Amen miss Penny...

There's no way I would be happy about him returning to the Mutts... however,
this new interest Boston has is even more depressing!!  Gosh... I too wish
him to remain a starter.. but on a team that I would at least feel is no
threat to our beloved Yankees ;)

thanks for the articles gals!!
~Laura

By JACK CURRY 

Alex Rodriguez has not yet played a game for the Texas Rangers, but he
has already started to play recruiter. After signing his
record-setting contract this week, the $252 million shortstop called
David Cone and  implored the former Yankee and Met to play for the
Rangers. 

Cone was surprised and flattered by Rodriguez's call because that sort
of recruitment is usually reserved for the upper-echelon free agents,
like Mike Mussina and Mike Hampton. Cone is not in that class anymore,
but Rodriguez, who made a 10-year commitment to Texas, made it clear
how important he felt Cone could be to the Rangers. 

"He did call me," Cone said. "He gave me a pretty good sales pitch. He
said some really nice things. Sure, it was flattering to have that
happen, but we're still early in the process with Texas. We're waiting
to hear from them." 

Doug Melvin, the Rangers' general manager, said last night that he had
spoken with Cone's agent, Steve Fehr, and would talk to him again to
set up a meeting with Cone. 

"I'd rather talk to him first before making an offer," Melvin said of
Cone, adding that he did not have a specific role in mind for him
right now. "We're thinking of him as a pitcher-leader type. I want to
find out if he wants any specific role." 

Melvin said he was not aware that Rodriguez had called the pitcher,
but knew that he might. 

"I talked to Alex the other day and told him I may be talking to
Cone," Melvin said by telephone from Arlington, Tex. "I said there
were no guarantees we'll be able to do anything, but I said I'm going
to call him. Alex mentioned that he might call him, too." 

Cone said Rodriguez also told him that he had told Tom Hicks, the
team's owner, that it would be a smart move for the Rangers to sign
the 37-year-old pitcher. Cone (4-14, 6.91 earned run average) pitched
five and two-thirds strong innings to stymie the Mariners, 5-4, on
Aug. 30 before separating his left shoulder in his next start. During
their conversation, Rodriguez told Cone how sharp he thought the
pitcher looked after limiting Rodriguez's former team to one run. 

"He said that he was impressed with how I was pitching," Cone said.
"He told me that it looked like I was turning it around and getting it
together." 

The Rangers could use another capable pitcher. Rick Helling and Kenny
Rogers are the mainstays in their rotation, but Doug Davis (7-6, 5.38
earned run average), Ryan Glynn (5-7, 5.58) and Darren Oliver (2-9,
7.42) would probably complete the other three spots if the season
started today. Justin Thompson is not expected to be ready for opening
day because of shoulder problems. 

Besides Rodriguez, the Rangers have added solid veterans in Randy
Velarde, Andres Galarraga and Ken Caminiti. They believe that Cone's
presence in the clubhouse would give them another sturdy leader. 

"It's still early, but they probably look the most promising now,"
said Cone, who has also received calls from Boston, Oakland and Kansas
City. 

Rodriguez is not the only player who has reached out to Cone. While
Mets General Manager Steve Phillips said Cone had been considered
before the signing of Steve Trachsel, Al Leiter and John Franco have
continued to talk to Cone. 

The Mets already have Leiter, Rick Reed, Kevin Appier, Glendon Rusch
and Trachsel, and their rotation is seemingly set. While Phillips
would not consent to a one-on-one interview yesterday, a club official
said it seemed very unlikely that the Mets had an interest in Cone. At
least one of the Mets players has told Cone he should call Phillips,
but Cone is reluctant to call because he has other opportunities. 

"I'm not in charge of the Mets," Leiter said. "I'm a pitcher on the
team. David is a friend of mine and I've called him because I'm
interested in what is going on with him. I'm curious about what he's
doing. I called him as a friend." 

