of over 12,000

seats from Shea Stadium, but the organization feels the lowersupply will drive up the demand.

"We don't fill that up, all but a couple of dates," Jeff Wilponsaid at the press conference. "It's something that will help sellsome more tickets and make it a little more urgent for peopleto buy season tickets and be part of it."A PITCHER'S PARK

While the fans enjoy the new amenities, the action on thefield itself will probably be the familiar brand of Mets base-ball that they have witnessed for the past 42 years. The dimen-sions of the park should favor pitchers, but unlike Shea, thefield will be asymmetrical. The left field line will be 335 feet,with left center coming in at 379 feet and dead center will be408 feet. In right, there will be an overhang of eight feet, butleft handed batters will need it as right center jets out to 391feet, while the line will be c.oming in at 330 feet.

continued on page 6

IFA ••• Ta.~I_ ALIVEIlIt~3fi'" olaces in the park

Club andLAlJUUJLUgoEven the outfield seats in right are called

o The stadium also connects itself to theltiiog exposed steel throughout the facility, bringing to mind

ie _-ew York together.memory of Shea Stadium will live on, as the

e will reclaim its regular spot in center field.The De"W- stadium' most recognizable characteristic clearly

:"'I."."'''' rl~ memory ofEbbets Field, as the main entrance to thely resembles the rotunda that graced the inter-

_ I Keever and Sullivan Streets for 47 years. Evene will be constructed of the same kind of lime-

on e adorned the home of Brooklyn's Dodgers.the elder Wilpon spoke about the resemblance to at

ballpark where he spent much of his happiest childhoodo w - immediately evident just how much this new project

ill rohim.-1get choked up every time I look at these plans," he said as

his e es teared up for a moment. "I remember walking through

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SbJft5top 10 e Reyes, who Mets fansstill be around when the new

opens says he's happy about the-eld"s dimensions.

"It's going to be big," he said, "sothere's going to be a lot of triples for

"me.The spacious room may not favor a

power hitter like David Wright, anotheryoung Met who will probably be on theroster in 2009, but the third baseman islooking forward to it just the same.

"Excitement comes with a new sta-dium," Wright said. "Plus we have totry and keep pace with everyone else inthe league, so we have to get a new sta-dium. It's going to look beautiful."

The 23 year-old grew up a Met fandown in Norfolk, the home of theorganization's Triple-A affiliate, sowhile he's excited about the newballpark, his enthusiasm is tempered abit as his fondness for Shea Stadium,will always run deep.

"I had a lot of good memories [at Shea]," Wright reflected."Hopefully we will have a lot of new memories in the nextthree years as the new stadium is built."

Reyes agreed with his teammate, saying he'll have somesadness when the place where he made his major league debutjoins Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and old Yankee Stadium,in the history books.

"I am going to miss everything. Having played here at SheaStadium, I am going to miss it."A BALLPARK FULL Of HISTORY

Though the big blue bowl sometimes gets ridiculed and maynot be as aesthetically pleasing as other ballparks, Shea Sta-dium should be remembered fondly as it goes into history.

When it was constructed in 1964, the building was designedas the first multipurpose facility in the country. The field levelseats were able to roll out and easily transform from baseballto football. It also could host an occasional concert. Thescoreboard was state of the art at the time, since it was the firstto electronically produce pictures on the screen.

It was the site of some of the Mets greatest games and maybeeven baseball's best contests. Who could forget the "Grand SlamSingle" game in the 1999 playoffs or when Todd Pratt hit awalkoff home run to send the favored Diamondbacks pack-ing? In 1986, the Mets won three postseason games in theirlast turn at bat - two in the NLCS versus the Astros and ofcourse, Game 6 of the World Series with the miracle come-back against the Red Sox.

There were also the three games won at Shea in the 196World Series, when both Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda peformed miracle catches in the outfield.

Though known as a pitcher's haven, there was only twno-hitters thrown at Shea - on Father's Day in 1964 when thPhillies' Jim Bunning shut the Amazins' down and then in SeItember 1969, Bob Moose of the Pittsburgh Pirates blankeNew York.

Besides baseball, Shea was the home of the New York Je1for 19 seasons. In 1968, it was the home to Joe Namath whehe led his team to a Super Bowl victory, which brought credibility to the AFL and helped shape the NFL as it is knowtoday.

In fact, the Mets' ballpark was once the busiest stadium ithe country and acted as home to four teams in 1975. Whiltheir parks were being renovated or built, the Yankees and football Giants shared the Stadium in Flushing Meadows with tlnMets and the Jets.A HOlE FOR lORE THAN dUST BASEBALL

Many historic events outside of the sports world called She:Stadium home. The British invaded America when the Beatletook the stage in 1964. Artists like the Rolling Stones, the Whoand Bruce Springsteen also played there. Pope John Paul Ieven led over 70,000 Catholics in a prayer service in 1979.

"We all know Shea Stadium occupies a place in the borough-physicallyand spiritually," Queens Borough PresidenHelen Marshall said at the press conference. "It has served it~

ose well, but now it is time to commence with the con-struction of something new. Shea still has life in it and willprobably forge a few more unforgettable events over the nextfew years. With the Mets playing some of their best baseball inyears, the memories will keep coming.

But there will beone problem. With anew facility going upin the current parkinglot, getting to Sheamay be more difficultin 2007 and 2008.

lth over half of the, 00 spaces taken out due to the construction, and many fans

driving from Long Island to games, parking will be at a pre-mrum.

To combat this, the Long Island Railroad and the MTA willeate additional service, with as many as 12 to 14 trains added

to the Port Washington Branch and the No.7 Train on gamedays.But that will be a minor inconvenience for New Yorkers as

they get to see a world class facility take shape. When the newballpark is completed, the City is also planning a $500 millionredevelopment project in Flushing and may possibly eliminatethe junk yards which reside in Willets Point in favor of new

construction around the stadium.That's all for the future, since right now the Mets and their

fans will be getting what they only dreamed about - a new homefor their team in Flushing. This will be the first major sportsfacility to open in the confines of New York City since Arthur

Ashe Stadium in 1997 and thefirst for a major New Yorkteam since Madison SquareGarden in 1968.

"This great project will so-lidify the Amazins' future inNew York," Governor GeorgePataki said, "by providing a

world-class entertainment and sports facility that will create thou-sands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue andspur further investment and opportunity right here in Queens."

Now, after eight years in the making, the Wilpon family willbe able to realize their dream and build a ballpark that embod-ies New York City. ~

"Tocreate a world-class environment and enduring experiencefor everyone, especially the best fans in the world. This newballpark will become the home our fans have long deserved,one created for shared celebrations among future Mets fans."

-Mets' CEO Fred Wilpon

Get a free issue ofInside Pitch magazine!Call 888-979-0879.

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College Baseball:The All-Gotham Team

wriHen by: Chip Armonaitis

College baseball is, unfortunately, overlooked and un-der-publicized throughout the Northeast. GothamBaseball seeks to honor those players who havesparkled throughout the college baseball season, and

the list below notes those players who have stood out abovethe rest.

Selection to the All-Gotham team is solely about what isdone on the field. Major league potential, the relative levels ofcompetition and the size and notoriety of programs is ignored.Quite simply, these are the guys who just did it. Some we maysee at the highest levels of professional baseball, other careersmay end when graduation comes. (For one, a different careerpath is most likely.)

While these are our best in the region, the major leaguedraft showed that these are not the only standouts in the area.

Catcher - Gerard Haran (The Collegeof New Jersey) - The American BaseballCoaches Association Division III Player ofthe Year, Haran was a consistent standoutthroughout the year for the Lions. Theswitch-hitter re-wrote the TCNJ (formerlyTrenton State) record book during his ca-reer, and finished off a strong junior seasonwith 14 home runs and 64 RBI in only 46games, while batting .415. In three seasons,

Haran slugged 35 home runs, with 162 RBI in 121 games. Hehas a career batting average of .385 and a career slugging per-centage of .735, while being twice named the Division III All-American catcher.

First Base - Matt Rizzotti (Manhattan) -Pitched around all season, Rizzotti was ableto reach base at .483 clip, while being lim-ited to just eight home runs and 40 RBI in 52games. Finishing with a .345 batting aver-age, the slugging sophomore scored 53 runs,while helping lead the Jaspers to the MAACchampionship. Rizzotti walked 50 times forthe Jaspers while striking out 43 times. Typi-

cal of the respect that he was shown can be seen in the Jaspers5-3 loss to Tulane, when in the third game of Manhattan's open-ing series, Rizzotti was walked three times by the Green Wave.

Second Base - Randy Gress (Quinni- Not your prototypical offensive sebaseman, Gress slugged 11home runs t(the Northeast Conference and drove in ~the Bobcats, while batting .30l. HIkeyed a hot stretch for the Bobcats, whlished second in the NEC during the se,

Shortstop - ToddFrazier (Rutgers) - The All Big Eastshortstop slammed 11 home runs whiledriving in 51, and batted .366 to lead theScarlet Knights into the Big East confer-ence playoffs, sending second place Con-necticut home early. Frazier was selectedto play for the US National Team thissummer and is considered one of the topthree prospects in the Big East. Frazierstole 21 bases in 28 attempts, and the former Little League VSeries star could be a first round pick next June with astraight big year.

Third Base- Ricky Caputo(Hofstra) - Playing in the Colonial Ath-leticAssociation for a team in the lowerhalf of the league is generally not theway to get noticed in Gotham. But hehit .324 with 12 home runs, 47 runsbatted in and stole 13 bases, and youdemand to be noticed. The two-timeSecond-Team All-CAA was selected bythe Washington Nationals in the 24thround.

Outfield - Will Vogl (St. JohrA First Team All Big East selecSt. John's centerfielder proved tone of the best players in the cotduring the season. Batting leadoff,belted 14 home runs, drove in 62, vbatting .380. Reaching base at aclip enabled the senior to score 64 1

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ases in 14 attempts.

