data.3news-bydate.train.rec.sport.baseball.104994 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
Subject: Re: Yankee Thoughts
From: [email protected]
Organization: Wesleyan University
Nntp-Posting-Host: willet.wesleyan.edu
Lines: 61
In article , [email protected] (Mike Jones) writes:
> [email protected] (Scott Barman) writes:
>>In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Sam Mandelbaum) writes:
>>>2. Wade Boggs.
>>> I live in Boston and like Wade a lot. But, his career is
>>> winding down and I would rather see the Yanks start to develop
>>> a long term solution (i.e. Hensley Muelins, Russ Davis, Velarde?).
>>> Besides, Wade just doesn't have any range. What a shame about
>>> Charlie Hayes, huh?
>>Who would you have playing 3B, Wade Boggs or Charlie Hayes? My choice
>>is Boggs. No contest. It will give them time to develop younger talent
>>in an area the Yankee farm system seems to be deficient.
>
> A-hem. Two words: Russell Davis. Playing in the cavern at Albany (AA) last
> year (375/410/385 down the alleys and to center), Davis went .285/.355/.483
> with 22 homers. There aren't any small parks on the road in the Eastern
> League, either. He's 23(!) and his MLE was .258/.308/.416, 17 HR. I have no
> fielding statistics, but from seeing him a number of times last year I'd say
> that he's not Brooks Robinson, but neither is he Howard Johnson. Unless they
> think they can win the pennant *this year* (which seems possible) and need
> Boggs to do it, I think they're making the same sort of mistake with Davis
> that Boston made with Boggs, leaving him in the minors for two or three
> years after he'd shown that he was a good hitter.
>
>>>3. Spike Owen.
>>> See Wade Boggs. I'd much rather see them develop Dave Silvestri
>>> or whoever. Wade and Spike next to each other in the infield is
>>> going to raise the Yankee staff ERA 1/2 point. And these guys
>>> are on the down sides of their careers.
>>Too bad they gave up on Randy Valarde. Too many trips on the Columbus
>>Shuttle!
>
> Hrm? They still have him on the roster (16 AB through the first two weeks).
> They've just never figured out what to do with him. I suspect that he hits
> enough (especially vs. lefties) to be a reasonable shortstop. One rumor
> running around during spring training was that they wanted to convert
> Silvestri to be a catcher(!) because "his body type was wrong for a
> shortstop". You'd think that somebody in the same *division*, who plays
> Baltimore about a dozen times a year, would know better.
>
> Mike Jones | AIX High-End Development | [email protected]
>
> If one of our guys went down, I just doubled it. No confusion there. It
> didn't require a Rhodes Scholar. If two of my teammates went down, four of
> yours would. I had to protect my guys.
> - Don Drysdale
In regard to Boggs: I'll relate a story about a Yankee fan at Fenway last year
for opening day. I was there to see them face Baltimore and couldn't help but
listen to the Boston fans talk about various players on the team. One guy was
totally obliterating Boggs, how he sucks, etc.... I told him I was a Yankee
fan and I'd take him in a second and who would he want in a trade back. He
said a pile of sh*t. I know Boggs had some personal problems while playing for
Boston, but come on he's a future hall of famer who really adds a needed
dimension to the Yanks. A solid hitter, a decent fielder and more importantly
a teacher, ask Pat Kelly. I think he's got a few good years left in his bat
and may be a key contributor down the stretch as they win the American League
East this year. Boston fans have no class!!! They'll probably boo him like
crazy his first time back in pinstripes and I hope he goes 4 for 4 and shuts
them up.