The Baseball Thread 2007

[Dan Gould]

Pretty surprising "exclusive" in today's NY Daily News:

Exclusive

Yankees charged Joe Torre, players for road hotel expenses

Sunday, October 21st 2007, 4:00 AM

Joe Torre has often been called a player's manager, but when the Bronx Bombers were on the road, he wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

And while George Steinbrenner spent huge sums on player salaries, Yankee management routinely docked the paychecks of Torre and his athletes for the most picayune expenses.

That intimate glimpse into the team comes from financial records obtained by the Daily News through a Freedom of Information request.

The thousands of pages of hotel bills from 2005 - which the Yankees sent to the city in what team officials are calling a foulup - contain many surprises.

Take the instructions team execs gave to out-of-town hotels, telling them when they booked Torre's room to remember that he wanted "no players on same floor."

Torre, it seems, was very particular about his accommodations. On road trips, he always asked for a "corner suite" with "feather pillows," stocked with "fruit/bottled water/soft pretzels."

His room tabs suggest the skipper had a fondness for Amstel light beers and pay-per-view flicks.

They also reveal Yankee management had a penny-pinching policy toward expenses racked up by the manager and other team members on the road.

In late June 2005, for example, the Yankees played the Orioles in Baltimore. The lodging bill for a four-day stay at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel was $67,916.

After the team left town, traveling secretary David Szen sent a note to the Yankees' payroll department.

"Please deduct $84.38 from Joe Torre's next paycheck," Szen wrote. "This is for the cost of incidentals at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore."

You'd think that with Torre making $7.5 million a year, Yankee brass wouldn't worry themselves about room service.

Think again.

During that Baltimore series, Gary Sheffield racked up $2,920 in extra costs for a suite upgrade, room service and an extra room for a buddy. His pay was docked for all of it.

Not just free spenders got billed. The Yankees had the nerve to dock chronically injured pitcher Carl Pavano for the grand sum of $17.97.

Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez were the team's high-rollers outside the Bronx.

After a series with the Indians in Cleveland in early August 2005, Sheffield got docked $1,042 for a room upgrade and $637 for room service, including four Kahlua cocktails.

A-Rod was charged $785 for a room upgrade and $375 for room service, which included four in-room movies.

Torre was frugal by comparison - but his $39.98 bill for grilled chicken, two Amstel Lights and a pay-per-view movie didn't escape the notice of the Bronx bean-counters.

At the same time, the records show the team's front office wasn't nearly as tough about its own spending habits.

During the October playoffs, execs charged thousands of dollars for food and liquor to the team's accounts.

An Oct. 9 invoice from Center Plate, the stadium concessionaire, was for $260 for a "runner." A $120 tip was added to the bill, which was signed by Joel White, director of concession. There is no record that White's paycheck was docked for such generosity.

Then there is Randy Levine, the Yankees president who played a significant role in crafting the $5 million, one-year contract offer that Torre found "insulting" last week.

In April 2006, Levine made a five-day trip to Tampa.

Back then, Levine stayed at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. His $2,857 hotel bill included a $14.94 charge for video services.

He also spent $2,312 on a rental car. Must have been some car.

There is no record the Yankees docked Levine's pay for the in-room movie or questioned the exorbitant car rental.

What's most amazing about all this is that the Yankees submitted these expenses to City Hall as proof they were properly spending $5 million in rent owed to the city.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg have allowed the Yankees to hold back $5 million a year to use for planning the new Yankee stadium.

The Yankees say someone in their shop made a huge mistake and sent thousands of pages of the wrong records to the city.

But the great Yankees, who somehow managed to dock the most famous manager in baseball $39 for a few beers, still haven't adequately accounted for millions of dollars in rent money owed to the city.

No wonder Torre walked out.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...kees/2007/10/21

[skeith]

I'm on suicide watch :( :( :(

[alocispepraluger102]

Pretty surprising "exclusive" in today's NY Daily News:

Exclusive

Yankees charged Joe Torre, players for road hotel expenses

Sunday, October 21st 2007, 4:00 AM

Joe Torre has often been called a player's manager, but when the Bronx Bombers were on the road, he wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

And while George Steinbrenner spent huge sums on player salaries, Yankee management routinely docked the paychecks of Torre and his athletes for the most picayune expenses.