Outfield - Greg Smith (Fordham) -Fordham's top offensive threat throughoutthe season, Smith's power blossomed, ashe slugged 13 home runs and drove in 48,while scoring 46, in 45 games for the Rams.Smith compiled a 0441 on-base percentage,while slugging at a .696 clip. A 14throundselection of the Pirates, he offers versatil-ity, playing the outfield and first base.

Outfield- Milan Dinga (Army) -e Black Knights do-it -all star, Dinga

ed All-Patriot League honors ine outfield and on the mound, and GB

- doing the same. As the BlackT • ghts left fielder, he slugged sevenorne runs, while driving in 35 and

.385. The highlight of Dinga'son was against Wagner, when the

.or homered to give Army an extrainning lead, which he protected with a 1-2-3 inning as the closer.

Designated Hitter: John Fitzpatrick_ Ianhattan) - For the fourth straight

year, Fitzpatrick was the MAAC All-League selection at this position, and it'- easy to see why. Taking advantage

- the attention shown teammate MattRizzotti, Fitzpatrick's contributions

ere one reason why Manhattan madele take notice in the College World

.es. Slugging 14 home runs and, ing in 62 runs in 53 games, he hit

...•_5 average while anchoring the Jaspers lineup. Teams. hed around Rizzotti paid for it, as Fitzpatrick's gaudynumbers show.

Utility: Nick Massari (Monmouth) -The Northeast Conference Player of theYear, Massari hit 0410, with eight homersand 51 runs batted in for the Hawks, whostumbled down the stretch after being thecream of the NEC early in the year. Bat-ting second, Massari scored 48 runs in 49games, while providing the Hawks withsenior leadership at shortstop in his firstyear at the position, having started at sec-

ond base the previous two seasons.

Pinch Hitter: Chris Joachim (St.John's) - Only a mini-vslump" kept Joachimfrom hitting 0400 for the season, ending at.398, with a home run and 46 runs batted in.Joachim also stole 20 bases in 24 attemptswhile scoring 52 runs in 58 games. Joachimfinished third in the Big East in batting av-erage, and was a consistent force for the RedStorm offense throughout the season.

Pitcher: Chris Cody (Manhattan)- The MAAC Pitcher of the Year, Codyshould be showing up on plenty of post-season lists. The senior lefthanderposted an 11-2 record, including a 1-0season opening victory over nationallyranked Tulane.

In 99 regular season innings, Codyallowed just 68 hits, while striking out 98 and walking 22. Hethrew eight complete games, including two shutouts, and waspart of a combined shutout in another start. Cody received thedecision in all 12 of his starts, and also added a win in his onlyrelief appearance of the year .

Add to that a 4-1 complete game victory over 6th rankedNebraksa in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, andit is no wonder that the Detroit Tigers selected Cody in theeighth round, 232nd overall.

Closer: Milan Dinga (Army) - How can you beat thesenumbers? Army's closer continued a stellar career by postinga 0048 ERA in 18.2 innings (he allowed one run) while com-piling 10 saves. He struck out 22 batters, and allowed only 12hits and two walks.

Freshman of the Year: RickNiederhaus (Monmouth) - A consistent of-fensive force during the second half of theregular season, this freshman forced hisway onto the NEC All-Conference Teamat the designated hitter spot.

Team of the Year: Manhattan - WhileSt. John's compiled a great record (40-19), and Rutgers sent afew people packing in the Big East, it came down to Princeton,Sacred Heart and Manhattan as Gotham residents in the NCAAbaseball tournament. The Jaspers, with wins over Nebraskaand San Francisco, deserve the praise.

With ace Chris Cody on the mound, Manhattan was morethan enough for anyone to handle, but a well balanced offense,with contributions from Fitzpatrick, Rizzotti, Nick Derba andMike Garcia, propelled them to within one game of advancingto the next round of the tournament. mi

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wriHen by: Mark H

Yankee closer Mariano Rivera isbaseball's best closer. Ever.

me, he s the greatest modern day weapon I havor played against. He has been the heart and sthe New York Yankees dynasty. "- Alex Rodriguez.

It's a beautiful spring day in the Bronx. Thoughbefore game-time, there's a smattering offans, young argathered around the Yankees' dugout. All are wearingform of the classic interlocking "NY" logo, all hopingan autograph, perhaps a wave or, at the very least, afrom one of their pinstriped heroes.

The normally reserved players are in a relativelymood - the Yankees had beat the Blue Jays in a solid 3·the night before - and they oblige the fans by signingballs.

Then, he emerges from the dugout. Though he's onljing out of the dugout to take part in a photo shoot, thegathering is immediately silent, and begin to clap thaclap that one sees in those sports movies. Though sicelluloid, this entrance is as exciting to them as his trothe bullpen in a tight ballgame. His simple action ofwout onto the sun-splashed Yankee Stadium grass is a tlcal event. His uniform gleams in the bright light, and itesty is matched only by his easy smile as he outstretc1hand and asks "What do you need me to do?"

When it's explained to him that he should just pose"set" position, he obliges, albeit with a grin. "No smilewriter jokingly scolds him. "Okay", he answers. But 0

tell that he's complying reluctantly. After a moment, hegrinning, and finally stares that stare at the camera. Thden change in his appearance is abrupt and for a meboth the photographer and the interviewer shudder -

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think he could stand the strain of starting. ..His fastball was scgood that if it went three-quarters speed it would be good. A~he progressed in his career, the first few years with Joe, he wma set-up guy. But when he came in before (former Yankee close}John) Wetteland, the game was over; he was that good. YOlididn't get anything off of Mo. Deep down inside, you knew when

the closer left, Mariano wmgoing to be the next closer, be·cause he was that good anathat s what happened. Hehasn t changed; he throws ompitch. His ball is so alive thaiwhen he throws a fastball iimoves like a cutter. So he reoally hasn ~changed too much.He hasn t added anything elsein his arsenal. Still he throwsanywherefrom 92 to 95 MPHHe can still throw that. Inevenknew he had any. Ijust calhim Mo. That s all I call himby.

EARLY BEGINNINGSIn 1995, Rivera made 10

starts after he reached the bigs:going 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA in50 innings. Had he had morestarts like he did on July 4ft

that season, the Hammer 01God story might read a littledifferently, as he was splendidagainst the White Sox that day,

allowing just two hits over eight innings, striking out 11. Hedidn't however, and even his three scoreless innings of relietthat earned him his first postseason win in Game 2 of the 1995ALDS against Seattle hardly opened any eyes.

In 1996, new manager Joe Torre wasn't even sure what roleRivera would fill going into the season, telling the New York

Daily News that Rivera"needed a change-up."

"To be a starter, he hasto have a change," saidTorre, who believed thatRivera would spend the1996 season as a

swingman, not a setup man or starter exclusively.History tells us that Torre and his coaches realized quickly

that Rivera's arm was its mightiest that season, and he respondedby allowing striking out 130 batters over 107.7 innings andallowing just a single home run.

I saw him throw, the first person who he reminded___as) we're both small with a real graceful delivery.

'I don i know what this kid sfuture is going to be, but ita eood foture if he becomes a reliever', because I didn't

- e--- as they get a taste of what's it's like to be an opposingin the box against the Hammer of God,

Fonner teammate Tony Womack once described how dev-- g a pitch Mariano Rivera's cut fastball is back in 2004,g ew York Magazine that "when (Rivera) throws (his) you think it's straight, and the next thing you know, it's

your thumbs."That one pitch has made Rivera

e most effective relief pitcher oftime. There really is no argu-

ment. Yes, other closers have en--0_ .ed dominating portions of theircareers, like Hall Of Fame pitcherDennis Eckersley. Sure, even All-

of recent vintage like EricGagne have posted a season or two

to, or even a little better than- .era's best statistical campaigns.

But no one has been better longer,d no one even sniffs his

postseason numbers; 72 post sea-games, 0.81 ERA and 34

- res. The World Series MVP in999 and the ALCS MVP in 2003

-- the best closer in baseball, andstands alone as the most fearedd revered reliever in the history

o baseball.It's a good thing that his early

as a starter ended as quickly- - began.

HISTORY LESSONBorn on Nov. 29, 1969, in

~~"l:I City, Panama, Rivera was signed as a non-drafted freein 1990 and began his professional career with the GulfYankees. It would take nearly six seasons for the young

ri!!bt-baJndl!fto make it to the major leagues, and he perseveredtbr1~_~ injury and inconsistency to make the dream a reality

broke into the big leagues on May 23, 1995.e becoming the

lX&f':I5" pitching coach foreason, former

!ie1ir-haroer and Cy Youngwinner Ron Guidry

several seasons work-g training in-

the Yankees, and he recalled seeing Rivera as a

'VI"'!.I. 0 me, he's the greatest modem day weapon I have seen orplayed against. He has been the heart and soul of the New YorkYankees dynasty."

- Yankees' Third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez

continued on page 12

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ANOTHER 10 DOWN BELOW?By Linda Berardelli

t won't happen tomorrow, but when the legendaryMariano Rivera hangs up his pinstripes for good,who will be the next Yankee closer?

Though the history of the Yankees suggests thatthe next stopper might come from another organi-

zation (the club's pursuit of free-agent B.J. Ryan in the offseason to "set up" Rivera for the next few years was a pos-sible sign of that intent), the team's recent dependence on amuch improved farm system could prove helpful in that en-deavor as well.

Given Rivera was a converted starter, a hard-thrower likeTriple-A left-hander Sean Henn - whose mid-90's velocityis back to it's pre-Tommy John surgery nastiness - could bea candidate. However, when looking in the Yankees' system,there are a few reliever prospects - headed by the dUQofJosh Schmidt, Justin Pope, and Mike Martinez - who couldbe asked to fill the large shoes of Rivera when that dreadedtime arrives.

Right now, the bullpen prospect with the most upside isSchmidt, a 23-year-old right-hander from Sierra Madre, Cali-fomia. He's currently pitching in the bullpen for the Single-A Tampa Yankees after a brilliant 2005 at Staten Island. Inhelping the Baby Bombers win the New York-Penn Leaguetitle last season, Schmidt compiled a 5-1 record with an im-pressive 0.25 ERA in 26 games, posting 13 saves in 33 in-nings of work.

