CHICAGO — A normal workday for Lou Piniella involves handling questions about his enigmatic right fielder, his underperforming catcher, his punchless slugger, his ragged bullpen, his closer who rarely closes, his mellow demeanor and, last but not least, his plans for 2010.
Good money, but as in baseball, it was little compared with what his sluggers make.
Santana had early support from his sluggers when Carlos Beltrán and Carlos Delgado homered on back-to-back pitches in the second inning.
Unable to get consistent production from a couple of his sluggers, Torre experimented with his lineup, starting Knoblauch at designated hitter to see if there was some other way to use him.
If it was somewhat bittersweet watching his sluggers humble the great Rivera, Leyland was left with only a sour aftertaste when Brett Gardner homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, his second game-ending hit of the series, for a 5-4 Yankees victory.
But that Ramirez is now gone, along with his 555 home runs, his two rings, his numerous Silver Slugger awards, his 2002 batting championship, his 2004 World Series Most Valuable Player award and his very damaged reputation.
They also heard John Fogerty sing his 25-year-old baseball ode, "Centerfield," and saw him give the Hall his guitar Slugger, which he made from a baseball bat, as a temporary loan.
Jimmy Foxx was his prime slugger.
"I think he was trying to find something," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said on Monday at baseball's winter meetings as he spoke with reporters about his aging slugger's latest setback.
