GaryMrMets
01-04-2005, 03:15 PM
This top 10 is according to the New York Daily News www.nydailynews.com
# 10
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265545p-227426c.html
Yanks try to get Unit for Christmas
By MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
With Curt Schilling in Boston, former staff aces Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in Houston and David Wells in San Diego, the Yankees pitching staff was a major question mark entering the 2004 season.
By mid-year, the starting rotation had already logged significant time on the DL - and still didn't include a single lefthander. Come October, Schilling, bloody heel and all, helped vanquish the Bombers in the ALCS, as the Red Sox mounted the greatest comeback in postseason history. Much of the blame fell on the Yankees' pitching - an overworked bullpen, Kevin Brown's temper and ineffectiveness and Javier Vazquez's home run pitches.
No surprise, then, that the Daily News' 10th biggest Big Apple sports story of 2004 is the Yankees' pursuit - still ongoing - of Randy Johnson, a future Hall of Fame lefty and one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.
This July, the Yankees attempted to make a deadline deal with Arizona to bring Johnson to the Bronx. But it was a no-go; Arizona wanted prospects, and didn't like the ones the Yanks were offering. Without Johnson, the Yankees fell apart in the playoffs and the 41-year-old ace quickly became their top offseason priority.
When conversations between the clubs began again after the season, the Diamondbacks initially wanted too much - and the Yankees balked. Arizona's demand of Vazquez, Tom Gordon, $19 million in cash and a crop of prospects, plus another pitcher from a list of 10 the Yanks would first have to acquire from a third team, was apparently too rich even for the Yankees' blood.
But shortly thereafter, the Dodgers entered the picture and a blockbuster trade seemed imminent. Reportedly, the Yanks were to get Johnson and pitcher Kaz Ishii, the Diamondbacks would get slugger Shawn Green and pitchers Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden, while L.A. would receive Vazquez and Yankee minor leaguers Eric Duncan and Dioner Navarro, plus Arizona pitcher Mike Koplove.
Just when it looked like Yankee fans were getting the Big Unit for Christmas, the trade was nixed at the last minute by the Dodgers, who were feeling the heat after losing third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Steve Finley to free agency. All of a sudden, giving up Green for an uncertain pitcher and prospects didn't seem quite as attractive, though Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said the deal fell apart partly because he believed Vazquez was reluctant to move his family to the West Coast.
Whatever the case, as 2004 comes to a close Randy Johnson is still in Arizona. But George Steinbrenner usually gets his man and it's still possible - even likely - that the Big Unit will eventually don pinstripes.
Stay tuned.
Originally published on December 26, 2004
http://www.nydailynews.com/images/graphics/top10image.jpg
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# 9
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265670p-227529c.html
Golden child
Big Blue banks future on younger Manning
BY MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
When the San Diego Chargers made Peyton Manning's little brother the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, the Madison Square Garden crowd booed him.
"Eli (stinks)!" some shouted after the announcement was read, making it clear they were none too pleased with the rumors that the much-hyped young quarterback might stubbornly refuse to sign with San Diego.
About an hour later, when he was traded to the hometown Giants - for No.4 pick Philip Rivers, a third-round selection and Big Blue's first- and fifth-round picks in next year's draft - the jeers got even louder.
While the crowd at the Garden continued to seethe, the son of former all-pro quarterback Archie Manning was taken to his new home, Giants Stadium, to pose for another round of pictures - this time holding a blue No.10 jersey.
For Eli Manning, it wouldn't be his last experience with a tough New York audience this year: After weeks of watching from the sidelines as Kurt Warner was battered by opposing defenses, Manning finally got the starting job he's expected to have for years to come.
In the process, he also secured the ninth spot in the Daily News' Top 10 New York sports stories of 2004.
While Ben Roethlisberger - selected 11th in the same draft by Pittsburgh - has enjoyed a dominating rookie season leading a top Super Bowl contender, Manning has had a rough time of it. He's yet to win a game as a starter and his team, after a promising 4-1 start, saw its playoff hopes evaporate.
