[外電]Baseball beat: Good luck replacing Torre

[dogmoon (KGB)]

http://0rz.tw/b82M7  (nyjournal News)
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文章非常長  前段是說 TORRE 明年應該就不是洋基的總教頭
然後提了幾位可能的繼任人選...

後面提到明星賽和十大熱門隊伍  大致和洋基無關...囧rz
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Baseball beat: Good luck replacing Torre
(Original publication: July 1, 2007) In focus, by Peter Abraham

The end, hopefully, will come with dignity. The Yankees will play their final
game of the season in Baltimore on Sept. 30, then hold a press conference at
Yankee Stadium the next day to announce that Joe Torre is retiring as their
manager.

It seems almost inevitable now. Firing Torre before then would be senseless
and cruel. More than anyone else, Torre is responsible for turning a
going-nowhere franchise back into the Yankees. He has helped make millions
for George Steinbrenner and his family and deserves better than getting fired
after a bad road trip.

Sure, it could end differently. The Yankees' talent and remaining schedule
leaves open the possibility of them finding their way into the playoffs as
the wild card. Then it's seven wins away from the World Series, and all is
forgiven.

But it's hard to picture that. As each day passes, the Yankees look more and
more like a bunch of guys content to cash their checks and move on to the
next five-star hotel. The old "today we win" mentality has been replaced by
individual agendas.

Alex Rodriguez has his opt-out clause to consider. Jorge Posada and Mariano
Rivera will be free agents. Jason Giambi is broken down and being chased by
the steroids police. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte wrung $43 million out of
the Yankees to return. Bobby Abreu, happy to get on base last season, is
hacking away with his own impending free agency.

Blame Torre for that if you will. Many ungrateful fans have, harping on whom
he chooses to pitch in the seventh inning instead of looking at the bigger
picture of what he has accomplished. Torre gave the Yankees championships and
class, two things sorely lacking before he showed up in 1996.

Good luck to his successor. As UCLA learned with John Wooden and the Packers
with Vince Lombardi, it's hard to be the man after The Man leaves.

So who will be the man? In our view, there are three legitimate candidates
and a handful of long shots:

Don Mattingly: Look at it this way: Mattingly made roughly $30 million as a
player and was a comfortably retired father in Indiana before he agreed to
become the hitting coach in 2004. He didn't throw batting practice and work
in the cages for three years without knowing there would be some reward
waiting at the end. Now the bench coach, he was praised by Steinbrenner in
May. "Mattingly is a good one," Steinbrenner said. "He is a very thorough
guy. He understands what it is to be a Yankee." His total lack of experience
as a manager is troubling. It's also uncertain how he will handle the
spotlight. But he has earned his chance. Odds of becoming manager: 3-1.

Joe Girardi: Speculation is that he turned down the Orioles' offer because he
could have a shot at replacing Torre. Perhaps, but it was also a matter of
poor timing because of a family illness. Girardi's militaristic demeanor
could be just what the content Yankees need. He also proved in Florida last
season that he can manage young talent, which would be helpful as the Yankees
rely more on their prospects. But Girardi is closely tied to Torre and Don
Zimmer, a negative in Steinbrenner's mind. Girardi also can be impersonal, a
quality that will not play well with the media. Odds of becoming manager: 6-1.

Bobby Valentine: Now this would take a confluence of events and guts on the
part of the organization. If Mattingly bails out and Girardi lands elsewhere,
Bobby V could sneak in from Japan. A brilliant baseball mind (just ask him),
Valentine would shake things up in a hurry. He also has a cadre of disciples
in the media who will bang the drum loudly for him. Brian Cashman admires
Valentine. But enough to hire him? Odds of becoming manager: 15-1.

The long shots: Third-base coach Larry Bowa would love the job but would be a
better choice as a member of Mattingly's staff. ... Willie Randolph is under
contract with the Mets but is a Yankee under that blue and orange. ... They
wouldn't bring back Buck Showalter, would they? ... Padres coach Glenn
Hoffman deserves another shot at managing, but the Yankees can't think that
far out of the box. ... Player-manager Derek Jeter has a nice ring to it. But
making out lineups would cut into afternoon Starbucks runs with Posada.

