Steinbrenner consults Judge on Yankees’ issues

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2023

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1:07 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner values his relationship with slugger Aaron Judge and asks the new captain about various team-related issues, such as possible renovations of the team’s spring training facility. Recently, he picked Judge’s brain about Anthony Volpe, the dynamic prospect who is competing to be the team’s shortstop.

“I’ve heard from other players, including Aaron Judge, that [Volpe] conducts himself in a very professional way for somebody his age,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday morning, “and that’s good, because he’s going to need all of that, to play where we play.”

Judge famously turned down the Yankees’ offer of $213.5 million last spring before he had one of the most productive seasons of all time, breaking the AL record of 62 homers. After the season, Steinbrenner got personally involved in the negotiations with Judge — and, as Judge neared his decision, Steinbrenner increased his offer from $320 million to $360 million in an overnight call with the Judge. And he named Judge to be the franchise’s first captain since Derek Jeter.

“Judge and I have a good relationship,” Steinbrenner said. “I asked him about a lot of things. We’re getting ready to look at some renovations of [the spring training] stadium, he’s involved with that. Yes, I ask him about different players.”

Steinbrenner also addressed the team’s recent wave of injuries; the Yankees’ payroll; and the spike in salaries for the high-end free agents. In light of the offseason deals for superstar players such as Judge, Steinbrenner offered an amendment to his years-old statement that you shouldn’t have to have a $200 million payroll to win a World Series. The more appropriate context in this era, Steinbrenner suggested through a wry smile, is that you don’t need a $300 million payroll to win a championship. The Yankees’ projected payroll is just shy of $300 million.

“Times have changed, I acknowledge that,” Steinbrenner said.

Earlier this spring, Pirates owner Bob Nutting said that parts of the new collective bargaining agreement, forged between MLB and the players’ union just a year ago, do not work for the Pirates, just the latest indication of the growing unhappiness among some small-market teams. Steinbrenner said, “Why are we talking about this right now? We’re one year into a labor deal. We’ve got all of these great rules changes that are going to make the game even better and more exciting. Right in the middle of spring training, right before Opening Day — I’m not focused on (the CBA).”

The Yankees have already lost pitcher Carlos Rodon, center fielder Harrison Bader and catcher Jose Trevino to injuries this spring, along with a half-dozen others.

“I guess I could be glass half-full and say ‘Get them out of the way now’ rather than deal with what we had last year, in July and even August … That was a bad case scenario. I don’t want to do that again,” Steinbrenner said.

“For the first half of the year last year, we had one of the most dominant — if not the most dominant — teams in baseball,” he continued, “and then the injuries hit us. That team, for the most part, is intact. Most of them are back. The one question we asked ourselves was, is our starting rotation good enough to beat certain teams in the American League, and we reached the consensus we needed more — and that’s why we got Carlos [Rodon].

“Do I think we’re good enough to win a championship? Yes. But we’ve got to stay healthy.”

Rodon was diagnosed last week with what the team termed a “mild” elbow strain, and this will sideline the left-hander through the start of the regular season. Steinbrenner said he spoke with Rodon in the trainer’s room this week, and that the pitcher’s range of motion has already improved markedly. “I think he’s going to be great for us,” Steinbrenner said.

Soon, the Yankees will make a choice about who to install at shortstop at the start of the season. Earlier this week, Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the team’s regular shortstop last year — began taking fly balls in the outfield, perhaps preparing for a transition into a utility player. Executives from other teams say Kiner-Falefa is available in trade, with some rival evaluators going so far as to say they believe the veteran will be dealt soon.

The Yankees seem to be headed toward a choice between Oswald Peraza, who made his major league debut last year, or Volpe, who has been one of the team’s best performers this spring, batting .321 with four doubles, two homers and three steals. Volpe, 21, was the 30th overall pick in the 2019 draft, has greatly impressed veterans with his demeanor and confidence. There is a widespread belief in the organization that if Volpe opens the year in the big leagues and struggles early in his career — and that is not uncommon for a young player — that he has the mental strength to cope with some failure.

In one spring game, Volpe stole second base and then third base on consecutive pitches — a moment that impressed the owner.

