JETER JUMPS TO HONOR JACKIE
JETER JUMPS TO HONOR JACKIE
By GEORGE KING
April 12, 2007 --
MINNEAPOLIS - Joe Torre, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano will join Mariano Rivera wearing "42" Sunday in Oakland against the A's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major-league debut.
"It was an easy decision for me," said Jeter, who asked to wear the number when he found out multiple players from teams were going to don it. "It will bring attention to what Jackie stood for, not only in baseball but society. If there is one player I would have wanted to play with and talk to it would be Jackie."
Torre grew up a Giants fan in Brooklyn so Robinson was the enemy. Nevertheless, Robinson the man certainly impressed Torre.
"When I realized other people called to do it, being from New York and shaking the man's hand one time," Torre said of his decision. "Knowing that the game was completely different and that he opened the door."
Cano's father named him after Robinson.
Rivera, the only active player to wear "42" because he had it before MLB retired it in 1997, said he believes every player in the big leagues should wear it Sunday.
"The whole team should wear it because it's something special," said Rivera, who was given the number upon his return from the minor leagues in 1995. "That's a special day for a special player. Make it special. The legacy Jackie left for us and for me to be the last one to wear "42" to me it's an honor I wear it as an honor."
*
Yankees pitchers were thriving in the clutch going into last night's game. In the previous four tilts, opposing hitters were batting an anemic .194 (6-for-31) with runners in scoring position. In the previous two tilts (both wins), they were batting .167 (3-for-18). That remained intact through the first five frames last night when the Twins went 0-for-5 against Mike Mussina and Sean Henn. But the Twins finished 4-for-7 in the clutch against Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.
*
Cashman said yesterday that Jeff Karstens will need "at least one rehab start but not more than two." Karstens is on the DL with a right elbow problem. The GM said staff ace Chien-Ming Wang will need at least two rehab games.
*
According to Cashman, pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras has changed Humberto Sanchez's arm action on his curveball to take the stress off the elbow.
"Nardi tweaked his curveball because he was hyper-extending his elbow when he threw it and that led to the problem," Cashman said of the right-hander who is on the DL with elbow tendinitis. Acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade, Sanchez is throwing bullpen sessions in Tampa.
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
By GEORGE KING
April 12, 2007 --
MINNEAPOLIS - Joe Torre, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano will join Mariano Rivera wearing "42" Sunday in Oakland against the A's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major-league debut.
"It was an easy decision for me," said Jeter, who asked to wear the number when he found out multiple players from teams were going to don it. "It will bring attention to what Jackie stood for, not only in baseball but society. If there is one player I would have wanted to play with and talk to it would be Jackie."
Torre grew up a Giants fan in Brooklyn so Robinson was the enemy. Nevertheless, Robinson the man certainly impressed Torre.
"When I realized other people called to do it, being from New York and shaking the man's hand one time," Torre said of his decision. "Knowing that the game was completely different and that he opened the door."
Cano's father named him after Robinson.
Rivera, the only active player to wear "42" because he had it before MLB retired it in 1997, said he believes every player in the big leagues should wear it Sunday.
"The whole team should wear it because it's something special," said Rivera, who was given the number upon his return from the minor leagues in 1995. "That's a special day for a special player. Make it special. The legacy Jackie left for us and for me to be the last one to wear "42" to me it's an honor I wear it as an honor."
*
Yankees pitchers were thriving in the clutch going into last night's game. In the previous four tilts, opposing hitters were batting an anemic .194 (6-for-31) with runners in scoring position. In the previous two tilts (both wins), they were batting .167 (3-for-18). That remained intact through the first five frames last night when the Twins went 0-for-5 against Mike Mussina and Sean Henn. But the Twins finished 4-for-7 in the clutch against Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.
*
Cashman said yesterday that Jeff Karstens will need "at least one rehab start but not more than two." Karstens is on the DL with a right elbow problem. The GM said staff ace Chien-Ming Wang will need at least two rehab games.
*
According to Cashman, pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras has changed Humberto Sanchez's arm action on his curveball to take the stress off the elbow.
"Nardi tweaked his curveball because he was hyper-extending his elbow when he threw it and that led to the problem," Cashman said of the right-hander who is on the DL with elbow tendinitis. Acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade, Sanchez is throwing bullpen sessions in Tampa.
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
posted by Walking Contradiction at 12:13 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home