That intimate glimpse into the team comes from financial records obtained by the Daily News through a Freedom of Information request.

The thousands of pages of hotel bills from 2005 - which the Yankees sent to the city in what team officials are calling a foulup - contain many surprises.

Take the instructions team execs gave to out-of-town hotels, telling them when they booked Torre's room to remember that he wanted "no players on same floor."

Torre, it seems, was very particular about his accommodations. On road trips, he always asked for a "corner suite" with "feather pillows," stocked with "fruit/bottled water/soft pretzels."

His room tabs suggest the skipper had a fondness for Amstel light beers and pay-per-view flicks.

They also reveal Yankee management had a penny-pinching policy toward expenses racked up by the manager and other team members on the road.

In late June 2005, for example, the Yankees played the Orioles in Baltimore. The lodging bill for a four-day stay at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel was $67,916.

After the team left town, traveling secretary David Szen sent a note to the Yankees' payroll department.

"Please deduct $84.38 from Joe Torre's next paycheck," Szen wrote. "This is for the cost of incidentals at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore."

You'd think that with Torre making $7.5 million a year, Yankee brass wouldn't worry themselves about room service.

Think again.

During that Baltimore series, Gary Sheffield racked up $2,920 in extra costs for a suite upgrade, room service and an extra room for a buddy. His pay was docked for all of it.

Not just free spenders got billed. The Yankees had the nerve to dock chronically injured pitcher Carl Pavano for the grand sum of $17.97.

Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez were the team's high-rollers outside the Bronx.

After a series with the Indians in Cleveland in early August 2005, Sheffield got docked $1,042 for a room upgrade and $637 for room service, including four Kahlua cocktails.

A-Rod was charged $785 for a room upgrade and $375 for room service, which included four in-room movies.

Torre was frugal by comparison - but his $39.98 bill for grilled chicken, two Amstel Lights and a pay-per-view movie didn't escape the notice of the Bronx bean-counters.

At the same time, the records show the team's front office wasn't nearly as tough about its own spending habits.

During the October playoffs, execs charged thousands of dollars for food and liquor to the team's accounts.

An Oct. 9 invoice from Center Plate, the stadium concessionaire, was for $260 for a "runner." A $120 tip was added to the bill, which was signed by Joel White, director of concession. There is no record that White's paycheck was docked for such generosity.

Then there is Randy Levine, the Yankees president who played a significant role in crafting the $5 million, one-year contract offer that Torre found "insulting" last week.

In April 2006, Levine made a five-day trip to Tampa.

Back then, Levine stayed at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. His $2,857 hotel bill included a $14.94 charge for video services.

He also spent $2,312 on a rental car. Must have been some car.

There is no record the Yankees docked Levine's pay for the in-room movie or questioned the exorbitant car rental.

What's most amazing about all this is that the Yankees submitted these expenses to City Hall as proof they were properly spending $5 million in rent owed to the city.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg have allowed the Yankees to hold back $5 million a year to use for planning the new Yankee stadium.

The Yankees say someone in their shop made a huge mistake and sent thousands of pages of the wrong records to the city.

But the great Yankees, who somehow managed to dock the most famous manager in baseball $39 for a few beers, still haven't adequately accounted for millions of dollars in rent money owed to the city.

No wonder Torre walked out.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...kees/2007/10/21

this levine guy has the yankee's on a slippery slope. he strikes me as a bean counter, not a baseball man.

[alocispepraluger102]

furthermore:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...;type=printable

[alocispepraluger102]

I'm on suicide watch :( :( :(

it's a damn shame how the unps have squeezed the indians 2 top starting pitchers.

last night's game was the worst.

[catesta]

I'm on suicide watch :( :( :(

This collapse has been unbelievable to watch.

Tt would be nice to see a close competitive game tonight. Or,............ to see Cleveland massacre Boston.

