Good morning, good afternoon or good evening to you friends - whichever one of those three applies at the current moment. Welcome to another offseason edition of The Gospel According to "L". The season is less than two months away, and for the first time in ages, I'm actually excited about baseball season. One reason is because I didn't get to see one minute of hockey this winter, but another is because I cannot wait to see this new Yankee team. We got a revamped pitching staff with Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano, and hopefully A-Rod and Gary Sheffield will have bigger and better numbers this season - not to mention the rest of the roster. You cannot really go wrong with that cast of characters. Now for this Gospel I want to talk a bit about the Yankees TV move, what Jason Giambi had to say (or did not say) at the press conference. I also want to talk a bit about Charley Steiner and his departure, and the stupid little bickering going on between some Yankee and Red Sox players.
Before I get to that, I got an e-mail from a guy named Dale Brown. Dale works over at the YES Network, and since he saw my website, he wanted me to post some information about a new TV show that YES is planning to do called "Ultimate Road Trip." Here is what he wanted me to post:
YES Network is casting a new reality show. "YES' Ultimate Road Trip" will take the fans on tour to EVERY Yankee game, home and away in the 2005 season.
OPEN CASTING CALL:
February 25 & 26th (friday (sic) & saturday (sic))
The Footlocker on 34th & Broadway between 10am and 4pm.
For more information: log on to YES Network website: www.yesnetwork.com
So there you go, if you want to travel with the Bombers and be on TV, just head on over to Herald Square this coming Friday or Saturday. Also you can e-mail Dale at roadtrip@yesnetwork.com. Note: if you are viewing this "Gospel" after the 26th, then disregard this message. All righty, let's get on with our first topic.
In case you have not noticed, and I myself didn't until recently, the Yankees' non-cable broadcasts have moved over to channel 9 (WWOR/UPN). I am still not sure why they left channel 2 (WCBS), and I am sure they had their reasons, whatever they were. But the Bombers will now play some of their games on UPN 9 - hopefully not on Thursday nights, I don't want to have Smackdown pre-empted for anything, even if it is my beloved Yankees. But I thought I'd inform you now before you went insane looking for a game that YES would not televise, and not be able to find it. All right, let's get to the real stuff - next topic.
I want to first talk about Jason Giambi's press conference, which is now eleven days removed from the time this piece is being written. Now I work from 9AM-6PM, so I did not get to see or hear the PC - I only read about it and heard about it on radio. From what I saw, he apologized repeatedly, yet he never once mentioned the fact that he used steroids. The good news here, if any, is that his weight is back to about 235 and he has coloration in his face, unlike last season. The bad news - like I said earlier, he did not once admit to using human growth hormones. So what the hell are you apologizing for Jason? You cheated in order to have bigger numbers and mammoth homeruns, yet now you won't even acknowledge it? This after he kept on denying it, until the smoking gun came out and he had no choice. My friends, if you're going to do something evil, you better make sure nobody's going to rat you out - maybe the sodomite ex-New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey should have realized that. If you're offended by the word "sodomite," just read the bible! Anyway, speaking of rats, now Jose Canseco comes out with a book saying that he, Mark McGwire and Giambi were all using 'roids in the Oakland A's clubhouse. He even said he injected other guys such as Pudge Rodriguez, Wilson Alvarez, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmiero, etc. Honestly my friends, I don't know what to believe anymore. For all I know Jose could be lying, I mean it wouldn't be the first time. Hell he owes the Massachusetts state government over 30-gran in back taxes, so he cheats on his taxes and on the field as well.
But if he is telling the truth, watch out! Even if some of these guys don't get punished by Major League Baseball, they will be punished with horrific physical maladies. I've told you before about what this crap does to your body: shrunken testicles, back hair, growth of opposite sex hormones, liver cancer, hair loss, and the list goes on for infinity. My last theory on Canseco's book - the slime at Harper Collins might have had him make this up. What - Cat what are talking about, make this up? Sometimes book publishers love sleaze - I mean it sells doesn't it? Look at the National Enquirer and the New York Post! That's all I'm going to say about that - on to the next topic.
Now I want to talk about Charley Steiner and his exodus to Hollywood. As you recall, when the Yankees' radio flagship moved from WABC (AM 770) to WCBS (AM 880) back in 2002, Michael Kay left the radio booth to do play-by-play on TV. Then in came former ESPN Sportscenter anchor and former ESPN Radio play-by-play man Charley Steiner. Well he was here for only three seasons, and now he has bolted for a job with the Dodgers. Many of you may be happy about it, and many of you will miss him. Personally, I thought he did a great job alongside John Sterling.
I didn't exactly miss hearing Kay on radio with Steiner aboard, and that says plenty! They say the chemistry between Steiner and Sterling wasn't exactly there - if that's the case, I sure as hell could not tell. I thought both of these guys were great, hell they even had some laughs together on air. I still even remember a few times when I thought those two were smoking crack together with some of the stories they told on air. But I guess Yankee brass didn't see things my way, so now Charley's out of there, and you won't believe who will be joining Sterling in the radio booth.
