Interesting, vaguely anti-Yankees quote from Tino Martinez in this AP story on espn.com: Williams Game 2 starter; no decision on Rolen

Here's the interesting part of the story:

[quote]Cardinals first baseman Tino Martinez isn't torn up about the early playoff exit of his former team, the New York Yankees.

He said he felt bad only for shortstop Derek Jeter.

''The rest of the team, I really didn't care much about because I'm here playing for this team,'' Martinez said.

Martinez said Jeter called him last night to wish him good luck.

''He hopes we win the World Series,'' Martinez said. ''We've got a good enough team to do it. I'm not going to go into details about what he said about his own team.''

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Hmmmmmm. Both Jeter and Tino are, generally, class acts. I'm not sensing a whole lotta love between either of them and the rest of the Yankee squad.

[ October 08, 2002: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]

From this NY Post article about how depressed Jeter is that the Yankees lost...

[quote] Earlier, Jorge Posada talked about how the atmosphere in the Yankees' clubhouse after Game 4 was no different than it was following a regular-season loss.

Posada, who said the Angels wanted it more than the Yankees, is still smarting.

"It seemed like we lost a regular-season game and that was tough to swallow," Posada said. "I can't understand that. That's the feeling I got. Some of the guys told me they didn't get that feeling but that's the feeling I got. I take a lot of pride and it was tough to get what we got."

Jeter didn't respond directly to his good friend's feelings. Instead he chalked it up to players handling it in different ways.

"People handle losing differently," Jeter said. "You are talking about me and Jorge and all we have done is won our entire careers with the exception of a couple times. I can't handle it, I can't stomach it. When I lose I am not going to talk and say too many things. Other people may do it a little differently."

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Well, if the Yankees don't find some younger arms and an outfield to build around Bernie Williams, Jeter will really have to get used to losing! I mean, this is ridiculous. The Yankees, who I root for, are getting spoiled. They can't win all the time. It's nice--and it's tough to say this, though since the Cardinals are still going not *that* tough--but the Yankees need to be slapped down a bit from time to time. They'll surge right back, but for 2002, it's nice to see four different teams, especially the Twins and the Cardinals, in the post-seasons.

Interesting. Jeter's best friends on the club are Posada, who he played with in the minors, and the now-departed Tino. I actually saw Jeter,Tino and Paul O'Neill at the US Open about four years ago. It looks like they're all of the same opinion. My gut feeling tells me they're referring to guys like Bernie, Raul Mondesi, Shane Spencer and Robin Ventura.....

[ October 09, 2002: Message edited by: Munson Man ]

I don't think it's really an anti-yankee quote, per sé. as noted Tino has always been a class act. It is merely a statement of fact that Tino is now with the Cardinals and can't be too concerned about the Yanks losing when he has his own team to worry about.

Also should be noted that the NY times talking about the Yanks travails, noted how the team has changed. To paraphrase, it mentioned the retirement of Brosius and O'Neill and "the departure" of Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez.


Tino didn't leave of his own volition seeking bigger pay. He was forced out after his heroics and contributions to the team so that the Yanks could get Giambi. Even then, Tino didn't criticise the Yanks and said he understood and that he was lucky to find a team like the Cards. He also noted at the time that very few in the Yanks organization offered condolences to him. (Jeter was one of the few)

A huge chunk of the current Yanks were not part of the team that went to all those World series in a row. a collective of baseball talent is not necessarily the same as a team that has chemistry and heart.

[ October 09, 2002: Message edited by: ung ]

When the Yankees were putting the full-court press on Jason Giambi last winter, Torre, Mussina, Clemens, williams and quite a few others all placed calls to Giambi telling him how they had enjoyed playing in New York and urging him to come aboard. Giambi said it impressed him greatly that so many of the players went out of their way to help recruit him. When asked if he had called Giambi, Jeter said he had not. He opined that Jason was a great player and that he understood the business reasons for signing him, but that Tino was his best friend and he could not in good conscience help his best friend lose his job.

Sounds like Tino's reading of Jeter is accurate. After the Yanks' elimination, a reporter asked the Fourth Best Shortstop in the American League how this was possible after the previous October comebacks they'd executed. Jeter began his reply: "Some of us have."

Tino IS a class act but I think the way he was treated last year was abominable...he had to find out that his replacement (Giambi) would be taking over for him from a TV report!!! That's gratitude for ya! So I can understand.
Still a Yanks fans but GO CARDS!!!!!! and GO TINO!!!

Here's a clip from todays MLB.com

And there's one other thing he learned from all those years in New York: not to bite on leading questions. Martinez wouldn't take the bait when asked if there was any pleasure in seeing the Bronx Bombers going home early.

"That's their decision," Martinez said. "When they first signed him, they said that's the decision they want to make, it's a business decision, and I was all for it. Mr. Cashman went out and built the team he wanted to have, and that's the team he got."

Full text: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...2news&fext=.jsp

[quote]Originally posted by ROCKY24:
Tino IS a class act but I think the way he was treated last year was abominableGO CARDS!!!!!! and GO TINO!!!

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YEP _ VERY CLASSY- The best revenge for Tino is just having class & playing well- and winning the World Series !

I don't get the Tino mania. Maybe he is attractive to a lot of folks, but he hasn't played very well, so I guess his class act is going to have to cut it.

He's batting .056; the Cardinals really need another bat in there because his constitutes a hole behind Pujols, who could do a lot more if he had someone with even a bit of bat-pop behind him. I hope Rolen's shoulder has healed enough by Saturday to allow him to come back and take some swings.

Don't give up, Cardinals. You've come this far....

I don't know about that. Wasn't Tino's first hit in last year's WS that blast in Game 4 off Kim in the bottom of the 9th?

Let Tino where he is; he'll come through at a clutch moment.

Well, at least Tino was IN the postseason, more than we can say for the NYY. Anyway, as they say, better luck next time

He wasn't in the postseason last night. He was benched. It didn't help.

Yeah, although I'm a big Tino fan he definitely sucked wind in the playoffs.