The Red Sox and the Royals would like to turn Cone into a reliever.
Cone is intrigued by this prospect and mentioned how Dennis Eckersley
successfully made the switch. But Eckersley was younger than Cone
when he did it. The Red Sox also signed Hideo Nomo yesterday, which
might dim their interest in Cone. 

"I don't want to go somewhere where I'm a token signing and the team
is just stockpiling arms," Cone said. "I want to go where I'm needed
and wanted and those opportunities are out there." 

----------------

Well this looks like a great opportunity for David if it works out.
What do you guys think? At least it's not the Mutts or Red Sux!
David's has always been a warm weather pitcher, and you can't find any
ballpark hotter than Arlington! Pitching in Texas will be great for
his arm.

I like the way Leiter and Franco have been petitioning mgmt. to talk
to David. It's great to see how his friends care about him, even if
they are Mutts!

Laura, hope you don't get anymore snow!

Have a great weekend everyone.
--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer 
December 17, 2000 

(an excerpt from an article about the Rangers)

The Rangers are planning to meet this week with free agent David Cone,
who was 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA with the Yankees last season. Cone, who
pitched a perfect game against Montreal in 1999, turns 38 in January
and had a separated shoulder in September. 

``David is obviously no longer the 20-game winner he once was, but he
brings a lot more to a team than just the pitching,'' General Manager
Doug Melvin said. ``With our young pitching staff, he could be a good
fit. I'll just talk to him and see what he's looking for.'' 

--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Hi everyone... I'm back from being pretty much completely cut off from 
what's going on after being in Oklahoma for a week.  I sent all the Court 
e-mails to the trash to protect my inbox from overflow (and therefore 
Hotmail deleting my messages!), so I need you guys to fill me in on the 
rumors...

I think being away from it all has really helped me come to terms with this 
whole situation.  I'm starting to think, "Oh, it would be fun if he played 
here, I could go see him" or "It would be great if he played here, he'd have 
good run support" or "He *so* should play for an NL team, he loves to hit" 
without all my thoughts being overwhelmed with the "that's another team, 
that's not the Yankees, he's not playing with the Yankees! waaaaaaaah!" 
feelings.  I mean, I'm definitely still pretty sad and disappointed, but I'm 
also actually kind of having fun thinking of where he might go.  So someone 
oughta tell me where that is! ;-)

Yours,
Britt

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

Hi Britt...first of all, welcome back!  I hope you had a nice trip...
The list has been pretty active, if you want to check out what all has
been sent to the Court you can log into listbot as a list member and
browse through the archive.  Basically we have read articles that discuss
the Royals', Red Sox's, and Rangers' interests in Cone.  Penny also sent
an emotional article that talked about how disappointed Cone was that the
Mets didn't really give him a chance to pitch his campaign...Here are a
couple articles from today that report more about the Rangers' interest in
Cone:

Melvin hoping to meet with free-agent Cone
12/17/2000
By Gerry Fraley / The Dallas Morning News

Looking for a bargain, Rangers general manager Doug Melvin on Saturday
tried to arrange a meeting with free-agent right-hander David Cone.
The Rangers have stayed out of the free-agent market for pitchers because
of their high price-tag. The Rangers would add Cone only with a low-base,
high-incentives contract.

"I want to visit with him and see what he thought about last year and fill
him in on our situation," said Melvin, who hopes to meet with Cone in
Arlington on Wednesday. "It may not happen, but we want to at least sit
down and see if our situation is right."

Cone wanted to continue in New York, but the Yankees and the Mets shunned
him. Baltimore, Kansas City and Oakland are interested in Cone, a
five-time All-Star and American League Cy Young winner with Kansas City in
1994. Cone and his agent, Steve Fehr, could not be reached for comment.

Cone, who turns 38 in January, was 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA with the Yankees
last season. He was 51-24 in the previous four seasons with the Yankees.

Cone had four consecutive good starts in August, going 2-0 with a 2.74
ERA. Cone was 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA for his previous six starts when he
separated his left shoulder during a fielding play at Kansas City on Sept.
5.