Not everyone hits the ground running, of course. Peyton Manning made an impressive NFL debut in 1998, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards.
Still, his Colts finished 3-13 and his career-high 28 interceptions outnumbered his touchdown passes (26). But Eli has had a particularly shaky beginning, including a crushing defeat two weeks ago in Baltimore when he went 4-for-18 for just 27 yards and two interceptions - a 0.0 quarterback rating - and lost a fumble before being replaced by Warner in the fourth quarter.
Showing his faith in the 23-year-old, Giants coach Tom Coughlin kept him in the starting spot the following week and Manning responded, throwing a pair of TDs and keeping the game close in a near-upset of Roethlisberger and the Steelers, who escaped with a 33-30 win. Yesterday, Manning and the Giants lost another close game, 23-22 to the Bengals, their eighth straight defeat.
The Giants had to settle for five field goals and a Tiki Barber touchdown run - and the game was sealed when Manning threw his only interception of the day with 28 seconds to play.
Overall, the season has had more downs than ups for Manning - and some fans are bemoaning what they feel is another lost year.
But more patient partisans understand that if Manning is to be the future of the Giants, that future had to begin eventually.
In 2004, for better or worse, it did.
Originally published on December 27, 2004
*******************
# 8
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265942p-227759c.html
Shea shakeup brings Minaya back home
BY MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The Mets had traded highly touted minor league pitchers Scott Kazmir and Matt Peterson for a 2004 playoff run that never happened. Manager Art Howe was informed, to little surprise, that he'd be fired at season's end. And, as usual, the Mets were being overshadowed by the crosstown rival Yankees.
But positive change was afoot. The Expos were moving to Washington, making a free agent of their league-hired general manager Omar Minaya, the Mets' former assistant GM, a Dominican who grew up in New York and had helped sign Jose Reyes and Melvin Mora for the Mets and Sammy Sosa for the Rangers.
Minaya had seen players, like fellow Dominican Vladimir Guerrero, leave Montreal for a bigger spotlight and better pay. Now the team itself was leaving, for much the same reasons - and Minaya wasn't going with it.
The Mets pounced. On Sept. 30 - a day the Yankees won their 100th game and a day before the Mets lost their 90th - the club introduced him as its new GM, making Jim Duquette, the general manager at the time, his second in command. Minaya vowed to bring legitimacy to Shea Stadium and began a search for the new Mets manager in earnest.
Letting Howe go and hiring Minaya were the first two steps the Mets organization took at the end of a third straight sub-.500 season, in a shakeup of leadership significant enough to merit the eighth spot on the Daily News' list of the top 10 New York sports stories of 2004.
The third step was bringing in Willie Randolph as manager. Randolph had moved from second base to the Yankees' front office to third base coach and then bench coach. He wrapped up his playing career as a Met, but his ties to the Bombers clearly were stronger.
While a coach, Randolph had been passed over for a number of major league managerial positions, though he was quite often cited as a leading candidate. It was a job many felt he deserved and Minaya finally gave it to him.
Though every move has its naysayers, the signing of Randolph - who learned to play the game as a child in Brooklyn - has gone over extremely well. Only time will tell if Randolph will prove himself, but few doubt his potential.
If nothing else, there is reason to believe the 2005 season could be better than the last. In the weeks that followed the addition of Randolph, Minaya has continued to make moves to bring esteem to the franchise, vigorously pursuing top free agents and bringing in some new blood - an example of which might very well find a place later in the Daily News countdown.
Since losing the Subway Series to the Yankees in 2000, the Mets are 58 games below .500. They likely won't even that out in '05, but a case could made that they're already off to a pretty good start.
"The truth is we have a lot of work to do," Minaya told the Daily News in the first days after he was hired. "I don't want to give fans the hope that we're close. I just want to give the fans the hope that we're going to work hard at making it better."