From what I hear, Suzyn Waldman will be the second half of the radio announce team! Who the hell is in charge up there? I absolutely abhor hearing this woman do play-by-play, and it's not because she is a woman, don't you dare think that. The reason is she's not exactly commentator material. The two worst commentators in Yankee history are still Tim McCarver and Suzyn Waldman, and now she's going to join Sterling in the broadcast booth! Somebody shoot me! At least bring somebody like Ken Singleton or Bobby Murcer in to do radio with Sterling, a la the Mets who would have Howie Rose or Ted Robinson in to join Gary Cohen, replacing the late Bob Murphy (may he rest in peace.) But please dear God, not Miss Boston! She was much better off as a reporter for YES, and that is where she should stay, not doing play-by-play, especially not on radio! It's nice to finally have a female radio commentator, but at least get one who has the credentials to do radio play-by-play, and somebody who did not grow up in Red Sox Nation! Ok my friends, let's go to the last topic, it's a biggie!
Now I want to chime in on this stupid, insane war of words going on between Yankee and Red Sox players. I mean, this is driving me crazy. The national media is absolutely loving this, and of course, guess whose side they're on. God forbid those animals should ever side with the Yankees, I mean they're evil right? So far we have A-Rod, Trot Nixon, David Wells, and now even Matt Mantei! Let's see what we've heard so far.
Nixon says A-Rod isn't Yankee material or something to that liking. What he said was he isn't a true Yankee like a Derek Jeter, a Bernie Williams or even a Jorge Posada. I guess he figures he's trying to flatter the rest of the team, yet he'll bash one of them. What I can't understand is why either of those three haven't responded to that! Well I can understand Bernie – I mean he is the nicest guy in the world. Hell, I once said that if you were to burn down Bernie's house with his family inside, instead of him having you arrested or killed, he'd just tell you how wrong it is and not to do it again, so you can't really expect that out of him. But what about his best friend Jeter? Why isn't he backing up his boy? No he wants to stay out of it and say it's between Trot and Alex! And what about Posada? I mean this is the guy who stood up to Pedro in the 2003 ALCS! Yet they remain silent - I don't know if it's Steinbrenner or if it's them, but whatever it is, it's making them all look weak and they're basically stabbing A-Rod in the back!
Then you have David Wells, the traitor. Oh what's the matter Red Sox Nation, are you offended by that? But it was ok to call Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens traitors wasn't it? First Boomer says he agrees with Nixon's comments on A-Rod, then he claims he didn't have a good relationship with Joe Torre or Mel Stottlemyre. So then why did he want to come back for a third time before signing with the Sox? That's what I don't understand. Then he gets all upset because Brian Cashman told him they were going in a younger direction, "[then] they turn around and sign (sic) Randy," referring to the Big Unit. First off, he was traded for, not just merely signed, get your facts straight you degenerate piece of trash! The Yankees did go with youth when they signed Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright! And why would you not want to acquire the best left-hander in baseball, maybe all-time? Listen, Wells was and is a good pitcher, but nobody, and I mean nobody in this age will compare to the Unit!
Finally you have Randy Johnson's ex-teammate Matt Mantei. This guy says Randy's going to have a tough time because "he doesn't like the media, he doesn't like the fans," and "he doesn't like anybody." You know, aside from that minor run in with a channel 2 cameraman (which your national media made a bigger deal out of than it really was,) he has gotten along very well with nearly everybody here! Now here is what really bothers me - "I don't like the Yankees. I don't think anybody does. I don't think anybody does except the Yankees." What about their fans? What about most players who have come here because they understand the tradition? Instead of being jealous of it, they embrace it and want to become part of it, unlike you! Now that didn't bother me as much as this did - "I think they (the Yankees) have a lot of big egos." Hey Matthew, what the hell team have you been watching? A lot of big egos? Where? This is what boils my blood - the Yankees are the one team in baseball that does not have big egos! Hell didn't your new teammate Trot Nixon just say that Jason Giambi "is a superstar but he doesn't act like it?" Listen, if you don't like the Yankees, that's fine, I understand. But do not hyperbolize them or tell lies about them!
At least some guys like Keith Foulke aren't getting involved, at least. You notice, this is mainly Red Sox players running their mouths off? Even Randy Johnson himself didn't want to comment on it! And they should, especially when it comes to A-Rod, they should stick up for their brother! Now just imagine if it was the other way around - the Yankee players running their mouths off and Red Sox players all quiet - the national sports media would cover this non-stop, and of course, they'd say the Yankees are acting like children and picking on the poor Red Sox! This makes me sick! Now you people know - the Yankees will be hated no matter what. Whether the team has no egos or 25 big ones, they will be hated. When you hear people say they hate the Yankees because they talk too much or this and that, bulls**t! They hate the Yankees because they are jealous of them, plain and simple!
But just to summize, this is really idiotic. Just play the damn game and keep your mouth shut! If anything, Trot Nixon, David Wells and Matt Mantei have given the Bombers move incentive to beat them! If I were Joe Torre, I'd hang those comments in the clubhouse before every game and even before practice! It's bad enough us fans get into this, but now the players? Ever since Nomar was traded, things have really gotten out of hand! I'll see you next time my friends!