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Almost certain he's stepping down after 10 years as New York
Yankees pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre had harsh words Wednesday for George
Steinbrenner and the owner's treatment of manager Joe Torre.
Speaking in the Yankees clubhouse where he's spent 21 seasons as a player
and coach, Stottlemyre said he interpreted Steinbrenner's statement following
the Yankees' elimination by the Los Angeles Angels as a slap at Torre.
Steinbrenner said Tuesday: ``I congratulate the Angels and their manager on the
great job they've done.''
``I laughed when I saw it,'' Stottlemyre said. ``My first thoughts were,
`What about Joe? Joe had done a hell of a job, too.' To congratulate the other
manager and not congratulate your own after what he'd done this year, I
laughed.''
A Yankees coach since Torre took over as manager following the 1995 season,
Stottlemyre criticized the schism between the team's New York and Tampa, Fla.,
offices and said Torre's job status shouldn't be questioned.
``I think it's absolutely ridiculous,'' he said. ``I've been here with Joe
for 10 years and this has by far been the toughest year for him, and it's the
best job he's done. He's done a good job year in and year out -- this year the
job he's done was really special because he had a lot of things to battle
through.''
Steinbrenner had nothing to say Wednesday, spokesman Howard Rubenstein said.
Torre, signed through 2007 and owed $13.1 million, did not appear in the
clubhouse Wednesday, and Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone was unsure when the
manager would make his end-of-season summation.
General manager Brian Cashman, whose contract expires at the end of the
month, also wasn't in the clubhouse and didn't return a telephone call.
Third base coach Luis Sojo said that after the Angels beat the Yankees 5-3
in Game 5 on Monday night in Anaheim and advanced to the AL championship
series, Alex Rodriguez came to the coaches' room and apologized for his hitting
.133 (2-for-15) with no RBIs in the playoffs.
``He blamed himself,'' Sojo said. ``I think he took it personal. ... He
said, `I'm sorry, guys.' ... He felt like he let us down.''
Speaking as clubhouse attendants packed boxes of players' belongings and
equipment, Stottlemyre revealed that he decided to resign in May, which is when
criticism began as the Yankees slumped to an 11-19 start, their worst in 39
seasons.
Stottlemyre has threatened to leave after several seasons but came back each
time. He said the second-guessing had a ``cumulative'' affect over the years.
``I found it weighed a little bit on my thinking off the field. Basically,
that's why I made my mind up,'' he said.
``It's a very difficult decision, but I guess I didn't forget very easily
what went on during the course of the year,'' he added, his voice filling with
emotion.
Without going into specifics, he made clear there was a split between the
team's two offices.
``Sometimes you have to satisfy two separate groups of people, and it
shouldn't be that way. It should be you should just have to satisfy one
group,'' Stottlemyre said. ``Something needs to be done to have everybody
always on the same page.''
He said that if he spoke to potential replacements for himself, he wasn't
sure whether he would recommend the job. He also said criticism got to Torre
during this season.
``I think it affected him a little bit more this year, much the same way it
did me,'' he said. ``I think after a period of time it's going to wear on
anybody.''
While he hasn't spoken with Steinbrenner since spring training, Stottlemyre
said criticism had filtered down. He said he would give the owner advice if
Steinbrenner would listen.
``Nothing I would like more than (to) sit down 30 minutes for a conversation
with him. He'd probably understand how I feel,'' Stottlemyre said. ``That won't
happen.''
He contrasted his departure with that of bench coach Don Zimmer, who
criticized Steinbrenner when he left after the 2003 season.
``I'm leaving happy,'' Stottlemyre said. ``It may not sound like I am.
Zimmer didn't leave happy. In that sense it's much different.''
Only a few players were in the clubhouse to clean out their lockers.
Reliever Tanyon Sturtze talked about the team's charter flight home after the
final loss, a departure delayed for 3 1/2 hours at the Ontario, Calif., airport by
mechanical problems, then interrupted by a stop in Houston to change crews.