Originally published on December 28, 2004
# 10
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265545p-227426c.html
Yanks try to get Unit for Christmas
By MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
With Curt Schilling in Boston, former staff aces Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in Houston and David Wells in San Diego, the Yankees pitching staff was a major question mark entering the 2004 season.
By mid-year, the starting rotation had already logged significant time on the DL - and still didn't include a single lefthander. Come October, Schilling, bloody heel and all, helped vanquish the Bombers in the ALCS, as the Red Sox mounted the greatest comeback in postseason history. Much of the blame fell on the Yankees' pitching - an overworked bullpen, Kevin Brown's temper and ineffectiveness and Javier Vazquez's home run pitches.
No surprise, then, that the Daily News' 10th biggest Big Apple sports story of 2004 is the Yankees' pursuit - still ongoing - of Randy Johnson, a future Hall of Fame lefty and one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.
This July, the Yankees attempted to make a deadline deal with Arizona to bring Johnson to the Bronx. But it was a no-go; Arizona wanted prospects, and didn't like the ones the Yanks were offering. Without Johnson, the Yankees fell apart in the playoffs and the 41-year-old ace quickly became their top offseason priority.
When conversations between the clubs began again after the season, the Diamondbacks initially wanted too much - and the Yankees balked. Arizona's demand of Vazquez, Tom Gordon, $19 million in cash and a crop of prospects, plus another pitcher from a list of 10 the Yanks would first have to acquire from a third team, was apparently too rich even for the Yankees' blood.
But shortly thereafter, the Dodgers entered the picture and a blockbuster trade seemed imminent. Reportedly, the Yanks were to get Johnson and pitcher Kaz Ishii, the Diamondbacks would get slugger Shawn Green and pitchers Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden, while L.A. would receive Vazquez and Yankee minor leaguers Eric Duncan and Dioner Navarro, plus Arizona pitcher Mike Koplove.
Just when it looked like Yankee fans were getting the Big Unit for Christmas, the trade was nixed at the last minute by the Dodgers, who were feeling the heat after losing third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Steve Finley to free agency. All of a sudden, giving up Green for an uncertain pitcher and prospects didn't seem quite as attractive, though Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said the deal fell apart partly because he believed Vazquez was reluctant to move his family to the West Coast.
Whatever the case, as 2004 comes to a close Randy Johnson is still in Arizona. But George Steinbrenner usually gets his man and it's still possible - even likely - that the Big Unit will eventually don pinstripes.
Stay tuned.
Originally published on December 26, 2004
http://www.nydailynews.com/images/graphics/top10image.jpg
*******************
# 9
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265670p-227529c.html
Golden child
Big Blue banks future on younger Manning
BY MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
When the San Diego Chargers made Peyton Manning's little brother the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, the Madison Square Garden crowd booed him.
"Eli (stinks)!" some shouted after the announcement was read, making it clear they were none too pleased with the rumors that the much-hyped young quarterback might stubbornly refuse to sign with San Diego.
About an hour later, when he was traded to the hometown Giants - for No.4 pick Philip Rivers, a third-round selection and Big Blue's first- and fifth-round picks in next year's draft - the jeers got even louder.
While the crowd at the Garden continued to seethe, the son of former all-pro quarterback Archie Manning was taken to his new home, Giants Stadium, to pose for another round of pictures - this time holding a blue No.10 jersey.
For Eli Manning, it wouldn't be his last experience with a tough New York audience this year: After weeks of watching from the sidelines as Kurt Warner was battered by opposing defenses, Manning finally got the starting job he's expected to have for years to come.
In the process, he also secured the ninth spot in the Daily News' Top 10 New York sports stories of 2004.
While Ben Roethlisberger - selected 11th in the same draft by Pittsburgh - has enjoyed a dominating rookie season leading a top Super Bowl contender, Manning has had a rough time of it. He's yet to win a game as a starter and his team, after a promising 4-1 start, saw its playoff hopes evaporate.