Steinbrenner acknowledged that sometime in the next week, the team’s staffers will assess the shortstop competition, and that Steinbrenner will be involved in those discussions. In recent decades, some teams have chosen to suppress elite prospects in the minor leagues to manipulate their service time. Steinbrenner said that service time would not be a factor in the shortstop choice. The final decision belongs to general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, Steinbrenner reiterated, but Volpe “is obviously having a great spring … He’s certainly shown, at least on this spring training stage, that he can handle it, play well and do a lot of different things.”

The team’s young players, Steinbrenner said, have stood out to him this spring, from Volpe to Peraza to outfielders Oswaldo Cabrera and Jasson Dominguez, the powerful young outfielder.

“It’s exciting for me, personally, because I’ve followed these kids for years,” Steinbrenner said. “For me, it’s always exciting, particularly when it’s someone’s first spring training, like Volpe, that they perform and that they perform well, and that they impress guys like Judge, which is what they’re doing.”

Steinbrenner was booed at Yankee Stadium last year by fans who are impatient for another championship. Fourteen years have passed since the Yankees won a World Series in 2009, and fans often invoke the specter of Hal Steinbrenner’s hyperaggressive father, George Steinbrenner, in criticizing Hal.

Failing to reach the World Series, Hal Steinbrenner said, bothers him “every year. It bothered my dad for 18 years or whatever it was. It’s what our fans expect. The best we can do is to field a team that can win a championship, and that’s what we try to do every year.”

Sports

Devers fans twice more, now at 12 K’s this year

Published

1 hour ago

March 31, 2025

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Devers fans twice more, now at 12 K's this year

Associated Press

Mar 30, 2025, 09:50 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas — Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers became the first major leaguer to strike out 12 times in a season’s first four games.

Devers went 0-for-4 with two more strikeouts Sunday in Boston’s 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Devers’ latest mark for futility came a day after he became the first big leaguer to be fanned 10 times in the first three games of a season.

He’s 0-for-16, though he did draw a two-out walk in the ninth Sunday to keep the inning alive and put the potential tying run in scoring position.

The 12 strikeouts broke the previous record of 11 in the first four games, which had been done four times previously since 1901, according to SportRadar.

Brent Rooker of the Athletics struck out 11 times to open last season. The others were Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2020, Minnesota’s Byron Buxton in 2017 and Houston’s Brett Wallace in 2013.

Devers is now solely the Red Sox DH after their offseason acquisition of third baseman Alex Bregman.

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Hamlin gets 1st win at Martinsville in 10 years

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

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Hamlin gets 1st win at Martinsville in 10 years

ESPN News Services

Mar 30, 2025, 06:38 PM ET

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was Hamlin’s first checkered flag on the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia since March 29, 2015 and also his first with crew chief Chris Gayle, who joined the No. 11 team this season.

With the 55th victory of his career (tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time list), Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover. He led a race-high 274 of the final 275 laps after taking the lead from Chase Elliott.

“Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really just deciding they were going to come here with a different approach than what we’ve been over the last few years,” said Hamlin, who was a frequent contender during his 19-race win drought at Martinsville with 10 top fives. “It was just amazing. The car was great. It did everything I needed it do to. Just so happy to win with Chris, get 55. Gosh, I love winning here.”

Bell, who leads the Cup Series with three wins in 2025, finished second after starting from the pole position, and Bubba Wallace took third as Toyotas swept the top three. The Chevrolets of Elliott and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.

“It was a great weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Bell, who had finished outside the top 10 the past two weeks. “Showed a lot of pace. All four of the cars were really good. Really happy to get back up front. The last two weeks have been rough for this 20 team. Really happy for Denny. He’s the Martinsville master. Second is not that bad.”

Hamlin had to survive four restarts — and a few strong challenges from Bell — in the final 125 laps as Martinsville produced the typical short-track skirmishes between several drivers.

The most notable multicar accident involved Toyota drivers Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick, who had a civil postrace discussion in the pits.

Bubba’s big day Bubba Wallace tied a season best and improved to eighth in the Cup points standings but was left lamenting his lack of speed on restarts after being unable to pressure Hamlin.

“I’m trying to scratch my head on what I could have done different,” said Wallace, who drives the No. 23 Toyota for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. “My restarts were terrible. One of my best traits, so I need to go back and study that. The final restart, I let that second get away. I don’t know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try. But all in all, a hell of a day for Toyota.”

