Live Blogging Old Timer's Day

Crappy weather, but hopefully it holds off during today's festivities. They started things out with Michael Kay interviewing the newest Hall of Famer, Goose Gossage.

1:38 PM - A tribute to Bobby Murcer, who was always miked during the OT games.

1:45 PM - Kim Jones talks to new OT attendee Tino Martinez. Some great stories from The Bamtino, including a funny one involving Moose Skowron riding him over the years for not wearing socks to the ball park.

1:51 PM - Paul O'Neill and Al Leiter on field and in uniform. Paulie's 2nd OT game, the 1st for Leiter. Paulie is already hoarse.

1:54 PM - A pre-recorded Bob Sheppard welcomes everyone to Yankee Stadium. Ed Randall, a great baseball man, will do today's intros.

Okay, actually John Sterling and Michael Kay will be doing the intros, Ed Randall just intro'ed them.

As corny as Sterling is, boy does he have the pipes. Kay always sound like he has a mouthful of phlegm (hope you weren't eating).

1:58 PM - The first player introduced is Paul Blair. One of the best CFers we ever say.

1:59 PM - "Tolly", Wayne Tolleson

Jay Johnstone...hard to still imagine he was a Yankee. Also Sterling's 1st radio partner.

And now yes, has lost the sound as Brian Doyle, one of the heroes of the '78 WS, gets intro'ed.

2:00 PM - Rich Monteleone

Steve Balboni or "Balbummy" as we sometimes called him.

The sound is back - Ron Blomberg, the first DH in MLB history. Injuries kept him from a big career.

Mickey Klutts: Not much applause, more "who??"

Scott Bradley: Smooth hitter, never quite had the career we expected. Now head coach at Princeton.

Gil Patterson: A much better pitching coach than he was a pitcher.

Ron Davis: "The Vulture" Won games he blew - was very good and then stupidly traded for Roy Smalley Jr..

Pitching Coach Dave Eiland.

2:04 PM

Pat Kelly - Great to see him back. Still looks like he could play. Had the big home run when the Yankees finally made it back to the playoffs in '95.

Oscar Gamble: The Big "O". No more 'fro, but we always loved the Big O, and how Bob Sheppard would announce his name.

Homer Bush: Wish his career could have been more. What speed in 1998.

2:05 PM

Kevin Maas, the one year wonder. Still looks like a kid.

Bobby Meacham: Lousy player, lousy 3rd base coach.

Jessie Barfield: What a great arm and tremendous power. Never could match the years he had in Toronto.

Al Leiter: ...Who happened to be traded for Barfield. Bad trade.

2:08 PM

Mike Torrez: Our hero in '77 and '78, haha

Ed Figueroa: Great, great regular season pitcher. Stunk in the playoffs. First Puerto Rican born pitcher to win 20 games.

Jim Abbott: You all know the story well. Hard to believe its 15 years since his no-no.

Ken Griffey Jr.: "Before there was Junior, there was Senior". Great intro by Sterling.

2:10 PM

Don Baylor: Always loved seeing him take those big swings. Not too many people remember he was once a tremendous base stealer.

Tony Fernandez: The last Yankee to hit for the cycle in '95.

2:11 PM

Aaron Small: Mr. 10-0 in 2005. What a shock that was and what a tremendous contribution to the Yankees making the post-season.

Tommy John: 288 game winner, much more than just a name on a surgery.

2:12 PM

Mickey Rivers: Mickey the Quick. Thought grammar was a relative. He was so much fun to watch.

Bucky "Bleepin" Dent: :) Hero of the 1 game playoff and the 78 WS MVP. And he hit that home run off Torrez with Rivers' bat.

2:14 PM

Chris Chambliss: There goes that HR off of KC's Mark Littell. The first pennant in 12 years, ending the declinasty. Should have gotten a chance to manage in the bigs.

Jeff Torborg: Long time Yankees coach and a very good major league catcher.

2:15 PM

Buck Showalter: Nice to see him back in Pinstripes for the first time since 1994.

Mike Stanley: The man that caused Joe Girardi to be boo'ed at the Yankee fanfest.