``That was the most miserable night ever,'' he said.
Yankees pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre had harsh words Wednesday for George
Steinbrenner and the owner's treatment of manager Joe Torre.
Speaking in the Yankees clubhouse where he's spent 21 seasons as a player
and coach, Stottlemyre said he interpreted Steinbrenner's statement following
the Yankees' elimination by the Los Angeles Angels as a slap at Torre.
Steinbrenner said Tuesday: ``I congratulate the Angels and their manager on the
great job they've done.''
``I laughed when I saw it,'' Stottlemyre said. ``My first thoughts were,
`What about Joe? Joe had done a hell of a job, too.' To congratulate the other
manager and not congratulate your own after what he'd done this year, I
laughed.''
A Yankees coach since Torre took over as manager following the 1995 season,
Stottlemyre criticized the schism between the team's New York and Tampa, Fla.,
offices and said Torre's job status shouldn't be questioned.
``I think it's absolutely ridiculous,'' he said. ``I've been here with Joe
for 10 years and this has by far been the toughest year for him, and it's the
best job he's done. He's done a good job year in and year out -- this year the
job he's done was really special because he had a lot of things to battle
through.''
Steinbrenner had nothing to say Wednesday, spokesman Howard Rubenstein said.
Torre, signed through 2007 and owed $13.1 million, did not appear in the
clubhouse Wednesday, and Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone was unsure when the
manager would make his end-of-season summation.
General manager Brian Cashman, whose contract expires at the end of the
month, also wasn't in the clubhouse and didn't return a telephone call.
Third base coach Luis Sojo said that after the Angels beat the Yankees 5-3
in Game 5 on Monday night in Anaheim and advanced to the AL championship
series, Alex Rodriguez came to the coaches' room and apologized for his hitting
.133 (2-for-15) with no RBIs in the playoffs.
``He blamed himself,'' Sojo said. ``I think he took it personal. ... He
said, `I'm sorry, guys.' ... He felt like he let us down.''
Speaking as clubhouse attendants packed boxes of players' belongings and
equipment, Stottlemyre revealed that he decided to resign in May, which is when
criticism began as the Yankees slumped to an 11-19 start, their worst in 39
seasons.
Stottlemyre has threatened to leave after several seasons but came back each
time. He said the second-guessing had a ``cumulative'' affect over the years.
``I found it weighed a little bit on my thinking off the field. Basically,
that's why I made my mind up,'' he said.
``It's a very difficult decision, but I guess I didn't forget very easily
what went on during the course of the year,'' he added, his voice filling with
emotion.
Without going into specifics, he made clear there was a split between the
team's two offices.
``Sometimes you have to satisfy two separate groups of people, and it
shouldn't be that way. It should be you should just have to satisfy one
group,'' Stottlemyre said. ``Something needs to be done to have everybody
always on the same page.''
He said that if he spoke to potential replacements for himself, he wasn't
sure whether he would recommend the job. He also said criticism got to Torre
during this season.
``I think it affected him a little bit more this year, much the same way it
did me,'' he said. ``I think after a period of time it's going to wear on
anybody.''
While he hasn't spoken with Steinbrenner since spring training, Stottlemyre
said criticism had filtered down. He said he would give the owner advice if
Steinbrenner would listen.
``Nothing I would like more than (to) sit down 30 minutes for a conversation
with him. He'd probably understand how I feel,'' Stottlemyre said. ``That won't
happen.''
He contrasted his departure with that of bench coach Don Zimmer, who
criticized Steinbrenner when he left after the 2003 season.
``I'm leaving happy,'' Stottlemyre said. ``It may not sound like I am.
Zimmer didn't leave happy. In that sense it's much different.''
Only a few players were in the clubhouse to clean out their lockers.
Reliever Tanyon Sturtze talked about the team's charter flight home after the
final loss, a departure delayed for 3 1/2 hours at the Ontario, Calif., airport by
mechanical problems, then interrupted by a stop in Houston to change crews.
``That was the most miserable night ever,'' he said.
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