[Quincy]

But with Dice-K starting I just don't know what to expect.

That's it right there. Maybe the most surprising thing to me would be if he pitched a serviceable game. Seems more likely to blow up or blow 'em out.

Game 7!

[Tim McG]

Shades of the 1986 ALCS.....

Go BoSox!

[ghost of miles]

Memo to Dumpy Mama: I stand vindicated.

[Dan Gould]

First they get Billy Mueller to throw out the first pitch of Game 6, and they've got Kevin Millar for Game 7. I guess that's cool and all, it was Millar who kept saying to anyone who would listen "All I'm sayin' is, don't let the Sox win tonight. Cuz if the Sox win tonight, then you got Petey, and then you got Schilling, and anything can happen in Game 7" before Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.

But if you really want to rub it in to the Indians before Game 7, don't you have to find Troy O'Leary and run him out there? Pedro and O'Leary killed the Tribe the last time they went to the final game of a series against the Sox in 1999.

The sight of the guy whose two homer/7 RBI night ended your season 8 years earlier is much worse than getting Beckett's ex-squeeze to sing the Anthem, doncha think?

[ghost of miles]

Good Lord, Dan... I think after that 8th inning you're looking good for another World Series trip. I'll bet there was some joyous mayhem in the Gould household while that was going on!

[Tim McG]

BoSox win it in a laugher.

11-2.

Congrats, Dan!

[GA Russell]

Tonight's game was the first baseball game I watched all year.

[Tim McG]

[ahem]

Sox vs Rocks in the WS!!!

You heard it here first.

So!

How stOOpid was I, Tribe fans?

Uh....Paging Skeith.

[Big Al]

Wow, wow, and wow! Could a game get any crazier? After Drew dropped that fly ball, shades of 1986 came flashing back. If not for that Coke bottle, Youkilis's homer would still be flying! I've never seen a baseball leave so quickly! Anything flying that fast oughta have a fucking stewardess on it! Kenny Lofton's gotta be shakin' his head right now: called out on a blown call by the ump; held up at third on an easy score. How do you get all THAT outta your system?

Ah well, congrats Dan! Enjoy this one for as long as it lasts, and I hope it results in another WS ring for your team!

[Tim McG]

Wow, wow, and wow! Could a game get any crazier? After Drew dropped that fly ball, shades of 1986 came flashing back. If not for that Coke bottle, Youkilis's homer would still be flying! I've never seen a baseball leave so quickly! Anything flying that fast oughta have a fucking stewardess on it! Kenny Lofton's gotta be shakin' his head right now: called out on a blown call by the ump; held up at third on an easy score. How do you get all THAT outta your system?

Ah well, congrats Dan! Enjoy this one for as long as it lasts, and I hope it results in another WS ring for your team!

To be fair, had Lofton scored the BoSox would have won by 8 runs instead of 9.

[Alexander]

Go Sox!!!!!

What a great game! I can't WAIT to see them go up against the Rockies!

This is gonna be one HELL of a series!

[Dan Gould]

My Cleveland friends have my sincere sympathy as I've had my heart ripped out and stomped on many times before that streak of pain finally ended. I do think that the Indians are well-situated to get back to the playoffs and with a core of strong young players, hopefully they'll use this experience, take some motivation from it, and get it done next time. They'll have a huge step up if only Sabathia and Carmona get a harness on their emotions and pitch like they can.

Having said that, I also have to say that there isn't much to defend or complain about when your team takes a 3-1 lead and proceeds to allow your opponent to outscore you 30-5 over three games and allow 13 hits a game, too.

On this game in particular, despite the final score, it was one of the tensest Game Sevens I have ever watched, with so many critical moments. The Lofton situations - well, I understood the argument that maybe his hand got in there but the fact that in that situation, he never argued, suggested to me that the tag did get him, or else Lofton simply knew when the ball beat him to the base that he would be called out. We've all seen those calls before, sort of a close corollary to the "neighborhood play" - you're dead to rights when the ball arrives, you get called out.