2:16 PM

Graeme Lloyd: What a turnaround. He barely made the post-season roster after being acquired from Milwaukee in '96 and then was dynamite in the playoffs and World Series.

Gene Michael: "The Stick" Give that man a big hand, he helped save the team from George.

2:17 PM

Ramiro Mendoza: What a 1999 playoff series he had against Boston.

Jimmy Key: What a tremendous acquisition. Gave the team credibility, and won the clincher in the '96 WS. He's silver and bald - it has been a while.

2:19 PM

Luis Sojo: "Coney, how come you don't have a dance?" Everyone loves Luis.

Joe Pepitone: 1st hair dryer in the clubhouse - for a toupee no less.

2:20 PM

Al Downing: A great pitcher, mostly remembered for surrending Hank Aaron's 715th home run while a member of the Dodgers.

Jerry Coleman: Hall of Fame broadcaster, but had a great career as the Scooter's double play partner.

2:21 PM

Eli Grba: 1959-1960 Yankees. Obviously not too well remembered by the crowd.

Andy Carey: 3rd Baseman from 1952-1960. Unfortunately, in a wheelchair.

2:22 PM

Charlie Silvera: '48-'56. I remember seeing these guys in 1972-73.

2:23 PM

Horace Clarke: I just had a nightmare flashback to the late '60s/early '70s.

Luis Arroyo: Unbelievable 1961 season as a closer before there were closers.

2:24 PM

Dr. Bobby Brown: Great 3rd baseman, former AL League President.

Hector Lopez: '59 - '66; tremendous sub (that's from others, not our recollection). Always comes to OT day.

2:25 PM

Rickey "I love me" Henderson: I actually hear a few boo's while Sterling intro's. Nice hand though.

Is Billy Crystal considered an old-timer?

2:26 PM

Tim "Rock" Raines: What a graet hitter. Definite Hall consideration.

Jeff Nelson: A big combo with Stanton (all but '96) in the pen in 4 WS.

2:27 PM

Daryl Strawberry: "The Straw" gets a big hand. Stay clean Straw.

David Wells: Look at Boomer! He may ask for a tryout while he's here. Did Sterling really just say he had many "huge" victories- with a wink in his voice.

2:28 PM

David Cone: Actually, Coney and Wells probably couldn't be worse than the current back end of the rotation.

2:29 PM

Some guy named Joe Girardi. ;)

Little Dante Girardi looks good in '27 too.

2:30 PM

Tom Tresh: AL ROY in 1962 Didn't quite live up to his hype, but was a good ball player. His Dad, Mike, played in the bigs too.

2:31 PM

Bullet Bob Turley: Look him up in your record books. One of the most clutch Yankee performers, especially in the '58 series.

Bobby Richardson: Tremendous 2nd baseman. We believe he is the only losing player to win the WS MVP, in 1960.

2:32 PM

Johnny Blanchard: Probably would have been a regular on another team if not for Yogi and Ellie Howard in front of him. Tremendous power.

Don Larsen: Greatest game ever pitched in Yankee Stadium. 'Nuff said. :)

2:33 PM

Bill "Moooooooose" Skowron: Tremendous power. Recently said he didn't keep his '63 WS ring he won with the Dodgers.

2:34 PM

Graig Nettles: What a 3rd baseman!

2:35 PM

Paul O'Neill: :)))))))))))

2:36 PM
Tino Martinez: :The Bamtino!" And, yes, Kay had to say "Constantino Martinez" haha. Great high 10 with Paulie.

2:38 PM

Ron Guidry: "The Gator". Never ever forget the '78 season he had. Sigh - I wish his catcher was there. Whispered to Paulie: "Nice ovation, kid".

2:39 PM

WILLIE RANDOLPH: :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
"Once a Yankee, always a Yankee" screamed out by Michael Kay. Great job. And Willie is so appreciative of the huge ovation he's getting. :) A long, great ovation for one of the classiest guys around.

2:41 PM

Wade Boggs: Hall of Fame career, Hall of Shame Hair ;)

2:42 PM

Dave Winfield: If you never saw him play in his prime, you missed something special. A true 5-tool player.

