From: Alan & Erin Williams (williams5@mindspring.com)
> Instead, the Yanks got Boone and the Dodgers did nothing.
They got Ventura from the Yankees.
We noticed all this up in the NW corner of the world, as according to most
sources, the only reason the Yankees got Boone was because the Mariners
were trying to get him, and were willing to help Boston out with a 3-way
deal to do so.
It's a day-to-day existence for new-look Yankees
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com
Aaron Boone's new life as a Yankee began last Thursday with a
old-fashioned conference call, which was no surprise considering the
team was on the West Coast and Boone was en route to meet them. No
overflow press gathering, no luncheon at "21" and no face-to-face with
owner George Steinbrenner, who was in Tampa making sure every one of
his lieutenants was on the phone gushing over the trade.
Incredibly, there were nine officials on the line, including GM Brian
Cashman and president Randy Levine. The Yankees were obviously
advertising their unity in acquiring Boone, but to bludgeon the point,
Levine began the call by describing just how "together" they were in
the decision to surrender rookie lefty Brandon Claussen.
Levine invoked that very word --"together" -- nine times in the first
five minutes. Count 'em. Nine. Once for each executive on the line.
Steinbrenner was missing, of course, but it was he who generated the
panic --or at the very least, the heightened awareness -- of the Red
Sox that led to the Yankees' 11th-hour frenzy. It all began with the
Yankees losing 2-of-3 to the Sox at Fenway a week and a half ago,
compelling the Bombers to rethink Claussen's status as an untouchable.
Until that point, the Yankees were busy projecting him as a fixture in
the 2004 rotation, given Roger Clemens' impending retirement, free
agency for both Andy Pettitte and David Wells and a mysterious
shoulder injury which has kept Jose Contreras on the disabled list for
nearly two months.
Claussen was young and cheap and blessed with impressive stuff, still
intact after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Yankees trusted
him enough to start him against the Mets on June 28, when he allowed
just one earned run in 6.1 innings. To any club who inquired about
Claussen -- like the Reds, who'd wanted him and Nick Johnson and $2.5
million for closer Scott Williamson -- the Yankees said: No chance.
But as July was ready to yield to August, the Yankees suddenly felt
the Red Sox breathing hotly on their necks, just 1=BD games out after
the Fenway series. Boston GM Theo Epstein had already won the
tug-of-war for lefty set-up man Scott Sauerbeck, forcing the Yankees
to settle for Jesse Orosco. And Epstein would soon snare Williamson,
too.
So when the Yankees heard that Epstein was about to strike again --
this time, he'd targeted Boone and was prepared to send him to the
Mariners for Freddy Garcia -- the Yankees rearranged every previous
priority, including finding a new right fielder to replace Raul
Mondesi.
The Yankees were leaning toward Pittsburgh's Brian Giles, and there
was talk of a push for Montreal's Vladimir Guerrero, even Texas' Juan
Gonzalez despite the fact he'd vetoed a trade to New York three years
ago and would almost certainly do so again. What the Yankees weren't
chasing, at least not until the final 24 hours before the deadline,
was another third baseman. At least not until an internal decision was
made to keep Boone away from the Sox, and to do whatever it took to
achieve that goal -- including trading Claussen.
Of course, no one doubted Cashman when he expressed regret over losing
Claussen -- "we still believe he's going to have a fine career," the
GM said -- but he insisted the timing of the deal had nothing to do
with the Red Sox's surge and everything to do with the collapse of the
Reds' regime, which made Boone available.
Instead, Cashman said, "this was too good of an opportunity to pass
up." True or not, the Yankees accomplished the immediate goal of
upgrading at third base, even though Boone's arrival all but ends the
Drew Henson experiment. Going into the weekend, the former Michigan
quarterback was hitting .228 with 12 homers and 56 RBI at Triple-A
Columbus along with 21 errors.
"This deal speaks volumes about where we are with Henson," is how
Cashman bluntly put it. Meaning, Henson could either consider
switching to the outfield, or else return the prorated portion of his
$17 million signing bonus and get on with a career in the NFL.
As for Boone, he struggled in his debut in pinstripes, going 2-for-11
as the Yankees were losing 2-of-3 to the A's over the weekend. Still,
he gives the Yankees a younger, quicker version of Robin Ventura and
allows manager Joe Torre flexibility to navigate around several
in-house droughts.
Even after going 2-for-3 on Sunday, Alfonso Soriano is still only
batting .206 since the All-Star break and has been moved down to the
No. 7 spot in the batting order. His leadoff spot has been assumed by
Derek Jeter, who's currently batting .323 with a .394 on-base
percentage. Jeter's No. 2 spot is, for now, occupied by Bernie
Williams, while Boone is hitting sixth.
Right field will continue to be a "patchwork" equation, according to
Cashman, although newly-acquired David Dellucci's defense alone should
earn him most of the at-bats, particularly ahead of the ungraceful
Ruben Sierra. Still, don't discount the possibility of the Yankees
making one more, high-profile trade for an outfielder before
September 1.
If the Boone-for-Claussen swap has taught us anything, it's that the
Yankees' horizons extend no further than the next 24 hours. Losing
Claussen hurts, but to dress the wound, the Bombers intend to fall
back on an old Steinbrenner remedy:
Write someone a bigger check next year.
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