Not everyone hits the ground running, of course. Peyton Manning made an impressive NFL debut in 1998, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards.
Still, his Colts finished 3-13 and his career-high 28 interceptions outnumbered his touchdown passes (26). But Eli has had a particularly shaky beginning, including a crushing defeat two weeks ago in Baltimore when he went 4-for-18 for just 27 yards and two interceptions - a 0.0 quarterback rating - and lost a fumble before being replaced by Warner in the fourth quarter.
Showing his faith in the 23-year-old, Giants coach Tom Coughlin kept him in the starting spot the following week and Manning responded, throwing a pair of TDs and keeping the game close in a near-upset of Roethlisberger and the Steelers, who escaped with a 33-30 win. Yesterday, Manning and the Giants lost another close game, 23-22 to the Bengals, their eighth straight defeat.
The Giants had to settle for five field goals and a Tiki Barber touchdown run - and the game was sealed when Manning threw his only interception of the day with 28 seconds to play.
Overall, the season has had more downs than ups for Manning - and some fans are bemoaning what they feel is another lost year.
But more patient partisans understand that if Manning is to be the future of the Giants, that future had to begin eventually.
In 2004, for better or worse, it did.
Originally published on December 27, 2004
*******************
# 8
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/265942p-227759c.html
Shea shakeup brings Minaya back home
BY MATT MARRONE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The Mets had traded highly touted minor league pitchers Scott Kazmir and Matt Peterson for a 2004 playoff run that never happened. Manager Art Howe was informed, to little surprise, that he'd be fired at season's end. And, as usual, the Mets were being overshadowed by the crosstown rival Yankees.
But positive change was afoot. The Expos were moving to Washington, making a free agent of their league-hired general manager Omar Minaya, the Mets' former assistant GM, a Dominican who grew up in New York and had helped sign Jose Reyes and Melvin Mora for the Mets and Sammy Sosa for the Rangers.
Minaya had seen players, like fellow Dominican Vladimir Guerrero, leave Montreal for a bigger spotlight and better pay. Now the team itself was leaving, for much the same reasons - and Minaya wasn't going with it.
The Mets pounced. On Sept. 30 - a day the Yankees won their 100th game and a day before the Mets lost their 90th - the club introduced him as its new GM, making Jim Duquette, the general manager at the time, his second in command. Minaya vowed to bring legitimacy to Shea Stadium and began a search for the new Mets manager in earnest.
Letting Howe go and hiring Minaya were the first two steps the Mets organization took at the end of a third straight sub-.500 season, in a shakeup of leadership significant enough to merit the eighth spot on the Daily News' list of the top 10 New York sports stories of 2004.
The third step was bringing in Willie Randolph as manager. Randolph had moved from second base to the Yankees' front office to third base coach and then bench coach. He wrapped up his playing career as a Met, but his ties to the Bombers clearly were stronger.
While a coach, Randolph had been passed over for a number of major league managerial positions, though he was quite often cited as a leading candidate. It was a job many felt he deserved and Minaya finally gave it to him.
Though every move has its naysayers, the signing of Randolph - who learned to play the game as a child in Brooklyn - has gone over extremely well. Only time will tell if Randolph will prove himself, but few doubt his potential.
If nothing else, there is reason to believe the 2005 season could be better than the last. In the weeks that followed the addition of Randolph, Minaya has continued to make moves to bring esteem to the franchise, vigorously pursuing top free agents and bringing in some new blood - an example of which might very well find a place later in the Daily News countdown.
Since losing the Subway Series to the Yankees in 2000, the Mets are 58 games below .500. They likely won't even that out in '05, but a case could made that they're already off to a pretty good start.
"The truth is we have a lot of work to do," Minaya told the Daily News in the first days after he was hired. "I don't want to give fans the hope that we're close. I just want to give the fans the hope that we're going to work hard at making it better."
Originally published on December 28, 2004