Friday, February 16, 2007

BOOMER IN ISRAEL

Former Yankees Ken Holtzman and Ron Blomberg along with ex Met Art Shamsky will manage three of the teams that will compete in the inaugural season of the six-team Israel Baseball League. The announcement of the three managers was made by the league commissioner Daniel M. Kurtzer, the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Boss George's Son-In Law, Stephen Swindal, who is also the Yankees' general partner, was arrested for DUI before dawn yesterday after St Petersburg Police spotted him speeding and weaving along a road not far from the Tampa Complex. Swindal was driving 61 mph in a 35 mph zone in his Mercedes-Benz black two-seater sports car, about 20 miles from the Yankees' Legends Field in Tampa, police said. Daddy must be fuming.

Maybe 27 is in the cards as heartship again has hit the Yankee family. Frank Torre, a star in his own right and elder brother of the Yankees' skipper Joe Torre needs a kidney transplant. Frank received a heart transplant between Games 5 and 6 of the Fall Classic, making a speedy recovery that allowed him to watch Joe hoist the World Series trophy for the first time in his lengthy career.

Meanwhile in Tampa Joe Torre said yesterday that he had spoken with Bernie Williams on Wednesday, making a push for the veteran outfielder to come to camp as a non-roster player. The manager made no promises to Williams, who has played his entire 16-year career with the Yankees, and the two plan to speak again Friday or Saturday.

The Yankees will wear a black armband on both their home and road jerseys this season to honor the memory of Cory Lidle, who died last Oct. 11 in a plane crash on the upper East Side.
The team also has not issued jersey number No. 30, which Lidle wore during his two-month stint with the Yankees last season. But don't look for it hanging in Monument Park any time soon, at least not for Cory.


Mike Mussina is guilty of only one thing, going to the press sinstead of confronting Carl Pavano directly. Moose however did the right thing by apologizing for having comments relayed to Pavano through the press, and Pavano said he understood his teammates' frustration stemming from the right-hander's continued injury woes. So all is happy on the Yankee staff (so far) this Spring.





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