As for Lofton not scoring - well, for years Red Sox fans would complain about their third base coach for sending guys to their doom ("Send Em In" Kim comes to mind) but I've never seen a situation where a bad decision to hold up a runner would lead to a post-season of angst. Did anyone else think that Lofton was running kind of weird? Like his hip or knees are bothering him? He didn't really look like he was even getting out of first gear as he was approaching third base.

It must really kill the Tribe fans that the final dagger through the heart was delivered by Betancourt, so untouchable for the last two months of the season and throughout the playoffs, and when it was absolutely critical to keep it a one run game - and then to keep it a three run game - he got crushed by little Dustin Pedroia.

I think the WS will be very interesting - I am already hearing about the Rox being the same type of team as the 2003 Marlins. Super young, got hot at the right time and rode a wave of feeling as if you couldn't lose all the way to a championship. Jayson Stark has already picked them on that basis. I know that they won 2 out of 3 at Fenway in June, but for one thing, that was at the very nadir of Schilling's season. I think he made one more start against the Braves and then went on the DL. So you can throw out that start, at least to an extent (I am fully aware though that he could blow up the same way on Thursday). Beckett's start is unlikely to be repeated too - that was his first loss of the season, and he was simply due to have a stinker.

I do know one thing for sure: the Rox may have impressive pitching, but they didn't face the Red Sox lineup, which is a long ways away from the one the D-Backs put out there.

But whatever happens, its been a great season. I'll just be extra happy if they can keep it going and get another ring, because I've seen more than a couple of obnoxious Yankee fans who like to tell Red Sox fans to enjoy the wait until 2090 to win another crown. Shutting them up will be the final step - we beat them in 2004, took the Division title, now their team may see major changes without Torre, and another championship would put a little distance between us in the category of "21st Century Baseball Titles".

Me likey!

[catesta]

Wow, wow, and wow! Could a game get any crazier? After Drew dropped that fly ball, shades of 1986 came flashing back. If not for that Coke bottle, Youkilis's homer would still be flying! I've never seen a baseball leave so quickly! Anything flying that fast oughta have a fucking stewardess on it! Kenny Lofton's gotta be shakin' his head right now: called out on a blown call by the ump; held up at third on an easy score. How do you get all THAT outta your system?

Ah well, congrats Dan! Enjoy this one for as long as it lasts, and I hope it results in another WS ring for your team!

To be fair, had Lofton scored the BoSox would have won by 8 runs instead of 9.

Maybe, maybe not.

Had he scored, the momentum could have kept going in favor of the Indians. We can never predict how that shit would have played out.

Reality is, the wheels came off and the Indians collapsed. It would have been nice to see them back in the WS.

Everything seems to be working for Boston right now and that will make it very difficult for Colorado who has been playing baseball against themselves for the last week+.

[Dan Gould]

To be fair, had Lofton scored the BoSox would have won by 8 runs instead of 9.

Maybe, maybe not.

Had he scored, the momentum could have kept going in favor of the Indians. We can never predict how that shit would have played out.

This is definitely correct, because tying the score would have taken the fans out of the game at Fenway, at least to an extent, and maybe has an effect on the Sox hitters, too. Plus you never know how a missed opportunity weighs on the mind of a team, particularly on the road. Doubts creep in, and the next thing you know you've grooved one down the middle. I bet that if the Tribe had tied the score, Betancourt retires the side in order, and anything might have happened after that.

[skeith]

[ahem]

Sox vs Rocks in the WS!!!

You heard it here first.

So!

How stOOpid was I, Tribe fans?

Uh....Paging Skeith.

Well to repeat, Cleveland beat the Yanks when you said they wouldn't.

And in the ALCS Cleveland won 3 games, when you said they would win 1, that makes you 300% wrong

[skeith]

My Cleveland friends have my sincere sympathy as I've had my heart ripped out and stomped on many times before that streak of pain finally ended. I do think that the Indians are well-situated to get back to the playoffs and with a core of strong young players, hopefully they'll use this experience, take some motivation from it, and get it done next time. They'll have a huge step up if only Sabathia and Carmona get a harness on their emotions and pitch like they can.