During the season he allowed just 14 hits and one runwhile striking out 47 batters and walking a mere eight in 26appearances. His stellar efforts earned him the Rolaids Re-lief Man of the Year for the New York Penn League as wellas Reliever of the Year by Minor League Baseball. Thus far,in the more difficult Florida State League (bypassing theSingle- A South Atlantic League), At press time, Schmidt hasa 2-3 record with a 4.63 ERA, allowing 25 runs and 35 hitsin 44.2 innings, striking out 42 batters and walking 19.

Though an advanced 26 at Double-A, Pope is a pitcherthat is highly regarded by the Yankee organization. Acquiredfrom the Cardinals for Sterling Hitchcock in 2003, Pope hasenjoyed more success as a reliever after spending most ofhis early Jllirior league career as a starter.

At press time, he was 2-1 with a 1.63 ERA in 29 gameswith 19 saves at Trenton after an early season stint at Triple-A Columbus as a setup man for Mark Corey. In 2005, whilepitching for Trenton, Pope went 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 57games with 29 saves. He gave up 24 earned runs, 55 hitsover 77 innings of work, striking out 55 batters while walk-ingjust 20.1,;

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In 1997, a Hammer was Born, as his heavy cutteropponents bats regularly. Even his failure in that year'sagainst Cleveland - Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a game-tyin]run off him in Game 4 and the Indians later won the galthe series in Game 5 - didn't stop Yankee fans from main his immense talent.

ONLY HUIANFor all of his greatness following that 1997 ALDS

there have been other times when the right arm of Rivnot delivered, when even his devastating cut fastball I

end its flight in triumph. His failure to protect a 2-1Game 7 of the 2001 World Series was cataclysmic to m

ESPN.com's Dave Schoenfeld: Rivera trudgedmound as the losing pitcher, hanging his head as the b.erupted. The Sandman had never done that before, nocareer playoff appearances. He hadn't given up a run ithose appearances. He once pitched a record 34 1/3 scinnings in the postseason. He had converted 23 cons,save chances in the playoffs since Sandy Alomar s homeGame 4 of the 1997 Division Series. He had allowed 01

earned run in 15 2/3 innings this postseason entering t,tom of the ninth.

You don't beat the Yankees until you beat Rivera."That's baseball," Rivera said. "There's nothing I

about it."WORLD CHAIPION

The Yankees haven't won a World Series since 200 1,it can hardly be blamed on Rivera. However, his inabhold a one-run lead against the hated Red Sox in Game L

ALCS played a mind-boggling role in the Reverse of theas Boston's "W" would become the first of four straiglby Boston after New York had fashioned a 3-0 series Ie

It was mind-boggling because he was coming off ain which he led the AL with a career-high 53 saves andastounding 1.94 ERA.

Still, those failures pale in comparison to the accorments, as his role in the four World Series championshijby the New York Yankees are unparalleled in baseball l

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CLOSING GAMES:YET ANOTHER YANKEE TRADITION

y Mark Healey

ariano Rivera may be the latest and greatest Yankeereliever to ply his trade in the pinstripes, but like play-ing center field in the Stadium's long navy line of All-Star performers during their title-winning campaigns,making a mark out of the Bombers' bullpen has been a

ong standing Bronx tradition during their title runs.Wiley Moore: The first accomplished New York stopper,

_ Ioore was among the firstrnop-up" guys to be utilized as aweapon in late inning situations. Possessedwith a sidearm sinker he developed after anarm injury in the minors, he didn't break intothe majors until he was thirty. That year, withthe 1927 "Murderers' Row" club that de-stroyed opponents at the dish, Moore did hisdamage on the mound. He went 19-7, led theleague with 13 relief wins and 13 saves, andposted what should have been a game-best 2.28ERA, but he did not qualify as the requirementfor an ERA title was not innings pitched, butnumber of complete games (10). Arm prob-lems cut short his career, but his dominanceout of the 'pen was a fore-shadowing of things tocome.

Johnny Murphy:Though known more for

. construction of the 1969Amazin' Mets champion-- . team, Murphy was the first relief pitcher to be called a "fire-

". The right-handed control pitcher was baseball's first great- - r, earning a great reputation during his 13-year career for

. g out fires." Known for his devastating curve and pin-accuracy, he held the lifetime record for saves (107) and

. - in relief (73) for nearly thirty-odd years. Murphy, whohis career as a starter in 1934, led the majors in saves in

seasons, with a high of 19 in 1939. He also set then-recordss: _ "ins in relief in 1937 and 1943. His best season came in

_when he had 15 saves, a 1.98 ERA and an 8-3 record.Le - . Gomez when asked to predict how many games he- ,Gomez) would win in the upcoming season, replied "Ask

hv."-Page: Page replaced Murphy as the Yankee bullpen ace,

an in 1949, posted an then MLB-record 27 saves that stooduntil 1961. He broke Murphy's record with 14 relief wins in19 -, and held that record until the next Yankee closer LuisAr-

royo broke that in 1961 with 15 wins in relief. Page spent thefirst three seasons as a struggling starter before Yankee maruager Bucky Harris placed him in the 'pen in 1947. He respondecalmost immediately, going 14-8 with 17 saves and a 2.48 ERA'In that year's Fall Classic, Page saved Game One and won thGclincher, holding the Dodgers to one hit in five innings.

Sparky Lyle: Lyle lead the AL in saves in 1972, 1976, ancin 1977 he became the first reliever ever to win the AL CyYoung Award, as he helped lead the Yankees to their first WorldSeries win since 1962. Known more for his slider than his

fastball, he was a mediocre pitcher before the Yan-kees dealt for him prior to the 1972 season. Hehad 35 saves for the Yankees in 1972,27 saves in1973, a career-low 1.66 ERA in 1974, and anAL-best 23 saves in 1976 as the Yankees won the ALchampionship. In 1977 Lyle won 13 games, saved26, and became the first reliever to win the CyYoung Award. The Yankees responded by sign-ing Goose Gossage to be the club's closer, andafter the season Lyle was traded to Texas in a 10-player-deal that brought Dave Righetti to theBronx.

Goose Gossage: The hard-throwing Gossagewas the most devastatingcloser in baseball from 1978-1983, and in his first season inNcwYork, he went 10-11 with27 saves, helping the 1978Yankees win their second con-secutive championship. After

a clubhouse scuffle with Cliff Johnson cut short his 1979 sea-son, he bounced back with a a career-high 33 games in 1980.He posted 20 saves in the strike-shortened 1981 season, put up30 saves in 1982, 13 wins and 22 saves in 1983, but signedwith the Padres as a free agent following that season .

John Wetteland: Though he pitched just two seasons inNew York, Wetteland's acquisition from Montreal before the1995 season was integral to the team's return to postseasonbaseball for the first time since the 1981 World Series defeat tothe Los Angeles Dodgers. He posted an AL-best 43 saves in1996 season, won that year's Rolaids Relief Man Award, postedan MLB-record seven saves during the playoffs, including fourin the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, which earnedhim the World Series MVP Award. His decision to sign withTexas after the Series opened the door for Rivera to be the fulltime closer, and the rest, as they say, is history. ~

"Lefty Gomez, when asked to predict how many games he(Gomez) would win in the upcoming season, replied "AskMurphy."

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1978: 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THYANKEES RENAISSANCE

Munson took home the AMVP Award and six Yankeewent to the All-Star GameChambliss, Hunter, LyleMunson, Randolph, and River:THE ALeS

The real challenge earnwith the American LeaguChampionship Series. The besiof- five ALCS had only begu

in 1969, so the Yankees had never played in one. "Billy Martiwas as nervous as can be," Maddox recalls. "He was just beside himself. He wanted to win so much. Billy just wanted tjoin the ranks [of winning managers like] Casey Stengel anbe a winner in New York."

They faced the Kansas City Royals led by hot-hitting GeorgBrett, who had tallied 215 hits that season. In the top of the finthe Yankees jumped out to a two-run lead, partly on an error bBrett, and Catfish Hunter pitched seven scoreless innings before the Royals nicked him for one in the eighth.

The Yankees came right back with two more, and Huntecompleted the game for the 4-1 win.

The Royals exacted revenge the next night. The Yankeechased Dennis Leonard in the third inning, but the Royalroughed up Ed Figueroa for 4 runs, then got another 3 off H

liever Dick Tidrow. The final stood at 7-3, the series tied .BACK TO THE STADIUI

The series then shifted to the remodeled Yankee Stadiurfor the final three games of the set. The Royals drew first bloocjumping out to three run lead in the first in Game Three, bi

Chambliss hit a two-run shot ithe fourth and they chasestarter Andy Hassler withthree-run sixth. Dock Elliearned the win and Sparky Lylthe save by pitching the nintl

Yankees' Outfielder, Elliott Maddox If the Yankees could beethe Royals one more time, the

would win the pennant in four games, but the Royals had otheideas. This time Catfish could not keep the Royals down, anthey nicked him for three runs in the second, and after givinup a double to Hal Mckae and a triple to DH Jamie Quirk tstart the fourth, he was pulled. The Yankees lost 7-4 and set uthe win-or-go-home Game Five.

They called them

the "CBS Years,"the dark, dismaltime when CBSowned the Yan-

kees and the team floun-dered in mediocrity from1965-1972. In 1973, a Mid-western shipping magnatenamed George

Steinbrenner bought the team and immediately plungedthem into a two-year renovation of Yankee Stadium, exilingthem to Shea for 1974 and 1975. But in 1976 everything fi-nally came together, and one memorable dinger delivered thefirst pennant to the Bronx since 1964. Now on the 30th anni-versary of the '76 pennant, GB looks back on the Yankees'return to prominence.WHAT A YEAR

"That was the year we had just acquired Willie Randolphfrom Pittsburgh," recalls outfielder Elliott Maddox. "We tradedBobby Bonds to the Angels, so we picked up Mickey Riversand Ed Figueroa for Bonds. With those acquisitions, we knewwe had a good shot."

