YANKEE NOTES
George Steinbrenner was so concerned about Hideki Matsui’s slump two weeks ago that he arranged a conference call with hitting coach Rick Down while the Yankees were in Cincinnati.
Steinbrenner chaired the call that included VPs Gordon Blakeley, Damon Oppenheimer and Gene Michael.
The Boss used the call to discuss ideas to get his $21 million investment going. Heading into the Reds series Matsui was batting an anemic .250 with three homers and 33 RBIs.
Down refused to discuss the call yesterday.
The call is pure Steinbrenner. Since Blakeley scouted Matsui extensively in Japan, The Boss believes Blakeley knows Matsui’s hitting mechanics. Oppenheimer is the new face in the Tampa Mafia arm of the Yankees’ dysfunctional family and Steinbrenner is high on him. Michael is a veteran head The Boss is comfortable with.
And while Down didn’t institute any changes in Matsui’s stance, Matsui got hot shortly after the talk. Of course, that had more to do with Joe Torre dropping him from second to sixth and seventh in the lineup.
After going 1-for-8 hitting second in the first two games of the Reds series, Torre moved Matsui to seventh. In the 10 games since (three in the No. 7 spot and seven in the No. 6 hole), Matsui is batting .555 (20-for-36) with three homers and 12 RBIs. His .289 average leads the Yankees.
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Derek Jeter used a head-first slide when he stole second in the third inning yesterday. It was the first time he used that slide since dislocating his left shoulder on a similar slide Opening Day.
“In Chicago, I slid feet first and was out, I thought if I slid head-first I would have been safe,” Jeter said. “I decided to go back to head-first. I didn’t feel anything. I just haven’t been getting a lot of chances [to steal]. I can’t think about it. I have to do it.”
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Jeff Weaver will pitch the first game of tomorrow’s day/night doubleheader against the Devil Rays at the Stadium and David Wells goes in the nightcap.
Depending on which pitcher comes out of the twinbill in better shape in regard to effort and pitch count, he will start Saturday on three days’ rest.
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Torre said Jose Contreras will test his strained right shoulder by playing catch tomorrow in Tampa.
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If Friday’s MRI on Nick Johnson’s fractured right hand enables him to take the cast off, Torre envisions having the left-handed hitting first baseman/DH back in 10 days.
“If everything is fine, it’s just a matter of getting his eye back,” Torre said. “I think he could be back before the All-Star break.”
Torre doesn’t expect centerfielder Bernie Williams back before the All-Star break and it’s not likely on the front end of the July 14-16 vacation. Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on May 27.
“If it’s that close to the front side, then the back side makes more sense,” Torre said.