Around baseball

All-Star time: It's hard to get too fired up about the All-Star teams. The
fans usually pick the right players and, if not, the managers do. There are
always a few snubs, but that will always be the case.

It's better to have all 30 teams represented so every market can have a stake
in the game rather than have a fifth Yankee or Met on the roster.

The one issue we would have is if Yankees catcher Jorge Posada somehow were
left off the American League roster. Posada has been much better than Pudge
Rodriguez, who led the fan voting at last count. Posada hasn't been in the
game since 2003 and deserves to return, if only for all the innings he has
caught because of the lack of an adequate backup. Curiously, he is only 1 for
8 in the All-Star Game with five strikeouts.

As for the Yankees, the only players who deserve to make it are Posada, Derek
Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. You can make a case for Andy Pettitte if you're so
inspired. We're not.

The Mets should have Jose Reyes and David Wright in San Francisco along with
Billy Wagner and perhaps John Maine. Carlos Beltran will get voted in but
doesn't deserve it.

The shameless campaign for Paul Lo Duca was misguided. Russell Martin, Johnny
Estrada and Bengie Molina are much more deserving.

In retrospect: Red Sox Nation was groaning when general manager Theo Epstein
did not go to the wall to retain Pedro Martinez after the 2004 season and
Johnny Damon in 2005.

But Epstein proved correct in his assessments of the future. Martinez gave
the Mets only 54 starts and a 24-16 record before he broke down last season
and needed shoulder surgery. He only recently has started to face hitters and
might not return until mid-August.

At best, the Mets might get 90 starts out of him over the course of his $53
million contract - and that's assuming he returns in August and doesn't get
hurt again. Yes, Martinez provided peripheral benefits to the Mets, but the
Red Sox were right to cut him loose.

The same is true of Damon. He was productive for the Yankees last season,
scoring 115 runs thanks to a .359 on-base percentage. But the 33-year-old has
fallen apart this season. He has missed 10 games because of various injuries
and his OBP has dropped to .333.

Damon never could throw, but now he can't catch up to balls the way he used
to. He would welcome the chance to become a DH, but the Yankees don't need a
DH who has averaged 14 home runs a season. Damon is signed through 2009 at
$13 million a year, making him difficult to trade.

Around the horn: Barry Bonds has agreed to give the Hall of Fame his batting
helmet when he breaks the home-run record. The Hall had to send vice
president Jeff Idelson to San Francisco to negotiate with the surly slugger.
... Red Sox stat man Bill James has a Pythagorean formula that uses runs
scored and runs allowed to calculate what a team's record should be.
According to James, the Yankees should have been 43-32 after 75 games, not
36-39. That seven-game difference indicates that the Yankees have been the
victims of much bad luck. ... The Orioles don't plan to interview any
managerial candidates until late July. Indications are that interim manager
Dave Trembley has a shot at keeping the job.

Extra Innings

Welcome to the big leagues: St. Louis rookie infielder Brendan Ryan had quite
a day on Monday. His cab driver took him to Yankee Stadium, not Shea Stadium.
Then, when he arrived at the park, he found that his teammates had frozen the
clothes in his locker. While attempting to thaw them out with a hair dryer,
he blew a fuse that knocked out the power in manager Tony La Russa's office.

Music from Matsuzaka: He hasn't quite been the next Sandy Koufax, but Daisuke
Matsuzaka is proving versatile. EMI Music is releasing "Music From the Mound"
in the United States and Japan. The record includes "favorite and
inspirational" songs by American, English and Japanese artists. It also
includes the original song "Gyro Ball" by Red Sox announcers Jerry Remy and
Don Orsillo.

On Wisconsin: It was La Crosse Day at Miller Park on Wednesday. So it was
only fitting that La Crosse, Wis., native Damien Miller belted a three-run
homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Brewers a 6-3 victory
against the Houston Astros. "It's perfect timing," Miller said. "The stars
were lined up perfectly for La Crosse."