Figueroa would go 19-10, Rivers led the team with his.312 average and between the two of them Randolph and Riv-ers stole 80 bases. Thurman Munson, the undisputed leader ofthe team, hit .302 with 105 RBI, Graig Nettles hit 32 homeruns, and Chris Chambliss batted .293 and led the team with188 hits. The pitching was solid as Catfish Hunter and DockEllis racked up 17 winsapiece, and Sparky Lyle "Band Dick "Dirt" Tidrow illy Martin was as nervous as can be. He was just besidehad 33 saves between himself. He wanted to win so much. Billy just wanted to jointhem. the ranks [of winning managers like] Casey Stengel and be a

Between the stacked winner in New York."lineup and dominantpitching, the Yankees ranaway with the East.

"Yeah, we led from start to finish that whole season," saysRoy White, who scored 104 runs that year. "The lowest ourlead got down to was about five games in August, and thenwe went on a winning streak and extended it back up to nineor ten. So winning the American League East that year waskind of a cake walk for us."

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"V 'lb"ery nai - itmg at the time. But when you're in the heat ofthe game, you're just thinking you're going to win, you'regoing to win, you're going to win."

Yankees' Second Baseman, Willie Randolph


Ed Figueroa toed the rubber forNew York and the first two Roy-als were retired smoothly. ButBrett doubled and John Mayberrylanded one in the short porch inright, just beyond the reach of Os-car Gamble. Un fazed, Figueroastruck out Hal McRae, and his hit-ters went out and got the runs rightback, plus some. Dennis Leonardlasted only nine pitches into hisstart when a triple, infield hit, anda single to left brought one run inand had two men in scoring posi-tion with three lefty hitters com-ing up, Chris Chambliss, CarlosMay, and Graig Nettles.

Nettles watched the pitching change-to the "Yankee Killer,"lefty Paul Splittorff-with dismay. "I was hitting sixth in thatlineup and Iwas hoping to see the righthander," he recalls.Chambliss managed a long sac fly to score a run, but May andNettles went back empty handed. The game was tied, 2-2.Y AIKS KEEP RALLYIIG

The Royals got another run in the second, but the Yankeescame back with two in the third, when the table-setters of MickeyRivers and Roy White came around again. Rivers singled, Whitewalked, and Munson knocked one in. Chambliss grounded out,allowing another run to score and give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

The Yankees next rally came in the sixth, and again startedwith Mickey Rivers, who had his third hit of the night, this onea bunt single. White sacrificed him to second, and Munsonbrought him in to score-though he was gunned down trying tostretch the hit to a double.Chambliss followed his ownbase hit with a stolen base andcrossed the plate on a ball thatGeorge Brett threw away. 6-3Yankees.KAISAS CITY FIGHTS BACK

The three-run lead seemedsafe when, after allowing aleadoff single in the eighth, Figueroa was lifted for reliever GrantJackson, who was tough on lefties. With Brett coming up, Mar-tin figured now would be the time to pit Jackson against him.But pinch-hitter Jim Wolford got a pinch-hit, and Brett, repre-senting the tying run, came to the plate. "Brett had already hitus pretty good in that series so I kind of thought we were due toget him out," says Roy White. White's prediction was wrong,as Brett smacked a three-run job that tied the game. WillieRandolph describes it as "very nail-biting at the time. But whenyou're in the heat of the game, you're just thinking you're go-

ing to win, you're going to win, yotgoing to win."CHAIBLISS TO THE RESCUE

The tie held into the bottom ofninth, when a big rookie warmed UI=the mound for the Royals. Mark Liiwas known for his fastball, and as CChambliss took his place in the on dcircle, several other Yankees were fing quite hopeful. "Mark Littell wasperfect pitcher for Chris to bat againaccording to Elliott Maddox. "Hebecome such a good fastball hitter,made the fastball look like a change-rMeanwhile, rowdy denizens of right fstarted throwing bottles at right fie]

Hal McRae and the game was delayed while the debris 'cleared from the field.

Willie Randolph remembers the delay well, in which Liistood on the mound watching the grounds crew instead of ctinuing to throw.

"I thought, 'Gee, I wonder if this guy is going to stiffen tWhether stiff or not, Littell had confidence in his fastl:

He had beaten Chambliss with it earlier in the series. He ththe high heater, thinking Chambliss would swing and miss.stead, Chambliss connected for what Murray Chass descriin the New York Times as "a blow that rivaled BolThompson's 1951 home run." As the ball disappeared intostands, fans came pouring out onto the field. Nettles grabChambliss' bat, several other players attempted to make ~Chris touched all the bases, but they soon fled to the clubhoiThe jubilant fans had tom up the bases and carried them av

Some time lathe on-field party:continuing, the t

pires escorChambliss back tofield, protected bphalanx of NYork's Finest,make sure he touc

the spot approximately where home plate had been. Penrfever had claimed New York utterly. The Yankees themselpartied the night through. But dawn, and the World Series, csall too quickly, and the hard-fought and emotional seriesdrained the Yanks. Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, well-resafter their three-game sweep of Philadelphia, plowed throithem easily in four straight games. The experience was enoito light a fire under the Yankees, such that they would returthe World Series in the next two years, winning both times

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GENERATION NEXTWILL dOE TORRE'S YANKEES REPOPULATE COOPERSTOWN?

O here are more players in the Hall of Fame represent-ing the Yankees than there are any other team, but asDon Mattingly has proved, being a dominant star inNew York is no guarantee of induction. Had he playedfor championship teams and/or had a back injury not

robbed him of his power, Mattingly might have been a shoe-in.But it takes a certain mix of accomplishments, awards, longev-ity, pedigree and luck to make it into the Cooperstown ranks.Who, then, of the Joe Torre Yankees can we reasonably expectto see joining the other 42 former Yankees already enshrined?

The current team includes a few sure things, a few who areshoe-ins if they keep it up, and some on-the-fence candidates.Not counting Roger Clemens (who may not enter the Hall as aYankee, but who is a lock for induction) there are quite a fewrecent Yankees we may see making the upstate trek soon.SURE THIIIGS

Randy JohnsonLike Clemens, this man will make it on

the first ballot, and also like Clemens, it isnot known whose hat he will wear into thehall. If he retired today, he would still be asure thing, despite struggles in pinstripes."My career is almost over. I'm not in themiddle, I'm not in the beginning, I'm moretowards the end," Johnson says. So then,why come to the Yankees, to the toughestdivision in baseball and the biggest pressurecooker? "I don't think there is any biggerchallenge toward the end than to come hereand do the things I do, and still do them atmy age. If you are not into challenges, thisobviously wouldn't be the place to come latein your career." Johnson would like to tacka few more lines onto that Hall of Fame re-sume, maybe even another ring, but he willbe enshrined regardless.

Joe TorreThere is little doubt that Joe Torre's name will forever be

bandied about with legendary names like Casey Stengel andMiller Huggins, whom he now rivals in terms of games and pen-nants won with the Yankees under his tenure. There are seven-teen managers in the Hall of Fame, all elected by the veterans

committee. Given the near-universal respect players and forme)players have for Torre as well as for the difficult job he excel:at in New York, it would take some kind of wildfire of antiYankee sentiment to keep Joe from being elected. (Those whcare anti-Steinbrenner are all the more sympathetic to Joe.)

Mariano RiveraAs with most players, if you ask him, the Hall of Fame i1

only an abstract and distant dream. Rivera is focused on win'ning now. But if you poll members of the media, coaches, ancplayers on other teams, Mariano's induction is a sure thingAfter over a decade of total domination as a reliever, the onlyreservations one can have are over the fact that there is a deartlof relief pitchers in the hall. "I think having Bruce [Sutter] gein this year is going to open the door," Mariano says wherpressed on the issue. "Dennis Eckersley before and Bruce nowwill hopefully open the door for relievers, so when I retire 1

have the chance to be in there." If Mehad a vote, it would be for anotheiYankee reliever: Goose Gossage.

dUST , I'TTER OFTilE

Derek JeterWhen asked ifhe ever thinks about

the Hall of Fame, Jeter's response isan emphatic "no no no." Eleven yearsinto his career, though, and Jeter islooking like more and more of a surething all the time. When he broke in:of course there was talk of the "threeshortstops," Alex Rodriguez, Noma!Garciaparra, and Jeter. "There was atime when all three ofthem could havebeen headed for the Hall of Fame,"says Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson."But time separates them. Time sepa-rates. Which one was the dominant

player at his position over a span of ten years? Only Jeter."The question becomes how long can Jeter keep it up, and ifheis ever hurt, would he end up in a similar boat to Donnie Base-ball? Jeter's championship pedigree, national popularity, repu-tation for making the game-changing play, and controversy-free career to date are what make him a shoe-in.


Alex Rodriguez"I'll tell you a funny story,"

Alex Rodriguez says when askedabout his Hall of Fame chances."I went to play in the Hall of FameGame in 2001. But one of thethings I had said to myself was Ididn't want to ever go to the Hallof Fame [until inducted]. Guys onmy team were taking tours of theHall of Fame while I stayed in myroom for a day and a half. Iwouldn't take any tours. I justplayed in the game. So I'm kind

of superstitious." He needn't worry. A-rod to date has evenbetter Hall of Fame stats than Jeter and the change of positionfrom short to third will not affect his chances. Just a few moreyears doing what he has been doing, or a few searing postseasonmoments, will cement that legacy.