2:43 PM

Rich "Goooooooose" Gossage: Too bad Louuuuuuuuuuuuu isn't there.

Amazing how many Hall of Famers have played in the Pinstripes.

2:44 PM

Reginald Martinez Jackson: "Mr. October" Say what you want about him, he was clutch.
Wow, its been 15 years since he went into the Hall.

It's not looking like Bernie will be there :(

2:45 PM

Whitey Ford: The Chairman of the Board.

2:46 PM

Yogi Berra: The man, the myth, the legend.

2:48 PM

Arlene Howard, widow of Elston Howard: What a great player and gentleman Ellie was.

Jill Martin, widow of Billy the Kid.

2:49 PM

Helen Hunter, wife of the great Catfish: One of the best pitcher we ever saw - money in the big games.

2:50 PM

Diane Munson: Widow of the Captain. 29 years ago today - WOW.

Guidry, Reggie, Willie...when did my boys get so old?

2:51 PM

Cora Rizzuto, widow of the Scooter. His beloved Cora :(

2:53 PM

Michael Kay talking about the magnificence of the Yankees organizations: "They are once and forever, New York Yankees."

2:54 PM

Time to remember those who have passed from the Yankees and MLB. Too many to remember, but here are some memorables.

Johnny Podres

Tommy Holmes

Joe Nuxhall

John McHale

Bill Robinson

Tommy Byrne

Phil Rizzuto

Bobby Murcer

2:56 PM

The National Anthem, sung by the late, great Robert Merrill, who wore number 1 1/2 at OT games.

2:59 PM

Cora Rizzuto throws out the ceremonial first pitch. A little delay while someone comes to get it and, appropriately it's Derek Jeter.

You Jeter haters: How can you hate a guy who does so many things right as a person, never mind as a player?

3:02 PM

Al Leiter warming up with Luis Sojo: Leiter says he's trying to hurt Luis' hand to get him back for that 10-hopper back in the 2000 WS. He's jokingly trying to impress Girardi too. Good stuff.

Singleton: "Who is starting Al?" Leiter: "Mussina" Singleton: "In the old timers game."

3:05 PM

Kim Jones talking to Reggie about Rickey Henderson's pending Hall of Fame election. Now talking about Willie Randolph's warm reception.

3:06 PM

Game about to begin with Goose on the mound. That's going to do it for the live blogging for now. Hopefully, someone followed it besides us. :)

Share

Humble Goose Enters Hall

Sunday afternoon we tuned into ESPN Classic in time to catch the baseball Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies. Actually we had to go back and forth to other things for a while while Bowie Kuhn's son droned on about his Dad. No offense, son of Bowie, but your Dad sucked as Commissioner.

A teary eyed Goose Gossage gave a very good and humble speech about his entrance to the shrine. He remembered teammates, including those gone, Thurman, Catfish, Bobby Ray...We were hoping they would show a quick shot of Reggie Jackson when Goose said that Dick Allen was the greatest player he ever played with. Goose credited Allen with taking him under his wing and helping him to adjust to life in the bigs. Funny, no one has ever said that about Reggie. Goose also did a little stumping for George Steinbrenner.

Great job too by Dick Williams, who we always felt was one of the best managers in baseball. Williams was quick to point out that he couldn't have made it as a manager in today's game. In his time, the manager was in control, there were no discussions, no questioning anything by the players. He certainly had success in every place he managed, the Impossible Dream season in Boston in '67, championships in Oakland, a pennant in San Diego, and a vastly improved Montreal Expos team in the late '70s.

We also remember when he nearly became Yankees manager, which meant we might never of had Billy Ball, but Charlie Finley wanted compensation and Kuhn wasn't too keen on it. Then again, could you imagine Williams trying to get along with George Steinbrenner?

It seems absurd that Goose had to wait this long to get into the Hall and even more absurd that Williams had to wait even longer.

Share

The Sunday Yankeeland - 7/27

New title, what the heck.

In case you missed yesterday's roster moves, Brett Gardner was optioned to Scranton and LaTroy Hawkins was, at last, designated for assignment. Justin Christian will now serve as the extra outfielder and pinch-runner.

