As Usual, It’s Controversy Sprinkled With Baseball
THe New York Times
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: February 17, 2007
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 16 — So the general partner was arrested, two starting
pitchers were bickering and the wayward franchise icon might be on his way
back. Just a typical start to spring training at sleepy Legends Field.
“Nothing surprises me here,” said the Yankees’ captain, Derek Jeter. “
There’s always something to talk about.”
Starters Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano met in private Friday to smooth their
differences, and Manager Joe Torre awaited a call from Bernie Williams. But
the fate of Steve Swindal, the team’s general partner, remained in question.
Swindal, the designated successor to his father-in-law, George Steinbrenner,
in running the Yankees, spent five hours in jail Thursday after the police
said he was speeding and weaving in his car after 2 a.m. in St. Petersburg.
Steinbrenner had a chance to publicly support Swindal on Friday, but he did
not take it.
Steinbrenner’s spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, was asked if Steinbrenner still
planned to make Swindal his successor with the Yankees. Rubenstein called
back a reporter an hour later and said, “Steve’s counsel has advised us
that we should have no comment because this is an ongoing legal matter.”
Swindal’s lawyer, Kym Rivellini, said Swindal, who lives in Tampa, planned
to spend the night on his boat in St. Petersburg and was headed there at the
time of his arrest. The police stopped Swindal about 40 blocks from the
marina, near a bail bonds building and a Laundromat.
Swindal, 52, had no prior arrests, and Rivellini said the incident was out of
character.
“Certainly he is going to do everything he can to focus on baseball and not
on personal behavior,” she said. “Fifty-two years of clean living speaks a
lot more about a person than one alleged driving incident.”
Rivellini said Swindal planned to enter a plea of not guilty, a standard
practice that allows lawyers to review information pertaining to a case.
Swindal is scheduled to be arraigned in Pinellas County Traffic Court on
March 15.
General Manager Brian Cashman had no comment on Swindal, and Torre had little
to say.
“That’s too bad,” Torre said. “I have no other comment other than to say
it’s unfortunate. My concern is the players. That’s what I’m in charge of.
”
To that end, Torre said he would probably hear from Williams in the next day
or so. He reiterated the possibility that Williams could make the team, but
Williams must first accept the Yankees’ nonroster contract offer and come to
camp.
“It’s up to Bernie to get himself in that group,” Torre said. “The only
way to do that is to come down.”
As Torre finished talking with reporters, Mussina and Pavano emerged from the
clubhouse manager’s office just across the hall. The two had spent about 10
minutes talking and were smiling when they left the room.
Mussina had strong words about Pavano on Thursday, questioning the legitimacy
of his many injuries, casting doubt on Pavano’s competitiveness and saying
he would not give him the benefit of the doubt. Pavano said he sought out
Mussina to clear the air on Friday.
“We had a nice conversation,” Pavano said. “We’re part of a rotation, and
I understand his frustration. He’s been counting on me for two years, and I
haven’t been there. I haven’t carried the load that I should be taking on.
We’re both in agreement that we need to be on each other’s side. I respect
Mike Mussina for what he’s done in the game and the things I’ve learned
just by watching him. I never had hard feelings for Mike in any way.”
Mussina said he apologized to Pavano for criticizing him through the news
media without talking to Pavano first.
But he added that he felt strongly enough that he would have had to meet with
Pavano at some point. Mussina has been Pavano’s most vocal critic, but many
in the clubhouse share his opinions.
“I think he understands where we’re coming from, the other guys in the
clubhouse,” Mussina said. “I told him: The best thing for you to do is to
focus on what’s in front of you, not what’s behind you. You can’t change
all that.
“We’ve got to start fresh, and we should do that right now.”
Mussina had said on Thursday that he did not need to hear anything from
Pavano. After their meeting, though, Mussina seemed glad to have heard Pavano
’s side. Asked if Pavano seemed sincere in his desire to pitch, Mussina gave
a cautious yes.
“It seemed that way, yes,” he said. “It seemed to me as if it’s No. 1 on
his priority list now, yes.”
Closer Mariano Rivera, who started spring training with a public plea for a
new contract, was unaware of the truce between his teammates. But he was
pleased to hear about it.
“If they worked it out, that’s the best way to do it,” Rivera said. “You
don’t want those things between teammates. This is a family and you have to
keep it as a family. Sometimes we make mistakes, but that’s the biggest
thing — go at it, find out what the right answers are, and move on.”
For the Yankees in spring, moving on usually leads to another controversy.
Cashman, who has been with the team for more than 20 years, said that was
inevitable.
“We’ll never have a true Camp Quiet,” he said.
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