Special day turns sour

After being honored Sunday morning with a Virginia General Assembly proclamation commending Wood Brothers Racing’s 75th anniversary, Josh Berry led 40 laps in the team’s hometown race before disaster struck. Berry’s No. 21 Ford was hit in the left rear by the No. 23 Toyota of Wallace while exiting the pits, causing Berry’s car to stall in Turn 2.

Berry, who can withstand a poor finish because his Las Vegas victory qualified him for the playoffs, returned after losing two laps for repairs. He still managed to lead the most laps for Wood Brothers Racing at Martinsville since NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson led 180 on April 29, 1973 (the team’s most recent victory at the track just east of its museum in Stuart, Virginia).

Up next

The Cup Series will race next Sunday at historic Darlington Raceway, the South Carolina track that will celebrate a “throwback weekend” that encourages teams to feature vintage paint schemes and crew uniforms.

It’s the first of two annual races on the 1.366-mile oval that dates to 1950. Brad Keselowski won last year’s throwback race, and Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 last September.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

23XI, Front Row want countersuit to be dismissed

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2025

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23XI, Front Row want countersuit to be dismissed

Associated Press

Mar 26, 2025, 07:14 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The two teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations said Wednesday in a filing that a countersuit against 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Michael Jordan’s manager is “an act of desperation” and asked that it be dismissed.

NASCAR’s countersuit contends that Jordan business manager Curtis Polk “willfully” violated antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements.

23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign the new agreements, which were presented to the teams last September in a take-it-or-leave-it offer 48 hours before the start of NASCAR’s playoffs.

The charters were fought for by the teams ahead of the 2016 season and twice have been extended. The latest extension is for seven years to match the current media rights deal and guarantee 36 of the 40 spots in each week’s field to the teams that hold the charters, as well as other financial incentives. 23XI — co-owned by Jordan — and Front Row refused to sign and sued, alleging NASCAR and the France family that owns the stock car series are a monopoly.

Wednesday’s filing claims that NASCAR’s counterclaim is “retaliatory” and “does not allege the facts necessary to state a claim.”

“NASCAR is using the counterclaim to engage in litigation gamesmanship, with the transparent objective of intimidating the other racing teams by threatening them with severe consequences if they support Plaintiffs’ challenge to the unlawful NASCAR monopoly,” the response says.

23XI and Front Row have requested NASCAR’s counterclaim be dismissed because it “fails at the threshold because it does not allege facts plausibly showing a contract, combination or conspiracy in restraint of trade.

“The counterclaim allegations instead show each racing team individually determining whether or not to agree to NASCAR’s demands through individual negotiations — the opposite of a conspiracy.”

The filing also defends Polk, who was specifically targeted in NASCAR’s counterclaim as the mastermind of the contentious two-year battle between the teams and the stock car series. NASCAR claimed in its countersuit that Polk threatened a team boycott of Daytona 500 qualifying races, but the teams argued Wednesday “there is no allegation that such a threatened boycott of qualifying races ever took place.”

“None of NASCAR’s factual claims fit into the very narrow categories of blatantly anti-competitive agreements that courts summarily condemn as per se unlawful,” the teams said.

Jordan, through a spokesperson, sent word to The Associated Press that Polk speaks for him and the NBA icon views any attack on Polk as “personal.”

NASCAR’s attorney has warned that a consequence of the 23XI and Front Row lawsuit could lead to the abolishment of the charter system outright — NASCAR argues it would be a consequence and not what NASCAR actually wants to do — and that 23XI first made this personal by naming NASCAR chairman Jim France in the original antitrust lawsuit.

The teams struck back at the threat to eliminate the charter system in Wednesday’s filing. It alleges it is an empty threat meant to scare the 13 organizations that did sign the charter agreements.

The claim also says Front Row should be dismissed from NASCAR’s countersuit because “NASCAR does not allege any specific conduct by Front Row or its owners or employees to support a claim that it participated in the alleged conspiracy.”

“The other allegations in the counterclaim against Front Row are all entirely conclusory or improper group pleading that seeks to lump in Front Row with 23XI Racing, Mr. Polk, and “others,” while never identifying what — if anything — Front Row Motorsports itself has done to purportedly participate in the alleged conspiracy.”

There is no deadline for a judge’s decision.