The Yankees also had to make room on the 40-man roster and they did so by putting Kei Igawa on waivers. Unfortunately, no one claimed him.

Carl Pavano threw batting practice yesterday and is scheduled to pitch for the GCL Yankees on Tuesday.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star is reporting that the Yankees are taking a serious look at starting pitcher Brian Bannister. Bannister pitched well last year and started out '08 in the same manner, but currently has a 5+ ERA. The Royals are reportedly interested in Melky Cabrera, which really doesn't make a lot of sense for their team.

Melky's been a big disappointment at the plate this season, but we wouldn't mess with the outfield defense right now, nor with Robinson Cano's psyche by trading his best friend. If you want to upgrade the offense in center field, wait until the off-season.

The Yankees could end up souring on Jarrod Washburn due to reported monetary demands he's making to waive his no-trade clause. According to the Seattle Times, Washburn and agent Scott Boras worked out scenarios as rumors began to fly that he would be dealt. Washburn is already set to make 10.9 mill next year.

Goose Gossage, at long last, getes inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame today.

The Boston Globe has a piece on today's starter Sidney Ponson and the happiness he has found in Pinstripes.

One of our fave's, Mike Vaccaro, has a feature on the Yankees put the pedal to the metal.

Share

The First Pitches

Yankee Stadium is a million times greater than any other sports arena so it took 4 people to throw out the first pitch of tonight's All-Star game. Hall of Fame inductees Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and Goose Gossage threw to Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera. The baseballs were delivered to home plate by a very emotional George Steinbrenner.

Share

The Daily Yankeeland - 7/15

The Home Run Derby can get quite dull, but last night's display by Josh Hamilton was beyond phenomenal. Reggie Jackson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Derek Jeter. More on that later though.

A celebrity softball game was played on Saturday as part of the festivities. In addition to actors, actresses, and comedians, the teams included hall of fame players Goose Gossage, Gary Carter, Paul Molitor, Wade Boggs, Rollie Fingers, George Brett, and Dave Winfield, and former Yankees Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez.

Never in our wildest imagination would we ever have expected to hear a (Whoopi) Goldberg to (Billy) Crystal to Tino Martinez, 4-6-3 double play, but it did in fact happen.

Paul O'Neill brought back some memories with a tremendous 3-run home run home run that easily cleared the temporary fence and landed well out into the territory Paulie used to roam. Boggs also homered.

ESPN's Kenny Mayne, by far, was the worst player on either side (though Chris Rock struck out), playing a couple of fly balls like he was Pele. Maybe worse was the fact that he's just not funny any more.

And despite the fact that she wore a Red Sox hat and wasn't very good, Hollywood reporter Maria Menounos looked quite hot.

Phil Hughes threw a 35-pitch mound session on Monday, made up of 25 fastballs and 10 curves.

Johnny Damon was supposed to hit off a tee yesterday, but held off due to soreness in his shoulder.

Brian Bruney threw 15 pitches in a scoreless inning for the Trenton Thunder last night.
Hideki Matsui continues to hit, but has not been cleared to run yet.
Alex Rodriguez received trophies for getting the most votes in the American League and the most votes over all. No truth to the rumor that he "Vogued" when he accepted them.

Kudos to the YES Network for their magnificent coverage on the life and death of Bobby Murcer. It was point on. Tasteful, respectful, and extremely well produced. Great job guys!

Share

Got 10 Grand Laying Around?

If you do have that money under your mattress or taking up room in the Caymans, you can be manning the hot corner at Yankee Stadium, or squatting behind home plate, or digging in against a major league fastball. No, the money is not to pay for some hallucinogenic drug. $10,000 will enable you and 29 other people who have that tip money laying around to participate in a fantasy camp at Yankee Stadium.

That's right, on either August 4 or 5, you can attend the Yankees Alumni fantasy camp right in the incredible confines of Yankee Stadium. Have we told you it's 10 GRAND?

So while the Yankees pocket 300 grand, you get to mingle with the likes of Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, Homer Bush, Graeme Lloyd, Pat Kelly, John Flaherty, Jeff Nelson, Ron Blomberg, Johnny Blanchard, Jesse Barfield, and Tim Raines.