The injury ended Cone's surge. He was 0-3 with a 12.83 ERA for his final
three regular-season starts, and he made only two relief appearances
totaling 1 1/3 innings in 16 postseason games.

Adding Cone could give the Rangers a way to fill their need for another
left-hander to pair with Mike Venafro in the bullpen.

Because of two major arm surgeries in the last five years, Cone is not
suited for the demands of relief. If the Rangers were to keep Cone as a
starter, they could move one of two left-handers to the bullpen: Darren
Oliver or Doug Davis.

Oliver, who had only two wins in 21 starts last season, has not pitched
out of the bullpen since 1995. Davis was 4-5 with a 5.54 ERA in 13 starts
and often pitched cautiously, according to manager Johnny Oates.

Davis had more walks than strikeouts and allowed 15.9 baserunners per
nine innings. As a reliever, Davis was 3-1 with a 4.88 ERA, and he had
nearly twice as many strikeouts as walks.

*****  
This other article basically says the same stuff...so I'll just include
the URL:
http://www.startext.net/news/doc/1047/1:SPORTS71/1:SPORTS711216100.html  
It does include a quote from Cone basically stating that the Rangers are
looking the most promising at this point.

Take care! ~ ~ ~ ~
                   --KC :)

December 19, 2000
Talks Start on Contract for Jeter
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

(an excerpt)

The former Yankees pitcher David Cone, currently a free agent, is
expected to meet tomorrow with Doug Melvin, the general manager of the
Rangers, and also meet sometime this week with an executive from the
Kansas City Royals.

--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

I hope it is just a vicious rumor. The thought of it makes my stomach turn. 
I can't understand how anyone would be for moving the Yankees...
Yankee Stadium is the "most historic place in sports, the baseball 
cathedral...." Just think about the legends that have played there and the 
memories they have produced. I don't think I'd be able to watch them play 
anywhere but at 161st Street and River ave!
Eyde

>From: Susan Peters <[email protected]>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Rangers to Meet with David
>Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:13:15 -0500
>
>Coney's Court! - http://ConeysCourt.listbot.com
>
>=========================== ListBot Sponsor =========================Make 
>FREE long-distance calls with Tellme!
>         Just dial 1-800-555-TELL.
>http://www.tellme.com/signin/register.gsp?src=engage&i"
>=====================================================================
>By STEPHEN HAWKINS
>AP Sports Writer
>December 17, 2000
>
>(an excerpt from an article about the Rangers)
>
>The Rangers are planning to meet this week with free agent David Cone,
>who was 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA with the Yankees last season. Cone, who
>pitched a perfect game against Montreal in 1999, turns 38 in January
>and had a separated shoulder in September.
>
>``David is obviously no longer the 20-game winner he once was, but he
>brings a lot more to a team than just the pitching,'' General Manager
>Doug Melvin said. ``With our young pitching staff, he could be a good
>fit. I'll just talk to him and see what he's looking for.''
>
>--
>susan peters ~ [email protected]
>






   Hey Everyone!
   Sue thanx for sharing that tidbit about Coney. I'm still holding out for 
him to comeback and I think anything is possiable.
    I just wanted to share some info with you guys more on a personal level 
about David. As KC and some of you may know I have a friend who is a very 
good friend of Daivd Cone. They own a resturant in Ct where I live and he 
goes there quite often because he has a house in Ct. Well anyway I went to 
the resturant on Sat night with a bunch of people and I really didn't want 
to say anything about David because I am still to upset. They my husband the 
Big mouth come over to me and tells me Tina just told him about Coney he 
said to me go ask her. So I went over to her and started to ask her she said 
Domenic (my husband) told me not to say anything to you. Well i knew My 
heart was going to break. I said well you have to tell me. She said he is so 
devistated. He wanted to return the Yankees and they made him an offer and 
then never sat down with him to talk. IMO this means they poltily pushed him 
out the door. Then she went on to say he's also having a rough time because 
he most likely getting a divorce. (I knew that was comming).
     I kind of had a feeling that the Yankees where saving face by throwing 
a number on the table and never "really" meeting with him to finalize 
anything.
     I asked her if she thought if he wasn't signed by May 1 would he 
consider comming back to the Yankees? She said deep down she thinks he 
hoping that will happen but at the same thime he won't take any chance and 
will sign somewhere else if he gets  an offer.
     Even though this is not a good sign there might be a slight glimmer of 
hope