Cheering the away team: Toronto has its Double-A team in Manchester, N.H.,
deep in the heart of Red Sox country. So when the Portland Sea Dogs came to
town on Monday, many in the crowd were there to see Clay Buchholz, Boston's
big pitching prospect. He went 6 1/3 innings, struck out 11 and got a
standing ovation from the crowd of 6,831. "I didn't expect that, but it was
nice," he said. The New Hampshire manager and players were not pleased with
their crowd. "I think it's sad," manager Billy Masse said. "We're not playing
the Boston Red Sox. We're playing the Portland Sea Dogs. Unless you're from
that area, you root for your hometown team. This is New Hampshire's team,
Manchester's team, and to see Clay Buchholz get a standing ovation was
absolutely disgraceful. I guess I will never understand how you can root for
the Fisher Cats when we don't play Portland and root for them when we do play
them." New Hampshire reliever Tree Thorpe said he was fed up. "To me, I take
those things personally, and I'll do anything to beat Portland," he said.

Back up a bit: There's a guy named Tree Thorpe? How great is that?

The Top 10

1. Angels

Chone Figgins, who hit .156 in May, set a team record with 49 hits in June.
Expect more hits next weekend in the Bronx. He's a .341 lifetime hitter
against the Yankees.

2. Red Sox

Boston owner John Henry has invested in a NASCAR team, and on Friday the
team's new No. 99 car was driven on the warning track at Fenway. Being that
it was in Massachusetts, the driver blew through a red light, took an illegal
left turn and double-parked in front of the 7-Eleven to get some lottery
tickets and a six-pack of Bud Light.

3. Tigers

Kenny Rogers is 2-0 and has allowed one run in 12 innings since coming off
the disabled list. His successful return makes the Tigers the team to beat in
the American League playoffs.

4. Indians

The Indians are 17 games over .500 when C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona or Paul
Byrd starts. They are two games under .500 in their other games. Here's
another contender that needs a starter.

5. Mets

Friday's doubleheader sweep of the Phillies restored some order to the
National League East. Their swoon over, the Mets could go on a big run before
the break.

6. Brewers

Manager Ned Yost installed rookie Ryan Braun as his No. 3 hitter, and it paid
off. He hit .331 with 19 extra-base hits and 21 RBI in his first 31 games.

7. Padres

San Diego has traded for Michael Barrett and Milton Bradley. Are the Padres
worried about being ready in case a few brawls break out? Good luck to Bud
Black in handling those two.

8. Dodgers

As the trade deadline creeps closer, don't be surprised if the Dodgers make a
bold move. GM Ned Colletti is willing to try anything, and he has the
prospects available to make a big trade.

9. Mariners

Now that the Mariners somehow have become a contender, do they have any hope
of retaining Ichiro Suzuki? You have to figure the Red Sox will make a huge
play for him.

10. Twins

Johan Santana is 9-6 with a 2.76 ERA and is only going to get better. He is
45-10 with a 2.55 ERA in the second half of the season during his career.

Who's hot

Troy Percival: Out of baseball since July 9, 2005, the hard-throwing
right-hander made it back with the Cardinals and got the win Friday. Now 37,
Percival signed a minor-league deal and had a 1.35 ERA in six games before
getting called up.

Who's not

Pat Burrell: Barely hitting over .200, the Philadelphia outfielder has been
replaced in left field by Greg Dobbs. Burrell barely has played during the
last two weeks. He is signed through 2008 and is owed $20.5 million.

Did you know?

Thursday was a big day for milestones, as Craig Biggio had his 3,000th hit
and Frank Thomas his 500th home run. Those two events had never happened in
the same day before. The closest that came to happening was in 1999, when
Mark McGwire hit his 500th homer on Aug. 5 and Wade Boggs collected his
3,000th hit two days later.

Quote of the week

"It means the doctors are better now." - San Diego's Greg Maddux, on being
one of the six pitchers in their 40s who started games on Wednesday

On deck

Cleveland will start a three-game series at Detroit on Tuesday. The teams are
fighting it out for the American League Central lead.

The Mailbag

Dustin from Texas writes: I was talking to my father, and he brought up a
point on the Alex Rodriguez situation. If he opts out after this season and
gets a nice long-term deal - but doesn't get the $25 million a year he's
making now - how do you think the union would stand on that? He might get
more money in the long run with the added years, but that $25 million a year
is the current bar when other union players negotiate their contracts. Or
would he have to get at least $25 million on any extension?