011 THE fEIICE

Mike MussinaHad Mussina's dominating years been pitched for a win-

ning team, his career might be viewed differently. But his truedays of artistry came with a mediocre Baltimore squad, andsome Moose watchers believe that ever since breaking his nosewhen struck by a line drive in 1998, his effectiveness pitchinginside has been limited. Since coming to New York he hasshown flashes of brilliance, as when he beat Barry Zito 1-0 ingame three of the 2001 ALDS and his near-perfect game atFenway Park. But despite 6 Gold Gloves and 5 All-Star selec-tions, the sum of his contributions has fallen short of the totaldominance needed for the Hall of Fame. He has pitched fourone-hitters, but never a no-hitter; he has won 19 games twice,but never 20; he has never won a Cy Young Award. He is 5thon the list for total strikeouts of the past 10 years, topped byRandy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and RogerClemens. Every one ofthose guys has multiple Cy Youngs onhis shelf. Moose, with none, always finds himself just a weebit behind these others, and he might find himself too far be-hind them to make it to Cooperstown. His best shot is to winthe Cy Young Award this year and rack up as many strikeoutsas possible.

Bernie WilliamsWhen asked about Bernie Williams' Hall of Fame chances,

former Yankee centerfielder Bobby Murcer replied "Berniewould be in MY Hall of Fame." According to the HOF Moni-tor (see sidebar), Bernie Williams has the resume of a Hall ofFame player. He has climbed to the top of many postseason

records and also on many Yankee All-Time lists. Onlyplayers have played more games for the Yankees in theirreer than Bernie: Mantle, Gehrig, Berra, and Ruth. Berniemore hits than Joe DiMaggio, is 6th on the Yankee All-lhome run list, fourth on the doubles list, seventh on thelist, 3rd on the grand slams list, and won the batting tit]1998, something only seven previ-ous Yankees had done. He was theMVP of the 1996 ALCS, was a five-time All-Star, won the Gold Glovefour times, and holds the record nowfor most post-season home runs at22. (Manny Ramirez is next with 20),post-season RBI with 83 (David Jus-tice is at #2 with 63), and postseasonruns scored with 83 (Jeter is next at81). With a resume like that, whyisn't Bernie a shoe-in? In a poll of25 New York media members, mostof whom have watched Bernie hiswhole career, the overwhelming re-sponse was that Bernie is "on the bubble." A look at the sttical analyses which handicap Hall induction show a moutcome. (See sidebar) What does this mean for Bernie'has never won a league MVP award and has won onlybatting title. Bernie's truly dominant years were 1998-2'which is not quite a long enough span of dominance for IT

Hall of Fame voters. Bernie could help his case by turningmonster year this year and taking advantage of injuries toers that give him more playing time.

Gary SheffieldA look at Gary Sheffield's career numbers may surprise

The man is approaching 500 home runs, 2500 hits, and hlifetime .297 batting average. (His numbers run very similBernie Williams.) But although Sheffield has the numbenhasn't had the career. The constant shuffle from team to t

and his involvement with the Barry BondslBALCO sterabuse scandal both hurt his chances significantly. Ifhe real500 homers, voters will have to decide whether the taint 0

steroid era is enough to make him the first 500 HR hitter texcluded from HOF company. His 2006 wrist injury probtakes him out of the league MVP running, but a dominanttober would help his case.

Johnny DamonWhen asked who in the Yankee clubhouse has a shot a

Hall, Yogi Berra pointed at Johnny Damon. When told of'Ycestimation of his prowess, Damon was humbled. "It's defina special honor for him to say that. There is an outside chaI'd have to keep playing for another 6-7 years so I can gl3000 hits." Damon is no idiot in that regard; reaching 3000is probably the only way to punch his ticket to Coopersto

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HANDICAPPING THE HALLThere are four stat crunches, as shown on Baseball-Reference.com, based on ideas expounded by Bill James in The Politics

of Glory, that can predict Hall induction by comparing certain benchmarks and achievements of current players to those whohave been previous inducted. They are:

BLACK INK: Comparing only the "boldface" stats where a player led the league in batting, home runs, pitching, etc. Thismeasure does penalize modern players somewhat as now there are many more players and teams (14-16) to compete with thanthe eight team leagues the older players had.

GRAY INK: Comparing not just the boldface/frrst place stats, but all appearances in the top ten in various categories.HOF Career Standards Test: Awards points for certain benchmarks, such as each 150 hits above 1500, one point for each

.005 of batting average over .275, 1 point for each 100 runs over 900, and so on. The average Hall-of-Famer scores 50 points,with 100 being the maximum.

HOF MONITOR: Measures how likely (not how deserving) a player is to be inducted, by assigning points such as 8 pointsfor each MVP award, 3 for each All-Star selection, 6 points for leading the league in bating average, and so on. Anyone searingover 100 is likely to be inducted.

PJayerName HOFMonitor Black Ink Gray Ink HOF Standards

Average HOF Pitcher 100 40 185 50Roger Clemens 326 100 314 72Randy Johnson 313 96 262 62Mariano Rivera 152 9 30 30Mike Mussina 102 14 215 46Andy Pettitte 95 5 92 3

Average HOF Hitter 100 27 144 50Alex Rodriguez 250 51 160 59.5Derek Jeter 162 6 95 45.9Bernie Williams 133 4 61 46.4Gary Sheffield 132 4 118 57.7PauIO'N eill 71 4 45 37Johnny Damon 60 6 63 24.3"numbers supplied by Sean Forman, Baseball-Reference.com

"Winning a couple more championships could [help.]. That'swhat I'm worried about right now, winning championships, andwe'll let that other stuff take care of itself."

OILY II IIEW YORK

Paul O'NeillO'Neill will be the first of the Torre Dynasty Yankees to

come up for possible induction. He was revered by Yankeefandom for his intensity and clutch hitting, and was the de facto"captain" in all but name during his tenure (Jeter was formallynamed captain after O'Neill's retirement). He won a battingtitle with Cincinnati, played in three perfect games, was an All-Star five times, and batted .284 in 299 postseason at bats dur-ing championship runs in both New York and Cincinnati. Butfive World Series rings (one from Cincy) are not enough tovault him into Cooperstown.

Andy PettitteIn his heyday in New York, Pettitte was hailed as a latter

day Whitey Ford. He won 21 games his rookie season (1996,finished 2nd in Cy Young voting) and had 21 again in 2003.His reputation as a big game pitcher was built on postseasonperformances like those in 2001 that earned him the ALCSMVP Award. Had he stayed in New York and continued todominate in postseason play, he would have improved hischances. Injuries limited him to 15 starts his first year in Hous-ton, where he has also been overshadowed by his good friendClemens. For Pettitte to make the Hall, he will have to beClemens-like in longevity and win total. Now in his 12th sea-son, he needs to win 16 games for the next 8 years to reach 300wins·iI

Boss IN THE HALL?written by: Cecilia Tan

ust think.If Vernon Stouffer and George Steinbrenner had got-ten along better, Steinbrenner right now might befamous for being the irascible and

driven owner of the Cleveland Indians.In 1971, Steinbrenner tried to buy the Indi-

ans from Stouffer for $9 million. The deal wasnever consummated, and instead Steinbrennerset his sights on the Yankees, whom he pur-chased for $8.7 million in 1973.

It has now been 33 years of The Boss, mak-ing him the Yankee-owner with the longest stay-ing power and also the baseball owner who hasbeen in the major leagues the longest. But willwe ever see him in the National Baseball Hallof Fame in Cooperstown?

Let's see. He was suspended from operatinghis team in 1974 by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for makingillegal contributions to the Nixon campaign. In 1990 he wasbanned again, for life this time by commissioner Fay Vincent,for hiring two-bit crook Howie Spira to dig up dirt on DaveWinfield. In a reversal, though, of the time when fans chanted"Steinbrenner Sucks!" (in response to Reggie Jackson's tri-umphant return to the Stadium in an Angels uniform), this newsof Steinbrenner's barring made the rounds of radio-enabledfans at the Stadium and the Boss was given a standing ovationof support. The "lifetime" ban lasted only until 1993, and since

that time, both the Yankees and Steinbrenner have been quitesuccessful.

Steinbrenner was the first owner to use free agency to maxi-mum advantage and his actions over the past 33years have often put him at the head of the pack.The Yankees under his tenure have increased theamount of advanced scouting they do of other teams,especially for postseason play, and have aggressivelypursued international baseball talent, including bothflops (Hideki Irabu, Jose Contreras) and stars(Hideki Matsui, Orlando Hernandez), and playerswho were otherwise overlooked by other teams(Alfonso Soriano).

Steinbrenner's front office team have also beenmuch more aggressive at marketing the Yankees andsigning endorsement deals and partnerships thanmost other major league teams, ranging from a co-

marketing deal with U.K's Manchester United (soccer) to amulti-year effort with Adidas that had some MLB executivesfuming. When asked if Steinbrenner belongs in the Hall ofFame, over 90% of New York media and reporters said yes,because his contributions to the game have been so significant.Steinbrenner believes that what is good for the Yankees is goodfor baseball, and for the most part he has been right.

Old grudges and past conflicts probably insure that if Georgeis Hall-bound, it will be after he passes away, though. ~

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FALLING SHORT: GETTING BACK UPdid prove one thing; that former Yankee GM George Weiss'skill as a talent evaluator did not follow him from the Bronx toFlushing.

Ron Swoboda (1965-1970, Outfielder): Swoboda joinedthe Mets as a highly touted power hitter and showed fine promiseby belting 19 home runs in his rookie year of 1965. A .222average and just eight home runs in 1966 was looked at bymany (remember, "Rocky" was only 22) as a "sophomore slumpon a bad ballclub. So when he improved to 13 homers, 17doubles and a .281 batting average in 1967, things were look-ing quite promising for the progressing Mets, who were hop-ing that they were going to produce their first star. Though thelatter never materialized, he was a valuable platoon man dur-ing the unforgettable "Miracle Mets" season of 1969, drivingin nearly half of his season-total 52 RBIs during the final fiveweeks of the pennant season's stretch drive. During this drivefor the pennant, he slugged two home runs off Hall-of-FarnerSteve Carlton when the ace lefty stuck out 19 Mets batters onlyto lose. Finally, his name was etched forever in Mets' lore withhis diving catch he made of a vicious liner off the bat of Brooks

Robinson that helped the Mets to the World'sChampionship. Like Kranepool, his failure to de-liver on high expectations didn't stop the Sheafaithful from treating Swoboda as one of their ownforever.