        Sorry I wrote a novel but I thought I would share this with you all

           Cesca

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy

Hi everyone!  This article doesn't really tell us anything we don't
already know, but it just has some really nice things to say...I
particularly appreciate their sincere interest and faith in David and his
abilities...:)

http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/sports.pat,sports/3774ff93.c19,.html

Take care~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                    --KC :)

Cesca, thanks so much for your post. 

I'm sure it's true that the Yankees didn't really want David back. I
was really confused by everything I was reading the first few days
after we found out he left. Then as I started to think more clearly I
came to the realization that there's no way David would walk away from
the Yankees without good cause.

I think it's very sad that they gave up on him like that. They lost a
great player and a team leader. I can imagine how much it hurts David,
but he knows baseball is big business, not a fan club.

As for the divorce, I'm not surprised. He and Lynne seemed to have
separate lives and didn't appear to be very close. She wasn't at his
side very often from what I could see. I hope he finds someone who can
make him happy (hey David, I'm available!).

I can understand his reluctance to wait around for May 1st in the
hopes that the Yankees might like what they see and take him back. If
that doesn't happen, he's stranded without a team. I guess he has to
move on at this point. 

I never thought his years in pinstripes would end like this.

Eyde, as for the story in the Post about the proposal for a shared
stadium - don't worry about it. I don't take much the Post prints
seriously, but it does make good lining for my cat's litter pan!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday!

PS - Here's a neat early xmas gift I got from my son. He really knows
my taste!



--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

KC, that was a nice article. I was impressed with the fact that the GM
flew to Tampa to talk with David (hear that Mr. Cashman?). At least it
makes him feel wanted! 


--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Hey Cesca!  Thanks so much for sharing that with us.  That's so sad
though, that your friend saw David "devastated" because he thought the
Yankees didn't want him back. :(  Not that I'm surprised, I know he loved 
being a Yankee, and I doubt he'd have left if he really thought the 
Yankees needed and wanted him.  I hate how some people put all the blame
on David for "betraying" the Yankees and not being loyal.  I always kept
arguing that the loyalty was a two-way street and that the Yankee front
office seemed not to have displayed much of it either.  I guess it's
easier to pin the blame on the guy who's leaving.  

Speaking of leaving, if it's true that he and his wife are splitting up,
that's sad, too.  They did seem to not be as close as some other Yankee
couples I've seen (I've seen some at the press gate and stuff, the cutest
I've seen are probably Jorge and his wife, though granted they are
newlyweds and that's not surprising), in fact I don't remember seeing her
"by his side" at important occasions at all!  And while some marriages
work with both partners being very independent, not all do.  

I wonder if David will continue to have a residence in the NYC area?

Akino
aka BG (o:P

>From: Yamashita Akino Irene <[email protected]>
>To: Cesca L <[email protected]>
>CC: [email protected], [email protected]
>Subject: Re: Rangers to Meet with David
>Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 23:17:40 -0500 (EST)
>
>Coney's Court! - http://ConeysCourt.listbot.com
>
>--------------------------- ListBot Sponsor --------------------------
>Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Hey BG and everyone
It is so sad about david and his whole situation. I really think that his 
whole personal life may have had alot to do with his pitching preformace 
this past season.
Your right about him and his wife never being together. I know someone that 
went to school with her and they said she was the "cold type" In all the 
years that the Yankees won the WS Lynn was never at the games(well atleast I 
never saw her like I did the rest of the wives) or on the parade float. 
Actually this was the frist year I saw her on the float. I mean come on 
remeber in 98 when the Yankees won the WS even Knobbys pussed face ex-wife 
was there. Althought she was making faces and huffing the whole time Knobby 
was being interviewed at least she was there.
I'm not to sure if Coney will keep his house in Ct but believe me I will 
find out and let you know.