Having said that, I also have to say that there isn't much to defend or complain about when your team takes a 3-1 lead and proceeds to allow your opponent to outscore you 30-5 over three games and allow 13 hits a game, too.

On this game in particular, despite the final score, it was one of the tensest Game Sevens I have ever watched, with so many critical moments. The Lofton situations - well, I understood the argument that maybe his hand got in there but the fact that in that situation, he never argued, suggested to me that the tag did get him, or else Lofton simply knew when the ball beat him to the base that he would be called out. We've all seen those calls before, sort of a close corollary to the "neighborhood play" - you're dead to rights when the ball arrives, you get called out.

As for Lofton not scoring - well, for years Red Sox fans would complain about their third base coach for sending guys to their doom ("Send Em In" Kim comes to mind) but I've never seen a situation where a bad decision to hold up a runner would lead to a post-season of angst. Did anyone else think that Lofton was running kind of weird? Like his hip or knees are bothering him? He didn't really look like he was even getting out of first gear as he was approaching third base.

It must really kill the Tribe fans that the final dagger through the heart was delivered by Betancourt, so untouchable for the last two months of the season and throughout the playoffs, and when it was absolutely critical to keep it a one run game - and then to keep it a three run game - he got crushed by little Dustin Pedroia.

I think the WS will be very interesting - I am already hearing about the Rox being the same type of team as the 2003 Marlins. Super young, got hot at the right time and rode a wave of feeling as if you couldn't lose all the way to a championship. Jayson Stark has already picked them on that basis. I know that they won 2 out of 3 at Fenway in June, but for one thing, that was at the very nadir of Schilling's season. I think he made one more start against the Braves and then went on the DL. So you can throw out that start, at least to an extent (I am fully aware though that he could blow up the same way on Thursday). Beckett's start is unlikely to be repeated too - that was his first loss of the season, and he was simply due to have a stinker.

I do know one thing for sure: the Rox may have impressive pitching, but they didn't face the Red Sox lineup, which is a long ways away from the one the D-Backs put out there.

But whatever happens, its been a great season. I'll just be extra happy if they can keep it going and get another ring, because I've seen more than a couple of obnoxious Yankee fans who like to tell Red Sox fans to enjoy the wait until 2090 to win another crown. Shutting them up will be the final step - we beat them in 2004, took the Division title, now their team may see major changes without Torre, and another championship would put a little distance between us in the category of "21st Century Baseball Titles".

Me likey!

Dan

Congratulations and thanks for the kind words. I could argue some of the calls and how much it might have affected the outcome but that would be sour grapes and given the rather wide run differential the bottom line is that a different Tribe team showed up for the last 3 games and so the Red Sox clearly dominated and clearly deserve to represent the AL in the World Series. Best of Luck.

Now does this mean you and Goodspeak are pals? Something positive out of tragedy.

[Noj]

Congrats Dan and BoSox fans. Condolences SS1 and Cleveland fans, I was pulling for you guys.

[Dan Gould]

Dan

Congratulations and thanks for the kind words. I could argue some of the calls and how much it might have affected the outcome but that would be sour grapes and given the rather wide run differential the bottom line is that a different Tribe team showed up for the last 3 games and so the Red Sox clearly dominated and clearly deserve to represent the AL in the World Series. Best of Luck.

Now does this mean you and Goodspeak are pals? Something positive out of tragedy.

I don't know if me and Goodie are pals but since we are pulling for the same team (I assume) then I guess we're allies now.

You know, its occurred to me that it took the greatest of daggers through the heart (the 2003 ALCS) for the Red Sox to get to the promised land the very next year. Maybe history will repeat and the Indians will make 2008 their own 2004 magic carpet ride. Aside from the Cubs, no other franchise deserves it more.

[skeith]

Goodspeak was rooting for the Sox, but now he wants the Rockies, right? Don't forget that the NL West is the premier division in Baseball.

So I guess you guys had a brief moment of friendship.