ED KRANEPOOl

Ed Kranepool (1962-1979, FirstBaseman): After signing an $85,000 bonus outof James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Kranepool joinedthe Mets as a 17 year old in their inaugural season of 1962.Though he had some success - Kranepool slugged 16 homeruns in 1966 and batted .280 with 14 home runs in 1971 - mostof his major-league success came as a pinch hitter. The nativeNew Yorker collected 17 pinch hits in 35 appearances in 1974for a .486 batting average, and had 13 pinch hits in 29 appear-ances for a .448 average in 1977. He was a member of both the1969 Miracle Mets that won the World Series and the 1973 Metsthat won the National League pennant. However, whileKranepool's inability to live up to the high expectations did notseem to prevent him from becoming an all-time fan favorite, it

written by: William Cummings(Editor's Note: Article by a long-time subscriber 01 Gotham Baseball.)

Last season, both of Gotham's MLB teams enjoyedbreakout seasons from young players.

The Mets' dynamic duo of David Wright and JoseReyes enjoyed their best seasons to date and gave the

Amazins one of the best left sides of the infield in baseball- theonly one better perhaps residing in the Bronx where AL MVPAlex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter pay third base and shortstoprespectively. The Bronx also saw youth prevail, as Yankeesrookies Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang helped thePinstripers win the AL East.

This season, even more help is on the way as Mets' out-fielder Lastings Milledge and Yankees' youngster Melky Cabrera- each is ranked as a Top 5 Prospect for their respective teamsby Gotham Baseball- and are being relied upon to produce atthe big league level before their 23rd birthday.

Can they handle the bright lights of the Big Apple?Perhaps they will. However, if they don't live up to their

big buildup immediately, will they fizzle quickly, never to beheard of again? Or will they instead overcomethe intial disappointment of a Hall of Famecareer unrealized and become a solid contribu-tor to a winning team?

Yes, for every Ruben Rivera, HensleyMeulens and Kevin Maas or an Alex Escobar,Paul Wilson and Gregg Jeffries, there's beena number of homegrown Yanks and Mets thatmay not have up to their respective expecta-tions.

Yet, for this particular group of players,failing to live up to the hype didn't - and hasn't- hurt their standing in the hearts of theGotham faithful:

Ken Singleton (1970-1971, Outfielder): Oneof the first dumb moves in organizational history.Another native New Yorker, Singleton was a pow-erful switch hitter who was leading the Interna-tional League in hitting when he was called up tothe Mets in June of 1970. Fresh off their WS cham-pionship, the Mets' first-ever title defense was ham-pered by a lack of offense. While the Mets' 3.89ERA was tops in the NL, the team - outside ofDonn Clendenon (.288/22/97) and Tommie Agee(.286/24/75), was anemic offensively. Cleon Jones,whose brilliant .340 campaign of 1969 is seem-

ingly always lost in other's heroics, slumped to just .277, 10homers and just 63 RBIs. In Singleton, Mets' brass felt - aswell as the fan base - here was a player that would deliver animmediate impact. Though, he showed some promise with a.263 batting average and five home runs in 69 games, he hitjust .245 and managed only 13 home runs in 1971. Unwillingto let his career blossom (or perhaps fearing that they had an-other Swoboda or Kranepool on their hands) he was traded tothe Montreal Expos along withTim Foli and Mike Jorgensenfor proven veteran slugger Rusty Staub. Had Staub spent theremainder of his career in New York, many would


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FALLING SHORT: GETTING BACK UPdid prove one thing; that former Yankee GM George Weissskill as a talent evaluator did not follow him from the Bronx tFlushing.

Ron Swoboda (1965-1970, Outfielder): Swoboda joinethe Mets as a highly touted power hitter and showed fme promisby belting 19 home runs in his rookie year of 1965. A .22iaverage and just eight home runs in 1966 was looked at b:many (remember, "Rocky" was only 22) as a "sophomore slum]on a bad ballclub. So when he improved to 13 homers, ldoubles and a .281 batting average in 1967, things were looking quite promising for the progressing Mets, who were hoping that they were going to produce their first star. Though th:latter never materialized, he was a valuable platoon man during the unforgettable "Miracle Mets" season of 1969, drivingin nearly half of his season-total 52 RBIs during the fmal fiveweeks of the pennant season's stretch drive. During this drivefor the pennant, he slugged two home runs off Hall-of-Fame]Steve Carlton when the ace lefty stuck out 19 Mets batters onlyto lose. Finally, his name was etched forever in Mets' lore withhis diving catch he made of a vicious liner off the bat of Brooks

Robinson that helped the Mets to the World'sChampionship. Like Kranepool, his failure to de-liver on high expectations didn't stop the Sheafaithful from treating Swoboda as one of their ownforever.

Ken Singleton (1970-1971, Outfielder): Oneof the first dumb moves in organizational history.Another native New Yorker, Singleton was a pow-erful switch hitter who was leading the Interna-tional League in hitting when he was called up tothe Mets in June of 1970. Fresh off their WS cham-pionship, the Mets' first-ever title defense was ham-pered by a lack of offense. While the Mets' 3.89ERA was tops in the NL, the team - outside ofDonn Clendenon (.288/22/97) and Tommie Agee(.286/24/75), was anemic offensively. Cleon Jones,whose brilliant .340 campaign of 1969 is seem-

ingly always lost in other's heroics, slumped to just .277, 10homers and just 63 RBIs. In Singleton, Mets' brass felt - aswell as the fan base - here was a player that would deliver animmediate impact. Though, he showed some promise with a.263 batting average and five home runs in 69 games, he hitjust .245 and managed only 13 home runs in 1971. Unwillingto let his career blossom (or perhaps fearing that they had an-other Swoboda or Kranepool on their hands) he was traded tothe Montreal Expos along with Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensenfor proven veteran slugger Rusty Staub. Had Staub spent theremainder of his career in New York, many would


wriHen by: William Cummings(Editor's Note: Article by a long-time subscriber of Gotham Baseball.)

IIast season, both of Gotham's MLB teams enjoyedbreakout seasons from young players.

The Mets' dynamic duo of David Wright and JoseReyes enjoyed their best seasons to date and gave the

Amazins one of the best left sides of the infield in baseball- theonly one better perhaps residing in the Bronx where AL MVPAlex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter pay third base and shortstoprespectively. The Bronx also saw youth prevail, as Yankeesrookies Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang helped thePinstripers win the AL East.

This season, even more help is on the way as Mets' out-fielder Lastings Milledge and Yankees' youngster Melky Cabrera- each is ranked as a Top 5 Prospect for their respective teamsby Gotham Baseball - and are being relied upon to produce atthe big league level before their 23rd birthday.

Can they handle the bright lights of the Big Apple?Perhaps they will. However, if they don't live up to their

big buildup immediately, will they fizzle quickly, never to beheard of again? Or will they instead overcomethe intial disappointment of a Hall of Famecareer unrealized and become a solid contribu-tor to a winning team?

Yes for every Ruben Rivera, HensleyMeulens and Kevin Maas or an Alex Escobar,Paul Wilson and Gregg Jeffries, there's beena number of homegrown Yanks and Mets thatmay not have up to their respective expecta-tions.

Yet, for this particular group of players,failing to live up to the hype didn't - and hasn't- hurt their standing in the hearts of theGotham faithful:

Ed Kranepool (1962-1979, FirstBaseman): After signing an $85,000 bonus outof James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Kranepool joinedthe Mets as a 17 year old in their inaugural season of 1962.Though he had some success - Kranepool slugged 16 homeruns in 1966 and batted .280 with 14 home runs in 1971 - mostof his major-league success came as a pinch hitter. The nativeNew Yorker collected 17 pinch hits in 35 appearances in 1974for a .486 batting average, and had 13 pinch hits in 29 appear-ances for a .448 average in 1977. He was a member of both the1969 Miracle Mets that won the World Series and the 1973 Metsthat won the National League pennant. However, whileKranepool's inability to live up to the high expectations did notseem to prevent him from becoming an all-time fan favorite, it

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view the deal as nearly even. However, as Singleton wasblossoming in Montreal and later became an American LeagueAll-Star three times for Baltimore, Staub lasted just four sea-sons in New York, getting dealt to the Tigers after the 1975season (in which he drove in a then-Mets record of 105 RBIs)for Mickey Lolich, who would win just eight games in his onlyseason in Flushing.

Lee Mazzilli (1976-1981; 1986-1989, Outfielder, FirstBaseman): This popular Brooklyn native was the Mets' firstpick (14th overall) in the June 1973 amateur draft. As a centerfielder, Mazzilli represented a link to the great New York base-ball tradition: Italian roots (Joe DiMaggio), switch hitter(Mickey Mantle) and the basket catch (Willie Mays). In 1979,he looked like New York's next big star by batting .303 with15 home runs. Additionally, he represented the Mets in thatyear's All-Star game, hitting a game-tying home run and draw-ing a bases-loaded walk to drive in the game-winning run. In1980, he stole 41 bases, batted .280, hit 16 home runs and drovein 76 runs. However, when his batting average fell to .228 in1981, he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ron Darling andWalt Terrell in the Spring of 1982. Mazzilli, who spent most ofthe next few years as a pinch-hitter deluxe for the Pirates, wasbrought back to the Mets in 1986 for bench depth, and he de-livered, going 2 for 5 in the 1986 World Series. He enjoyed anoutstanding year as a utility player and pinch hitter in 1987with a .306 batting average before ending his career as a TorontoBlue Jay.

