Yankee 21
02-08-2002, 05:58 PM
New-look Yanks eye another title
After 2001 shocker, Yankees ready to regain crown
By Mark Feinsand
MLB.com
Yankees at a glance
Yankees preview on MLB Radio
NEW YORK -- Spring Training is typically a time for teammates to catch up on the past few months, get back into game shape and prepare for the 162-game campaign ahead. For the New York Yankees, Spring Training 2002 will be a time to learn everyone's names.
The Yankees enter the 2002 season with a brand-new look, having brought in a half-dozen new players of note via trades and free agency. Manager Joe Torre said that the fresh crop of talent in the clubhouse shouldn't affect the team's chemistry, as the organization was careful to examine the personalities of the players as well as their abilities.
How different will Spring Training be for Torre, who will have to rely on veterans like Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens to help welcome in the new troops?
"Well, for starters, people will actually listen to some of my speeches, because they haven't heard them before," said Torre. "Not that there are any great revelations coming out of my mouth, it's just about the way we do things and what I expect. It's going to be fun. I think our clubhouse will be a nice place to be."
Unlike last season, the Yankees will not have much competition for starting jobs this spring. The biggest battle will be between Shane Spencer and John Vander Wal for the right field job, though a platoon is a possibility as well. Torre said he is eager to see how Spencer performs, given the opportunity to win a starting spot. Spencer missed all of last Spring Training with a knee injury, costing him a shot at the left field job.
"This will be a good time for him to try to settle into a spot," said Torre, indicating that it may be Spencer's job to lose.
"Shane needs to show that he can hit right-handers more, and John is a veteran left-handed bat," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "It could be a platoon situation, or one where someone earns the job on a daily basis. It's going to be a good, healthy competition. Joe is going to see how it plays out."
There will be some roster decisions for Torre to make. The final two spots in the bullpen are not settled, and there are numerous candidates for a few bench jobs, but figuring out how to utilize his new starters will be the most important thing for the Yankee skipper.
"I've been asked about a lineup, and I'll do a lot more experimenting than I have in the past," Torre said. "We have a lot more new players here."
Those players include Jason Giambi, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Vander Wal, Robin Ventura and David Wells -- not to mention 25-plus non-roster invitees. One of them is Ron Coomer, who Torre feels may play a big part for the team this season.
"Right now we have 67 players coming to Spring Training, and normally that's reserved for teams that didn't finish first," Torre said. "We've done that every year, having 60-plus players. It makes it a little crowded, but it's one of those things."
But baseball is baseball, right? Ventura, who spent the last three years with the Mets, said that walking into a clubhouse for the first time can be awkward, but as long as you put in the work, things have a way of working out.
"Every year is exciting. When you go to a new team, there's some anxiety that goes along with it," Ventura said. "It's the same as when I signed with the Mets. You sit there and observe, try to mix into what's going on. This is a great team, and I'll try to mix in the best I can. You don't go in there making a loud statement -- you just get to work."
Those words are music to Torre's ears. He knows that repeating as American League champions will be tough, as teams like Seattle, Oakland and Boston will be targeting the Yankees all season. As long as his new players come into camp with the same energy and desire that his players have always shown, he will be satisfied.
"When you win, people are out to shoot you down. Just because you won the year before, it doesn't guarantee you anything, you don't get a free ticket anywhere," Torre said. "If anything, it makes you work harder to stay the same. We're going to do it with different people, but with the same resolve. That's the important thing.
"I think enough people that haven't been here before will know what is expected from them," added Torre. "I have never demanded anything other than an effort and preparation. In Spring Training games, winning isn't important, but playing to win is important. The record isn't as important as getting into the habit of playing hard."
After 2001 shocker, Yankees ready to regain crown
By Mark Feinsand
MLB.com
Yankees at a glance
Yankees preview on MLB Radio
NEW YORK -- Spring Training is typically a time for teammates to catch up on the past few months, get back into game shape and prepare for the 162-game campaign ahead. For the New York Yankees, Spring Training 2002 will be a time to learn everyone's names.
The Yankees enter the 2002 season with a brand-new look, having brought in a half-dozen new players of note via trades and free agency. Manager Joe Torre said that the fresh crop of talent in the clubhouse shouldn't affect the team's chemistry, as the organization was careful to examine the personalities of the players as well as their abilities.
How different will Spring Training be for Torre, who will have to rely on veterans like Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens to help welcome in the new troops?
"Well, for starters, people will actually listen to some of my speeches, because they haven't heard them before," said Torre. "Not that there are any great revelations coming out of my mouth, it's just about the way we do things and what I expect. It's going to be fun. I think our clubhouse will be a nice place to be."
Unlike last season, the Yankees will not have much competition for starting jobs this spring. The biggest battle will be between Shane Spencer and John Vander Wal for the right field job, though a platoon is a possibility as well. Torre said he is eager to see how Spencer performs, given the opportunity to win a starting spot. Spencer missed all of last Spring Training with a knee injury, costing him a shot at the left field job.
"This will be a good time for him to try to settle into a spot," said Torre, indicating that it may be Spencer's job to lose.
"Shane needs to show that he can hit right-handers more, and John is a veteran left-handed bat," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "It could be a platoon situation, or one where someone earns the job on a daily basis. It's going to be a good, healthy competition. Joe is going to see how it plays out."
There will be some roster decisions for Torre to make. The final two spots in the bullpen are not settled, and there are numerous candidates for a few bench jobs, but figuring out how to utilize his new starters will be the most important thing for the Yankee skipper.
"I've been asked about a lineup, and I'll do a lot more experimenting than I have in the past," Torre said. "We have a lot more new players here."
Those players include Jason Giambi, Steve Karsay, Rondell White, Vander Wal, Robin Ventura and David Wells -- not to mention 25-plus non-roster invitees. One of them is Ron Coomer, who Torre feels may play a big part for the team this season.
"Right now we have 67 players coming to Spring Training, and normally that's reserved for teams that didn't finish first," Torre said. "We've done that every year, having 60-plus players. It makes it a little crowded, but it's one of those things."
But baseball is baseball, right? Ventura, who spent the last three years with the Mets, said that walking into a clubhouse for the first time can be awkward, but as long as you put in the work, things have a way of working out.
"Every year is exciting. When you go to a new team, there's some anxiety that goes along with it," Ventura said. "It's the same as when I signed with the Mets. You sit there and observe, try to mix into what's going on. This is a great team, and I'll try to mix in the best I can. You don't go in there making a loud statement -- you just get to work."
Those words are music to Torre's ears. He knows that repeating as American League champions will be tough, as teams like Seattle, Oakland and Boston will be targeting the Yankees all season. As long as his new players come into camp with the same energy and desire that his players have always shown, he will be satisfied.
"When you win, people are out to shoot you down. Just because you won the year before, it doesn't guarantee you anything, you don't get a free ticket anywhere," Torre said. "If anything, it makes you work harder to stay the same. We're going to do it with different people, but with the same resolve. That's the important thing.
"I think enough people that haven't been here before will know what is expected from them," added Torre. "I have never demanded anything other than an effort and preparation. In Spring Training games, winning isn't important, but playing to win is important. The record isn't as important as getting into the habit of playing hard."