Oh and you even get to meet Mr. Fivehead himself, Michael Kay. Now that's not a bad collection of talent. A Hall of Fame member (Gossage), a pitcher who had one of the greatest single seasons in baseball history (Guidry), another potential famer (Raines), a member of the '61 Yankees (Blanchard), and Bucky "Fucking" Dent".

No Reggie, Winfield, Whitey, Yogi..okay you get the idea. But still not a bad collection. Oh, one other thing. You must be at least 30, so all of you spoiled brats who were already counting on taking Dad's Beamer to the Bronx, you're out of luck.

Pinstripe Events has all the details.

Share

Yankees-Red Sox to Relive 1978

The Yankees will always have 1978, that can't change. But some former players from both teams will be reuniting in August to "play ball". Former members of the '78 Yankees and Red Sox will due battle on August 16 at PNC Field, home of the Scranton Yankees.

The "Legends Reunion" will feature Bucky Dent, Goose Gossage, Graig Nettles, and Mickey Rivers for the Yankees, and Mike Torrez, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, and Luis Tiant for the Red Sox.

About 2,500 tickets have already been sold for the event, which will be the first time the two teams have met for any kind of game in many years.

Share

Celebrate Good Times C'mon

The results are in. Of the 120 of you that voted in our most recent poll, let Joba do his thing was the popular vote by a 2:1 margin over those who find it bush league and unprofessional (the pro Goose Gossage contingent?). Only 6 voters were unsure of whether it was a good or bad thing.

We were undecided for quite some time, but we think Joba should cut it out. We don't mind him being emotional, but it ticks us off when Manny stands there during a home run or K-Rod goes wild after a strike out.

But unlike Goose Gossage, we're not going to campaign to have him stop and we're not going to lose sleep over Joba being Joba.

Thanks again to all of you who are participated.

Share

Joba to Goose- Thanks, but No Thanks

Joba Chamberlain got a call from Goose Gossage so that the newly minted Hall of Fame entrant could explain his critical comments (love the way people shoot their mouths off and then try to do damage control).

"We all have our own right to say how we feel," Chamberlain said. "We talked. He has his opinion. He played the game the way he played the game. He was a man, and he called me and told me where he was coming from, and I appreciate that."

While Joba appreciate the call, he was quick to point out that he won't be changing his routine any time soon.

"It's going to be around because I'm not changing," Chamberlain said. "You know what? If people want to continue to talk about it, let them continue to talk about it. It's not going to hurt my feelings."

While not all Yankees fans agree on everything, most of us do agree that Goose should just keep his mouth shut.

Share

Yankees vs. Tigers - May 11

Andy Pettitte and Nate Robertson are due to square off in today's rubber game of the Yankees-Tigers series, but the Mother's Day matinee matinee may be a wash. Heavy rains are called for in the motor city today. If there's no game today, the Yankees could skip Kei Igawa's start on Wednesday. Which also leads to the possibility of Ian Kennedy returning when that spot in the rotation comes up again. Kennedy is set to pitch for Scranton today.

Goose Gossage has decided to weigh in on the Joba Chamberlain celebratory response.

(Chamberlain's) response was immature and "bush," Gossage didn't hesitate to say, "I'm on Dellucci's side.

"That's just not the Yankee way, what Joba did. Let everyone else do that stuff, but not a Yankee," Gossage said by telephone on Saturday. "What I don't understand is, the kid's got the greatest mentor in the world in Mariano [Rivera]. He's one of the leaders of the team, so you'd think it wouldn't happen on that team.

"But there's no one to pass the torch anymore, no one to teach the young kids how to act. The Mets did a lot of that [celebrating] last year, and look how it came back to haunt them."

Okay Goose, get over yourself. Do you think you were a team leader when you fought in the shower with Cliff Johnson and broke your thumb, thereby helping to ruin the Yankees 1979 season?

Peter Abraham has a piece today on the various players, managers, and front office people who are on the hot seat. Brian Cashman and Jason Giambi are among those listed.

Phil Mushnick has a good feature on the ridiculous price of collectibles and takes a well deserved shot at Steiner Sports.