Darryl Strawberry (1983-1990, Outfielder): If there wasever a player that fit the description of winning the fans' heartsdespite a failure to approach his predicted greatness, it's Straw-berry. As the first pick in the 1980 draft, Strawberry cameto Queens with staggering expectations, including then-Metshitting coach Jim Frey's labeling him "the black Ted Williams".He reached New York, at 21, in 1983, and his fluid swing andawesome power stroke energized a then-moribund fan base.As a rookie, he slugged 26 home runs, drove in 74 runs andstole 19 bases and was named Rookie of the Year. Despite sea-sons like 1987 and 1988, in which he had MVP-type seasons(39 home runs, 104 RBIs in 1987 and 39 home runs with 101RBIs in 1988) and managing at least 26 home runs every yearwith the Mets, the club, its fans and the media felt that "Straw"was capable of even more. He tested the affection bestowedupon him by the majority of the fan base until he left via freeagency after the 1990 season. (most blamed GM Frank Cashenand ownership for the rift) and even more so when drug prob-lems all but but cost him a chance at a Hall of Fame career.The all-time Mets home run leader with 252, Strawberry en-joyed a Big Apple resurgence after helping the Yankees winthe World Series in 1996 and 1998, and got even the harshestof Yankee-haters among Mets fans to smile when he did so.Recently welcomed back into the Mets' family as a part-time

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batting/outfielder instructor, the applause is warm whenever hisname is mentioned at Shea Stadium.

YANKEESCharlie Keller (1939-1949; 1952, Outfielder): Keller was

nicknamed "King Kong" because of his exceptional strength.He was a baseball and football star at the University of Mary-land and signed with the Yankees for a $2,500 bonus. Kellermoved up quickly through the Yankees' farm system and playedfor the Newark Bears in 1937 and 1938. During these years,Keller won the batting title with averages of .353 and .365,respectively and was voted Minor League Player of the Year in1937. The Yankees brought him up in 1939 and he hit .334 with11 home runs and 83 RBIs. However, Yankee manager JoeMcCarthy wanted to take advantage of the left handed Keller'spower and turned him into a pull hitter. This lowered Keller'sbatting average, but raised his home run totals. In 1941 he bat-ted a solid .298, but added 33 home runs and drove in 122 runs.The muscular Keller hit 26 home runs with 108 RBIs in 1942and hit 31 home runs with 86 RBIs in 1943. He probably wouldhave become an all-time great except for some unfortunate cir-cumstances that occurred. He missed the 1944 season and muchof 1945 while serving in the Merchant Marines. In 1947 heslipped a disk in his back, forcing him to miss most of the sea-son. He subsequently had surgery for the back ailment, and wasnever again 100% healthy as a baseball player. Keller playedfor the Detroit Tigers in 1950 and 1951. He rejoined the Yan-kees in 1952 and retired after that season.

Joe Pepitone (1962-1969, First Baseman, Outfielder): Theflamboyant Brooklyn native was given a bonus of nearly$25,000 to sign with the Bronx Bombers in 1958. He possessedgreat power and was an outstanding defensive player both atfirst base and in the outfield, and proved it when he joined theYankees in 1962. He burst onto the scene with two home runsin the eighth inning of a May 23 game, and impressed the clubso much that the Yankees dealt highly productive and popularfirst baseman Bill "Moose" Skowron to make room for him atfirst base for the 1963 season. He justified the Skowron tradeby hitting .271 with 27 home runs and 89 RBIs that season(though Skowron's Dodgers won the 1963 Series behind SandyKoufax), and followed that up with a brilliant 1964, in whichhe slugged 28 home runs and drove in 100 RBIs. However,while the dashing hometown boy hit at least 25 home runs aseason four times as a Yankee, and won the Gold Glove Awardfor outstanding defensive play in 1965, 1966 and 1969, he willalways be remembered as an underachiever. Yet, while off-the-field problems prevented him from achieving the greatness pre-dicted for him, he remains a player that many Yankee fans re-member with fondness, rather than regret.

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duty with the Yankees, Murcer remained a very popular playerand an asset coming off the bench. In 1981, he led the Ameri-can League with three pinch-hit home runs. However, his mostmemorable achievement came on August 6, 1979, just afterhis close friend Thurman Munson was tragically killed in aplane crash. During that August game, the Yankees were trail-ing the Baltimore Orioles 4-0 and Murcer belted a three runhomer to close the gap to 4-3. Then, coming up in the bottomof the ninth inning with runners on second and third and noone out, he hit a single to score both runners and win the game.Murcer drove in all five Yankee runs. The unforgettable sceneofMurcer and Lou Piniella embracing, while practically in tearsat the end of the game is burned in many a Yankee fan's - andbaseball fans alike - memory.

Tom Tresh (1961-1969, Shortstop, Outfielder): Along withPepitone, Tresh represented a core of young players from theearly 1960s that the Yankee dynasty was to be carried on. Hejoined the Bronx Bombers in 1961 and played with them until1969. When regular shortstop Tony Kubek went into the ser-vice in 1962, the Yankees replaced him with this switch-hittingDetroit native. Tresh responded to the challenge by batting .286with 20 home runs and 93 RBI. At the end of the season, Treshwas named American League Rookie of the Year, was selectedto The Sporting News All Star team, and finished twelfth in theAmerican League Most Valuable Player voting. When Kubekreturned to the Yankees, Tresh went to the outfield and contin-ued his fine play for several more seasons. He hit .269 with 25home runs and 71 RBIs in 1963 and hit .279 with 26 home runsand 74 RBI in 1965. Despite hitting 27 home runs in 1966, hisaverage fell to .233. Tresh injured his knee during the 1967 sea-son, which resulted in a further decline in his performance anda premature ending to what could have been a great career. How-ever, like Pepitone, his failing to recapture the success of hisearlier brilliance did not stop him frombecoming a fan favorite during the darkyears of the famed franchise.

Dave Righetti (1979, 1981-90, Pitcher, Reliever): "Rags"may be one of the most popular players from the underachiev-ing Yankee era of the 1980's, but he never quite lived up to thehis high profile or got the most out of his talented left arm.Righetti wasn't a true "homegrown" player, but he was ac-

quired in a trade with a very popular playerleaving the Bronx. Selected by the TexasRangers in the first round (10th overallpick) of the 1977 amateur draft, he wasdealt to the New York Yankees for fiveplayers, the main target being Sparky Lyle.Ironically, Lyle-who earned the 1977 ALCy Young Award and MVP Award - hadbeen shifted to a setup role after his re-markable season, and had been replacedas Yankees closer by Goose Gossage, whoRighetti would replace as the Yankeecloser after the latter left the team yearslater. "Rags" was the first player in his-tory to pitch a no-hitter and also lead theleague in saves in his career, but unlikeHall-of-Farner Dennis Eckersley, wholater duplicated the feat, never excelledlong enough as either a starter or closerlong enough to be consdiered anythingmore than just a hard-throwing left-hander

with a great arm. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in1981, and the highlight of his efforts as a starting pitcher oc-curred on the Fourth of July, 1983, when he threw a 4-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox. However, he failed to winmore than 14 games as a starter and was told to replace Gossageas the team's closer in 1984. Though he proved to be a consis-tently solid performer in that role, averaging 32 saves per sea-son over seven years and earning All-Star status in 1986 and'87, he never reached the lofty heights that many predicted forhim. Yankee fans never cared, as "Rags" remains one of theBombers' fan base favorite all-time players. ~

Bobby Murcer (1965-1966, 1969-1974, 1979-1983, Outfielder, Short-stop): Murcer had several things in com-mon with Mickey Mantle. Like Mantle,he was from Oklahoma, was signed byscout Tom Greenwade, originally cameup as a shortstop and first appeared forthe Yankees at the age of 19. ThoughMurcer never achieved the level of great-ness that Mantle did, he was a fme playerfor several seasons, and at the peak ofhis career, he was among the very bestplayers in the game. Murcer playedbriefly for the Yankees at the end of the1965 and 1966 seasons. He spent boththe 1967 and 1968 seasons in the armyand rejoined the Bronx Bombers for the1969 campaign. After stating that sea-son at third base, Murcer was moved to the outfield and hit 26home runs with 82 RBIs. He hit another 23 home runs in 1970,but in 1971 Murcer emerged as a genuine star. During that sea-son he hit .331 with 25 home runs and 94 RBIs. He continued toplay extremely well in 1972 and 1973. In 1972, he establishedcareer highs with 33 home runs and 96 RBI, and batted .304with 22 home runs and 95 RBI in 1973. However, when theYankees played in Shea Stadium in 1974, Murcer's productionfell off dramatically. Following that season, he was traded tothe San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds. He was subsequentlytraded to the Chicago Cubs in 1977 before being reacquired bythe Bombers during the 1979 season. During his second tour of

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written by: Joe McDonald

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any teams have signature po-sitions. It could be becauseof the park they play in or be-cause of the personalities inthe front office, but many

clubs are known for either constantlyproducing blue chip talent at one par-ticular spot in the field, or keep thatposition stocked regularly by tradesand free-agent signings.

From Earle Combs to JohnnyDamon - with DiMaggio, Mantle andBernie Williams in between - it seemslike the Yankees have always had thegame's top center fielders.

Stellar seasons by hurlers Koufax,Drysdale, Valenzuela, Sutton,Hershiser and Nomo have given theDodgers their reputation as a pitcher'sballclub, and or decades, it seems likethe St. Louis Cardinals always have aheck of a hitter at first base. Has thereever been a stretch of more than oneor two seasons when the Red Sox havelacked an All-Star in front of the GreenMonster in Fenway Park?

Well, the New York Mets are no ex-ception. Even though the Amazins'are known as a pitching organizationbecause of the large dimensions at SheaStadium, and the careers of pitcherslike Tom Seaver andDwight Gooden, theorganizations' signa-ture position is not onthe mound, but rather60 feet, 6 inches away.GREAT CATCHER5

With All-Starsplayers like JerryGrote, John Stearns,Gary Carter, Todd Hundley and MikePiazza donning the tools of ignorance,the backstop has always been the homeof the stars in Flushing.