                    Cesca

DALLAS (AP) - Having bolstered their offense with the $252
million signing of Alex Rodriguez, the Texas Rangers turned their
focus to upgrading the worst pitching staff in baseball. General
manager Doug Melvin met for 3 1/2 hours Wednesday with free agent
right-hander David Cone. Melvin planned to talk with the
pitcher's agent in the next few days but said no offers have been
made. During his meeting with Melvin, Cone worked out and spoke
about his problems of 2000, when he was 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA for
the New York Yankees. "We talked about last year and what went
wrong, how he feels he can bounce back," Melvin said.
--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

http://www.geocities.com/coney36_nyy/

General manager Doug Melvin met with Cone and his agent, Steve Fehr, in
Tampa, Fla. Melvin came away encouraged from the 3 1/2-hour session, and
he probably will make an offer by the weekend. Melvin will talk with Fehr
on Thursday to gauge Cone's interest.

"He seemed interested, and we have an interest in him," said Melvin, who
watched Cone's regularly scheduled throwing session.

Kansas City general manager Allard Baird visited Cone on Tuesday. Cone
grew up in Kansas City and has had two stays with the Royals.

Former teammate George Brett, the Royals' vice president for baseball
operations, wants the club to bring in Cone as a closer. According to
Baird, Cone said the idea of moving to the bullpen is "very intriguing."

Said Baird: "He's basically at the point where he has to make a decision
whether he wants to go back as a starter or be a reliever."

Cone has 184 career wins and says reaching 200 wins is a significant goal.

Cone, who turns 38 in January, was 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA with the New York
Yankees last season. He rallied in the second half, but a separated left
shoulder incurred on a fielding play at Kansas City on Sept. 5 stopped his
momentum. Cone was 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA for six starts leading up to the
injury. Melvin said the Rangers are satisfied that Cone is healthy.

Baltimore and Oakland have also contacted Cone. He will not return to the
Yankees, and the New York Mets rejected his overture.

****  Wow...so do y'all think he will sign with Texas?  This seems to be
his best shot at those 200 wins.  I'm so pleased to see the significant
interest in him from all these teams though...we're not the only ones who
recognize his talents. :)

Take care~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                --KC :)

Last night Doug Melvin, the Ranger's GM, called in to Kay & Sterling's
show. K&S were amazed that David had told him his problems from last
year were caused by the fact that he hadn't worked out last winter.
K&S seemed to be reacting as if they hadn't heard that before (I guess
they don't read everything about David like we do!).

They felt that if what David said was true, it was irresponsible of
him, and said when you have a $12 million contract you have an
obligation to be in the best shape you can be in. 

I think they misunderstood David's thinking. From what I've read, he
felt resting his arm in the off-season would make it stronger. What he
should have done, however, is build up his legs for strength and
stamina. Last year Andy Pettitte did this at Rocket's suggestion, and
look at the year Andy had! In previous years Andy concentrated in
building up his upper body, but when he followed Rocket's program for
conditioning his legs, it really helped him. Andy said he felt
stronger in the late innings.

Doug Melvin didn't seem to have a problem with David's "confession."
He watched David's workout in Tampa. I guess he liked what he saw
since they're going to get back to Steve Fehr to gauge David's
interest, and then make him an offer in the next few days.


--
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Hey guys, Steiner's auction website has a Coney hand-signed ball that
is smudged, and they're auctioning it off. The bids start at $1, but
with six days to go I imagine it's going to sell for more than that.

If you want to take a look:

http://www.steinersports.com/auctions.html
--
susan peters ~ [email protected]