Yankee Family Seems Happier These Days

In recent years the New York Yankee pinstripes have resembled prison stripes to many players who have worn them.

Ed Whitson and Butch Wynegar are prime examples of players who have found it extremely difficult wearing the Yankee uniform and handling the intense pressure of New York.

It got so bad for Whitson that he felt physically threatened by the Yankee fans and dreaded pitching at Yankee Stadium.

Wynegar found the pressures of playing for the Yankees so intense that he suffered severe mental stress and walked away from the game late in the season. He received medical help for depression.

Club owner George Steinbrenner’s constant interference in the running of the club has caused many of the problems. But manager Lou Piniella insists that Steinbrenner is taking a lower profile and that pride in the Yankee uniform is gradually being restored.

“We’re getting in a situation in New York where players are happy to play there,” Piniella said last Tuesday at the winter meetings. “We had a very tranquil clubhouse last year.”

Piniella pointed to a trade the Yankees made a little over two weeks ago as proof that the Yankees are growing into a happy family. In the trade, the Yankees acquired pitchers Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante and Pat Clements from the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley.

“When we traded for a player like (Rick) Rhoden he was very happy to come to New York,” said Piniella.

“(Doug) Drabek and (Brian) Fisher were disappointed to leave. It’s a very good situation. We’re starting to get that type of feeling where playing in New York is positive instead of negative. I like that type of feeling in the clubhouse.”

Piniella said the clubhouse atmosphere has been changing gradually over the last couple of years.

“It’s been coming about quietly,” he said. “It probably surfaced more readily last year. New York is a great place to play and the Yankees are a good team to play for. I think players realize that fact.

“Plus we’ve had more and more players come through our minor league system, which has helped the situation. More and more of our players are home grown products.

“The other hurdle we have to pass now is to get this club back from where we finished to the top. The nucleus is there. I feel if this ballclub can win this year, we’d be in a position where we could win for a few years as opposed to just winning once and getting lost in the shuffle again.”