Tim Bontemps takes a look at pitching prospect Dave Robertson.

Steve Serby has a Q&A with Derek Jeter.

Mike "I am king of the world" Lupica has the latest on the Clemens-McNamee fray.

Here's today's lineup from Peter Abraham:

Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Abreu DH
Jeter SS
Giambi 1B
Duncan RF
Cano 2B
Molina C
Gonzalez 3B

Share

Rain on the Scarecrow

Opening day is here and the weather is not beautiful. We have a steady light rain falling in western Jersey right now; temp is 40. In the Bronx its mostly cloudy and 45 and there's a 60% chance of rain. Rain is actually more annoying than snow. You may recall that in 1996 it snowed during the opener against Kansas City.

Mr. October does March- Reggie Jackson will be throwing out the first pitch today. A great slugger, a Hall of Fame inductee...but he's not Yogi or Whitey. Goose Gossage just got inducted in the Hall so you would think even he might be the one. Reggie probably campaigned for it.

For those of you too young remember, Reggie was, and probably still is, a piece of work. There are lot of people who are rubbed the wrong way by Alex Rodriguez. They feel there is something phony about his personality and/or he tries to please too many people. Well compared to Reggie, A-Rod is a saint.

Reggie played with a huge chip on his shoulder and they only person he tried to please was himself. A great player on the field, a jerk off of it. The ESPN mini-series, "The Bronx is Burning", only gave you a small insight into Reggie's personality.

Steins in the House - All the Steinbrenner boys, George, Hank, and Hal are expected to be in attendance for today's final season opener in "the" Yankee Stadium.

Emotions Running High - Derek Jeter is one of the most calm, cool, and reserved players, but he's expecting today to be very emotional.

"This year will be emotional," Jeter said. "I really don't know what to expect, but you'll take a look around and try to remember as many things as you can.

"This being the last Opening Day in Yankee Stadium, I'm sure people will let it soak in a little bit more. It's going to be a special year."

They say it's your Birthday - It's an extra special day for Chien-Ming Wang. Besides getting the opening day assignment, today is The Wanger's 28th birthday.

"To be the Opening Day starter is the best birthday gift I could have," Wang said yesterday.

Game 1 of 162 - Play Ball!

Speaking of "Rain on the Scarecrow"

Share

The Weekend Yankeeland

Joe Girardi has set the spring rotation up so that Chien-Ming Wang would be the opening day starter. The Wanger was supposed to get the assignment last season, but he was one of the many Yankees to suffer hamstring pulls. It's still hard to believe Carl Pavano made that start.

Joba Chamberlain may only be 22-yrs old, but he's one of the guys who are keeping the Yankees clubhouse loose. It was revealed a week ago that he and rookie Andrew Brackman were sporting nipple rings. Joba the Pitcher is a live wire who can even bring out humor, even in the sometimes curmudgeonly Mike Mussina. Just take this exchange reported by the NY Times' Joe LaPointe.

Addressing Mussina by his nickname, Moose, Chamberlain asked if he wanted to join in playing video games. "No", the 39-year-old Mussina told the 22-year-old Chamberlain; he does not play video games.

"Want to watch me play video games?" Chamberlain asked. "No thanks", Mussina said. "Well", Chamberlain continued, would Mussina like to play Ping-Pong? Without answering, Mussina kept walking out the door and turned left down the corridor.

So Chamberlain added in a loud voice, “Hey, is the hearing the first thing to go when you get old?”

Suddenly, Mussina reappeared in the doorway and replied, “I hear everything!” in a way that made Chamberlain smile and onlookers chuckle.

For a team that has long been the model of a corporate personality, guys like Joba and Shelley Duncan are a welcome addition.

The Daily News' Mark Feinsand has a good piece on Ian Kennedy, who may not have the same spotlight on him as Joba, but may make just as big a splash in the majors.

Speaking of guys not in the spolight- Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees' Director of Scouting is one such person. He's the guy responsible for the Yankees getting Kennedy, Chamberlain, and Mark Melancon in the same draft. John Harper of the News gives us an in-depth look at the man responsible for much of the team's young talent.