Answer: It's an interesting point. I doubt the players association would
challenge Scott Boras on any of his contracts. The best way to look at it is
that Rodriguez will have $81 million remaining on his deal. It's virtually
certain that any new contract would be worth more than $81 million, so the
annual value is not that big of a deal.

Crafty Lefty from Long Island writes: With all the reports of Texas going
into fire-sale mode soon, is there any chance the Yanks deal for Brad
Wilkerson? He'd be an Aaron Guiel type. He can play first base and all three
outfield positions but with more pop (he hit 32 home runs back in 2004).
While I'd much rather a deal for Mark Teixeira, I figured the asking price
for Wilkerson would be a lot lower.

Answer: Very crafty, Crafty. Wilkerson is much better than Aaron Guiel and
could be a decent fit with the Yankees. He's also signed only through this
season.

Yankees' week ahead

The Yankees will finish up their series against Oakland this afternoon. Cy
Young favorite Dan Haren (9-1, 1.91) will be on the mound for Oakland. He is
3-0 with a 3.11 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees.

The homestand continues tomorrow with the start of a four-game series against
the Minnesota Twins. The Los Angeles Angels will come to town on Friday for
the final series before the All-Star break.

Who's hot: Andy Pettitte's record (4-5) doesn't show it, but he has pitched
very well. He has a 3.24 ERA and has allowed only six home runs in 106
innings. Pettitte has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 16 starts and
easily could have nine or 10 wins. He will start today against Oakland.

Who's not: Kyle Farnsworth is not a very good pitcher. That's bad enough. But
when he starts showing up teammates and manager Joe Torre, that's
unacceptable. Farnsworth shouted at Melky Cabrera from the mound last Sunday,
and on Friday he threw a tantrum after being removed from the game by Torre.
Brian Cashman needs to rectify the mistake he made by getting rid of the
right-hander. Even if the Yankees have to eat some of his contract, it would
be worth it.

Mets week ahead

The Mets will finish their series in Philadelphia today, then head for series
in Denver and Houston.

Mike Pelfrey (0-5, 6.53) will start for the Mets in place of Oliver Perez
(stiff back) against Kyle Kendrick (2-0, 5.00). After today, the Mets have
seven more games with the Phillies (four in Philadelphia, Aug. 27-30, and
three at Shea Stadium, Sept. 14-16).

The Mets won two of three against Colorado at Shea in April. Overall, the
Mets are 63-53 against the Rockies, including 22-34 at Coors Field.

This will be the Mets' first meeting with the Astros this year.

They were 4-2 against Houston last season and are 237-290 overall, including
100-164 at Houston.

Who's hot: Carlos Beltran hit .294 with a homer and seven RBI during the
recent homestand, then hit two homers in Friday's second game and two homers
yesterday. Mets starting pitchers are 6-0 in their last nine games.

Who's not: Shawn Green had a walk-off homer against the Cardinals, but
overall he hit just .219 during the Mets' last homestand.

John Delcos

Compiled by Peter Abraham. Material from interviews, wire services and other
beat writers included. Have a question, comment or rip for Peter Abraham?
E-mail him at [e-mail] or send it to him at The Journal News, 1
Gannett Drive, White Plains, NY 10604

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◆ From: 125.232.158.190
推 jom217:今年假如啦~~~拿WS也是換嗎?呵
推 dogmoon:文章裡有提到例外...得到外卡然後拿到WS...
推 thusnoy:囧  我一直在期待後面的翻譯
推 dogmoon:有勞高人翻譯*跪* 這篇文章太長,我翻的又很慢...*逃*
推 jom217:呵呵~~~我剛開始沒去看原文~~~後面是在說各隊的狀況
推 djcc:GM呢  有什麼新GM可以接手  都沒有消息  XD
推 dogmoon:有3位人選:Don Mattingly` Joe Girardi` Bobby Valentine
推 CraigWilson:Joe Girardi不去金鳥的原因該不會是......科科～～
推 CCLu:BS! Firing Torre is cruel? Tell that to Casey Stengel.
推 sylviehsiang:情聖不想帶羅德了嗎?
推 kimuralin:該換了  就算拿套也要換