Steve Trachsel, who has had many re-ceivers over his career, enjoys histeammate's preparation. "It's been a lot offun working with him," the pitcher said."He goes over things in the pregame andhe knows guys on the other coast we don'tsee as much. He's like all the other goodcatchers I had. Unlike Mike, he's a littlebit smaller and can block the ball in thedirt. He's vocal and likes to come out andtalk between innings,"

The backstop, though,credits his staff for makinghis transition to the Metseasier,

"I caught a lot of guys inSpring Training, so we try tofind a happy medium," LoDuca praised. "Pedro[Martinez] and [Tom]

Glavine have been great. The transition oflearningthe pitching staff for me has beeneasy because we have a bunch of polishedguys that know what they are doing,"

And with Piazza moving on before thisseason, General Manager Omar Minayakept the tradition alive by sending a pair orprospects to the Florida Marlins for theMets' latest All-Star behind the plate, PaulLo Duca.

The catcher has become more than anAll-Star for the Mets, as Lo Duca may bethe ultimate Mets catcher, as he encom-passes many of the traits his predecessorsportrayed.

"T he atmosphere here (in New York) is unbelievable. They arepassionate about their baseball, either Yankees or Mets. I seepeople who tell me that they are Yankee fans but like the way Iplay. You get a little bit of everything and that's the way I likeit."

- Met's Catcher, Paul Lo Duca

Much like Piazza, the Brooklyn-born LoDuca was reared through the Dodger orga-nization. He was taught to handle pitcherswell and the Mets' staff seems to enjoythrowing to him.


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A CLUBHOUSE LEADERLo Duca's leadership qualities are

very similar to those of Grote, Steams,Carter and Hundley, who took charge theminute they took the Shea Stadium.

According to his teammates, it's atrait that spills over into the clubhouse.

"He brings a little fiery attitude," in-fielder Chris Woodward said thought-fully. "He brings a lot of passion and alot of intensity. In the clubhouse, he'sjoking around but when it comes togame time, he's all business. In a posi-tion like his, he's like the captain of theteam and he does it well."

Many times, Lo Duca is seen guid-ing the infield defense during an inningwhile he's helping his pitcher through atough spot. Or, when a play goes againsthis club, the catcher lets an umpire oreven a player know about his displea-sure.

That was the case on this past July 2,as "Shorty Gangster" (which coach JerryManuel dubbed him shortly thereafter)bristled like a drill sergeant during the.Mets' 16-7 loss to the Yankees.

After the Bombers' Alex Rodriguezhit a grand slam off the Mets' youngright-hander Alay Soler, the Yankee thirdbaseman stood at the plate to admire his

. shot. It was a gesture not appreciatedby Lo Duca, and he clearly let A-Rodknow about when the future Hall ofFarner croosed the plate.

Needless to say, Rodriguez was morereserved when he hit his second homerun of the game.

Lo Duca feels that his position dic-tates a vocal role. "I try to be a leaderout there," he said. "I am in every playso I try to handle the pitching staff and I

try to be a leader and take charge on thefield." It's much like having an on-fieldcoach, which is something that makesmanager Willie Randolph smile .

"His main concern is keeping the pitch-ing staff going," Randolph said. "It's niceto have him because he's a leader. He'sstaying with the game plan and hustleswhen he is in there."

With the lineup the Mets trot out eachand every night, Lo Duca's defense shouldbe enough to keep him in the lineup, butas an added bonus, he doesn't embarrasshimself with the stick either.

Or as Randolph put it, "You like tohave him in the lineup because of the at-titude you like to bring."JEAI PLAYER

A career .285 hitter, the 34 year-oldhasn't missed a beat with the Mets andat press time, was hitting .292 with threehome runs and 25 RBI through July 3.Batting in the No.2 slot, Lo Duca manytimes is asked to sacrifice himself for thegood of the team. It's a role he says hehas become accustomed to.

"I am in a golden spot with the twoCarloses [Beltran and Delgado] behindme and [Jose[ Reyes on first," Lo Ducasaid. "My job is to move guys over, sothe big boys can get them in."

Lo Duca may not be the power hitterCarter, Hundley and Piazza were, but hisbat control and smart base running givethe catcher an attitude to the plate likeStearns, a four-time Mets All-Star,brought in the late 1970s.

"He's pretty calm in the clubhouse,but when something bothers him, he re-ally turns it on," Every team needs that.He will do anything to keep him losing."A fAil fAVORITE

The whole package translates into LoDuca quickly becoming a fan favorite,which was evidenced by his election tothe All-Star team.

"The atmosphere here is unbeliev-able," Lo Duca said. "They are passion-ate about their baseball, either Yankeesor Mets. I see people who tell me thatthey are Yankee fans but like the way Iplay. You get a little bit of everything andthat's the way I like it."

And, of course, Lo Duca is what NewYorkers like in their catchers. II

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26 27 IDOWN2. First Reliever to win Cy Young Award (Two Words)3. Ail-Time Saves Leader; a Yank in 1993 (Two Words)4. 29 Saves in 2005 for NYM6. Saved 69 for NYM, 1 for NYY (Two Words)8. 2 of his 3 Career SV came with the Mets (Two Words)10. First Name of Closer traded to Mets for CharlesJohnson in 199911. Saved 19 for '54 Champion Giants12. Tug's Battle Cry13. "The Terminator" Was a Met from '77'81, Yankee in'94 (Two Words)14. He Saved 60 for Brooklyn15. First Player to Pitch a No-Hitter & Lead League inSaves in a Career19. Met Closer holds NCAA Div. III Career Record for Ks20. Tom Gordon aka 21. Struck Out Marty Barrett toEnd '86 Series

ACROSS1. 49 Career Saves for NYG in the '40s (Two Words)5. From Gen. K to St. Louis Closer7. Led the '69 Mets with 13 Saves (Two Words)9. This Yank Led AL in SV in '38, '39, '41, '4216. Holds Yankee Record for Most Ks By a Reliever ina Season17. Richard Michael's "Silly" Nickname18. Pride of St. John's Saved 3rd Most in History (TwoWords)19. Last Name of 1996 World Series MVP20.78 Saves for NYY from '91-'9322. Frank Edwin McGraw23.2005 Met; Saved 43 of TB's 69 Wins in '99-Nickname24. Claude Edward's Nickname (NYM: 1975-1979)25. Red Storm Closer Drafted by BOS in '0526. Clown Prince of Met Closers27. Randall K of the Mets

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THE DYNASTYTHAT BARROW BUILT

written by: Mark Healeyhe acquisition of Babe Ruth by the New York Yan-kees is the signature moment in sports. When theYankees secured his services from Boston follow-ing the 1919 season, they were a 16-year old fran-

chise with a reputation for finding new ways to screw up pen-nant races, or at least that's what New York's American Leagueentry did when they were competitive, which most of the timethey were not.

However, that all changed when Rutharrived. The Bambino made the Yankeesmatter, and then he helped them becomeBaseball's Roman Empire.

However, despite his magnitude as thesingle greatest player in baseball history,his impact on the Yankees would not havebeen as dramatic had Colonel JacobRuppert not followed up his trade forRuth with the acquisition of then-Bostonskipper Ed Barrow to be his GeneralManager after the 1920 season.

Before he began his life in baseball,Barrow was a businessman managing ho-tels before turning to the Grand Old Gameas a ballpark concessionaire. He servedin leadership positions for various minorleague teams, became president of East-ern League in 1910 and after a stint asthe skipper in Detroit, was named manager of Boston Red Sox1918.

After winning the World Series in his first year as the RedSox skipper - a feat somehow forgotten in baseball history, asnot one analyst mentioned it when the Red Sox won the WorldSeries in 2004 - Barrow changed baseball forever in 1919 -when he convinced the Red Sox front office that Ruth - thepremier left-handed pitcher in his day - to be an everydayplayer to take advantage of his Herculean power.

Barrow was mostly alone in his chagrin when the Sox soldRuth to the Yankees following Boston's 66-71 season in 1919,as the Boston media - which whined and opined for decadesafter the Yankees took over baseball about how stupid and gull-ible Boston owner Harry Frazee was. However, not only didthe Beantown scribes as a group endorse the Ruth trade, therewas hardly a ripple when Barrow moved to the Bronx the fol-lowing year.

That snickering soon changed to uneasiness and then hor-

ror, as Barrow picked the Red Sox clean for the next half de-cade, adding Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock; shortstop Everett Scottand third baseman Joe Dugan in several one-sided deals thatmade the Yankees powerful.

When the Yankees won their first World Series champion-ship in 1923, half oftheir starting nine and five of their six bestpitchers were ex-Boston players.

For 25 years, Barrow acquired talent, traded away suspectsfor other team's gems and built a farm system that was the pride

of the baseball. He found talent everywhereand anywhere, plucking Lou Gehrig fromColumbia, and kept a keen eye on minorleague clubs not affiliated with New York, out-maneuvering every team in baseball for theservices of Hall-Of-Fame players TonyLazzeri, Lefty Gomez and Joe DiMaggio. Healso discovered, trained and handed the torchto another Hall of Fame GM in George Weiss,who would go on to win even more champi-onships than Barrow did.

In fact, he was right about pretty mucheverything. Well, maybe he was wrong onceor twice.

"[Night baseball] is just a fad," Barrowsaid when word got out in 1934 that LeeMacPhail's Reds were planning on putting uplights at Crosley Field. "It'll never last afterthe novelty wears off."

Or when the rumors were running rampant that the flam-boyant MacPhail was in talks to buy the Yankees.

"Only over my dead body will (Larry) MacPhail buy theYankees." said Barrow, who to his dismay, didn't have enoughcash to fend off MacPhail's purchase and was kicked upstairsfor the final few years of his time with the Yankees.

Though his brilliant tenure ended in annoyance - MacPhailwas as erratic as he was clever - Barrow built an Empire thatstill stands.

So, while history may remember that Billy Beane was a ge-nius at drawing blood from a stone, or that for 14 seasons JohnSchuerholz had an unnerving ability to fmd the one guy thathad just enough left to beat those New Yorkers one more timeBarrow will stand alone as the greatest general manager of notonly his time, but all time.

Before Moneyball, the Rumor Mill and Baseball Tonight,there was Barrow. The man that really changed baseball. ~

gotham baseball summer 2006

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