Joe believes help is on the way
BY ROGER RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The Yankees begin the second half of the season 2 1/2 games back of the
Red Sox in the AL East and with the specter of a Central Division team
grabbing the wild card. Even so, Joe Torre seems relaxed and confident.
Torre gave a strong vote of confidence to his club yesterday and hinted that
he believed help is on the way in the form of a trade before the non-waiver
deadline at the end of the month.
"I know what (general manager) Brian Cashman can do," Torre said. "I have
a sense that by the end of the month, we'll have some help. Whether it's
pitching or hitting, I don't know."
Torre could be baseball's biggest proponent of pitching. He learned early
in his Yankee stint how a great staff can carry a team. He learned more
recently how an inadequate starting rotation can overtax a bullpen. But his
even mentioning the possibility of adding a hitter indicated how much Torre
is feeling the losses of injured corner outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary
Sheffield.
"When I talk about a bat, we're relying a great deal on Melky Cabrera, and
is that fair to him?" Torre said yesterday at the charity golf tournament
he hosts for his Safe at Home Foundation, which assists children who live
in homes plagued by domestic abuse. "When you go down the stretch you want
to have a little more experience.
"If it has to be one or the other, I'd say let's make sure we have a little
depth in our pitching staff."
The biggest questions around the Yankees - who said yesterday that they
expect to sign righty Sidney Ponson - have concerned the possibility of
adding a corner outfielder such as Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu, or finding
an acceptable option to fill the final spot in the starting rotation behind
Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang and Jaret Wright.
Torre believes that Shawn Chacon is capable of shaking off his abysmal first
half and putting together a strong second half. "I believe Chacon will be
back in our rotation," Torre said. "It won't be the next turn through the
rotation, but maybe after that."
Pitching coach Ron Guidry said that Chacon is near the top of the list of
priorities for him. He said the righthander is having problems throwing his
curveball for strikes.
"There's no glaring hole where you can say we need to plug this hole," Torre
said. "That's the way I look at it. The thing you have to be aware of is the
thing we did with Robbie Cano last year - we're asking Cano to be this
experienced player, and you can't do that before their time. We fall into
it, just like we have with Wang, to be this guy we count on. We're doing it
with Melky now.
"Do we need somebody? We may not. I don't think there's a glaring hole. . . .
What Chacon did last year, it would be tough to say he couldn't do that
again."
Torre's team has dealt with a lot of adversity - specifically the rash of
injuries - and he likes the enthusiasm and fire his team has shown while
dealing with those challenges. "I'd like to be only one game back," he said.
"But we're fine."
More than ever, he appears to be enjoying his job. Over the past couple
seasons, George Steinbrenner's tactics have clearly rankled Torre, who
once declared that the Boss was "riding herd" on the team. All that fuss
has abated. "I've enjoyed this year as much as any, maybe more than the
last few years," Torre said. "Maybe it's my relationship back with
George where we can touch base every week or 10 days. . . . It was
important for me. I am hoping we stay connected."
As the second half begins, Torre knows two players are going to be under
the microscope: Alex Rodriguez and Randy Johnson. Both were brought to
New York by Steinbrenner to help the Bombers win a 27th title. Rodriguez
was last year's AL MVP, but some Yankee fans still consider him a
disappointment. Johnson hasn't been close to what was expected and recently
conceded that his age has taken a toll on him. Torre said he feels confident
both will deliver in the clutch.
"There are times because of his ability that (Rodriguez) thinks he's capable
of carrying this thing on his shoulders all by himself, and I think he puts
immense pressure on himself," Torre said. "I know people get tired of hearing
this stuff . . . but you can just feel the tension . . . the pressure of
himself gets to him more than the pressure of the situation.
"(Johnson) is as relaxed as I've seen him since he's been here. I don't think
anybody really prepares themselves for what you have to deal with here,
especially guys who have been around and they're on their way to Cooperstown.
They (say), 'I'll just do what I do.' They don't realize the questions
they'll have to answer that they never had to in Arizona and Seattle or
wherever.
"It takes time for these guys to understand this is something they have
to deal with, and I know last year (Johnson) was - I hate to use the word
overwhelmed, because he won't agree with me - but I think he was dealing
with more than he ever thought he would. "I'm not going to need 98 mph out
of him. I just need a little more of what we saw in (4 of 5) of his last
outings."
Originally published on July 14, 2006
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