N.Y Times "Fast Talking: Yankees Say Tino Martinez Is Their Man" "Yarnall Ready..&quo

[yankoholics anonymous]

March 11, 2000

Fast Talking: Yankees Say Tino Martinez Is Their Man

By JACK CURRY
AMPA, Fla., March 10 -- Tino Martinez talks fast, real fast. Nervously fast -- too many thoughts jammed into the same sequence fast.
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First baseman Tino Martinez, left, and second baseman Chuck Knoblauch are half of the Yankee infield, at least for this season.
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Martinez is explaining how much he wants to stay with the Yankees, how he has been part of something special for three World Series championships and how difficult leaving would be.

But Martinez suddenly veers off in another direction, saying he understands baseball is a business; he realizes the Yankees might not offer him an extension and he would accept that development. Well, not accept it as if he really wants that to happen. Accept it because he had to. But he wants to stay. Understand?

It took Martinez about 10 minutes to dispense those thoughts in a rambling fashion. Ten minutes for Martinez to speculate about a future that is uncertain after this season, and to contemplate whether he should put his house in New Jersey up for sale, then live in Manhattan for what could be his last year with the Yankees.

"I want to have a consistent year, but the Yankees know what I can do," said Martinez, who had three hits, including a two-run homer, as the Yankees defeated the Phillies by 6-2 today. "I don't have to prove anything. They'll decide which way they want to go. I'm not a question mark."

The Yankees are in an excellent position at first base because they have a $6 million option on Martinez for 2001 and Nick Johnson poised at Class AAA Columbus. Johnson batted .345 at Class AA Norwich with 14 homers, 87 runs batted in and a .525 on-base percentage last year, but he needs work defensively.

If the Yankees think Martinez, who has hit 125 homers and driven in 486 runs over the last four seasons, can still be productive, $6 million is not an outlandish salary for him in 2001. But if Johnson improves at Columbus, the Yankees could summon the 21-year-old next year.

The Yankees are likely to play it safe by exercising Martinez's option, enabling them to bring Johnson along gradually.

"I don't think they will just pick it up for a year," Martinez said. "If we got that far, they'd want to keep me. If they didn't want to extend me, just trade me in July."

But it makes sense for the Yankees to wait with Martinez, who is in the final year of a five-year, $25 million deal.

While Martinez laughed about how quickly the Yankees rebuffed his request to discuss a three-year contract extension last month, Martinez, who is 32, obviously wonders why they declined to consider it.

"Tino is our guy," General Manager Brian Cashman said. "Nick is on the come and we like him, but he's never played above Double A. Tino has more championships to win with us."

Martinez spent three weeks before training camp fine-tuning his swing with Gary Denbo, the Yankees' hitting coordinator.

Last season Martinez was pulling off pitches or jumping at pitches when he wasn't far behind them.

He wants to have a consistent swing and consistent balance this season, with the goal of remaining in the same city.

"If I had good years here and never won a World Series, it would be easy to say, 'Get someone else in there,' " Martinez said. "But I feel like I've helped do some big things here. Do I deserve to stay? If I play well, yeah. But it's not my decision. It's tough. I like it here. I know how good it is."

INSIDE PITCH

ROGER CLEMENS was impressive in limiting the Phillies to one run on four hits over four innings Friday. Clemens exercised between innings for the second straight start to force himself to pitch while his body was weary. He said his legs felt strong, and his fastball reached the mid-90's and his breaking pitches were sharp, yet lacked location. . . . BERNIE WILLIAMS belted a two-run homer and RAMIRO MENDOZA, who had been plagued by bronchitis, pitched three innings as the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, in Sarasota, Fla., on Friday night. NICK JOHNSON left the game with a sprained right wrist.
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March 11, 2000

Yanks' Yarnall Ready for 1st Start

Filed at 12:41 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The projected final piece of the New York Yankees starting rotation is ready.

Left-hander Ed Yarnall will make his spring debut Sunday when the Yankees play Toronto and hopes he's over the back stiffness that has slowed him this spring.

``It will be good to get out there and do something,'' Yarnall said Saturday. ``They know what I'm capable of doing. Obviously, I have to go out there and do it.''

The Yankees were so confident Yarnall could fill the No. 5 role, the team dealt Hideki Irabu to Montreal during the offseason.

Yarnall went 13-4 with a 3.37 ERA in 23 starts at Triple-A Columbus. He impressed team officials during a short major-league stint, going 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA in five games.

``The veterans just get themselves in shape and make sure you can throw whatever pitches you need,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``He probably needs to be a little more effective. Not winning or losing -- that's not the important thing -- but command.''

Ramiro Mendoza is also getting consideration for final rotation spot. It's Yarnall's job to lose.

``The first start after what he has had, obviously you're not expecting the guy you're going to get later on,'' Torre said. ``I'm sure he'll put some pressure on himself on Sunday, but I think you can definitely cut him a little slack because he hasn't pitched.''

Yarnall is well aware of what he has to do.

``Early on, you just have to go out there and feel comfortable on the mound,'' Yarnall said. ``It's a like boxer out of the ring to long. You need a couple outings just to get comfortable.''
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Y.A

[yanksgirl24]

aww, he rambles, that is too cute! anyway - tino puts up good numbers, we know that. offensively he struggled a little last year, but still knocked in over a hundred runs and was outstanding when it came to defense. we know tino is here this year and very possibly next year. lets not rush johnson through the minor league system to then find out he wasn't quite ready for the full time job yet. there is also the possibilty the yankees could pull a girardi/posada deal with tino and johnson. lets not get ahead of ourselves yet, we know tino wants to stay a yankee. lets just see what happens.

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bthl's #1 fan
pres. of the bthl fan club

I am sad to see you go but keep your hopes up and something good will happen to you. Don't go out there not knowing what you want or people will take advantage of you, so take charge and be on your merry way.
CB 6/99

[seahorse]

I can't wait to see Eddie tomorrow!

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A39FC
Best GoYanks!