Steve Serby of the NY Post has a Q&A with freshly minted Hall-of-Famer, Goose Gossage. Topics included Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.

Ed Price of the Star Ledger has a story on the "other" Duncan- Eric Duncan, who is still trying to live up to his draft hype. Still just 23 years old, Duncan knows he needs to start putting up consistently good numbers.

Peter Abraham talks about the possibly new and improved Brian Bruney. The portly righty has lost 20 pounds and some of his bad attitude.

Share

The Daily Yankeeland

Mike Stanton was prominently mentioned in the Mitchell Report and also had his name come up last week at the Congressional Dog and Pony show. It was Stanton who reportedly mentioned to Roger Clemens that he was bleeding through his pants, reportedly from a steroid injection that Brian McNamee had given him.

Stanton is trying to make the Reds bullpen and he was questioned by reporters yesterday about his involvement. He quickly pulled out the "no comment".

"Officially, I've been advised not to make any comments," the 40-year-old reliever said before the Reds' first workout of the spring for pitchers and catchers.

Was that by a lawyer or an agent?

"That's all I have to say," Stanton added.

Stanton had no problem talking about his good buddy and fellow Bible toting pitcher, Andy Pettitte.

"Being Christians, believing in the Lord, doesn't change the fact that we're all still human, that we all still make mistakes, that we all still have bad judgment occasionally," Stanton said. "Where we're going for eternity doesn't change that fact. So like he said in his interview with Congress, one of the reasons he did what he did was to make himself right with the Lord."

Get off your high horse there Mikey.

* * *

We're still pissed off that Morgan Ensberg was given #21. Yes, Paulie has said he doesn't want a day honoring him and the Yankees are running out of numbers, but C'MON!

* * *

King George arrived at camp yesterday and held a meeting with Joe Girardi, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, and Rob Thompson. One can only wonder why it was that combination of people.

* * *

Funny moment for Joe Girardi yesterday. With reporters present, the landline phone rang in the new skip's office. Only Girardi couldn't figure out which buttons to push to answer the phone.

Share

Yankee Greats Take Pen in Hand

Yankee and baseball legends will be in New Jersey this Saturday and Sunday signing autographs and chatting with fans. But be sure to being your checkbook. In addition to the entrance fee, there are charges for various autographs as well.

The Crown Plaza Hotel in Secaucus will host the 2 day event, which has a ton of Yankees greats and not-so greats. One day admission is $10, 2-day will set you back $18.

The 1998 team is celebrating the 10th anniversary- could it really be that long?- of that special season. David Cone, Homer Bush, Chad Curtis, Chili Davis, Joe Girardi, El Duque, Rickey Ledee, Ramiro Mendoza, Graeme Lloyd, Jeff Nelson, Tim Raines, Luis Sojo, Shane Spencer, and coach Don Zimmer are expected to be in attendance on Saturday.

Sunday will see Paul O'Neill, Mike Stanton, Daryl Strawberry, and coach Chris Chambliss.

Newly elected Hall of Famer Goose Gossage is expected to be at both days of the show. Tracey Stallard, who gave up Roger Maris' 61st home run, Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Dick Williams, and our favorite guy Bobby Murcer will also be among those attending. Oddly, the only current Yankee expected to be there is Wilson Betemit.

Click here for all the details

Share

Goose's Top 10

This is why the writers need to settle their strike. Goose Gossage was on Letterman last night and delivered the top 10.

Top Ten Things Goose Gossage Can Say Now That He's Been Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame presented by

"Today's contracts are ridiculous -- the most I made in a season: 800 bucks" "I traded my 1978 'Rolaids Reliever of the Year' award for a banjo" "My real name is Goose Gossagestein" "This facial hair makes me look cool. Letterman's made him look like a drifter" "I'm retired, but I still wear a cup" "In 1979, I recorded the novelty single, 'Disco Goose'" "Now maybe my neighbor will shut up about his bowling trophies" "To psych myself up for a game, I'd listen to the soundtrack of 'My Fair Lady'" "After recording the last out of the 1978 Yankees-Red Sox playoff, I kissed Bucky Dent on the mouth" "The only thing I ever tested positive for was being a flame-throwin' sum'bitch"

Share