Good morning everyone

I sent an article from the NY Post by George King about David.  I was having
trouble with my computer so hopefully it will have sent to the list
successfully.  If not, take a look on-line (those of you not in NY) and read
it.  I think the title is "Mr. Perfect, now the perfect enemy".

Sorry, I've been flooding your e-mail boxes lately, but I am really having a
difficult time with this whole David vs. the Yankees thing.  I can't even go
to other forums lately b/c of all the terrible things they are saying about
David. I can understand the bitterness and the hurt.. but to wish harm and
overall bad sentiments is just plain mean-spirited!!   By saying negative
things against him, it's almost as though some people are jinxing our team
for Wednesday!!

I guess I find this place a bit of a safe haven!  No one here will mock or
distort what I say.  I am a Yankee fan who still likes David Cone..nuff
said!!

In a way, I am glad I don't live in NY.  I wouldn't know what to do.  Part
of me just doesn't want to see this game at all- which is very likely if
ESPN doesn't carry it ;)

Anyone else feel this way too?  Just doing some good old fashion venting
here! :)

Have a great day!

Laura

Hi Laura & everyone else!

I'm having a real hard time with this, too.  I guess my "ideal" compromise
would be for a pitchers' duel where David is still on a pitch count (does
anyone know if he is?  I think so, but I'm not sure) and he leaves the game
without giving up any runs.  Then the Yankees erupt and win the game against
the bullpen.  I know, I know...  some people want him to get the win, but I
personally can't take it that far.  If he can show great control and
velocity, and lower his ERA at the same time, I think it'll be a good step
forward and he'll be able to take a lot of positives away from the outing.

Just call me the "Happy Mediator",
Sue

Hi everyone!  Thanks for the article - I still don't see why so many people
have so many problems with this.  It is going to be painful for me to see
him in a Sox uni, for sure, but I don't see the whole "traitor", "rat"
aspect.  I mean, pitching is his job - if anyone got laid off from their
job, or even told that they were being demoted, and a competitor of their
current company's called and offered them a good job, they'd snap it up no
matter what.  Coke vs. Pepsi, Bud vs. Miller, whatever - you'd go if that
was the case, so why is it so different if it's a pitcher?!?

Anyway, I've been fighting the good fight at bb.com - I guess I'm just in a
confrontational mood these days, because I usually run from arguments.
You'll be happy to know that a few people do see the situation clearly, I
know I am happy to see it.

After all this, if the weather doesn't clear, who knows if we'll even see
him on this trip?  It's pouring buckets now, and I think it's supposed to
rain all week.

Take care everyone and keep your chins up...keep smiling...:)
allybear
[email protected]
IM:  allybearm

Ally...Thanks for fighting the good fight on the boards. I saw your post on
bb.com and I couldn't agree with you more.  I would add something but I just
am not in the mood this week to go at it with some of these people.  I see
your point in all of this too btw.. your comparison btw Coke and Pepsi is a
great one too.. my problem isn't that he's on the other team, it's just that
he is no longer with us.   Maybe it's the media's way of (as usual) blowing
this way out of proportion, but I am just sadden by articles reading that
Joe doesn't want to face him etc.. etc.. .  I guess I am being selfish and
wish he never left.

Plus, with everyone getting so cocky on the boards and thinking he's gonna
get shelled- they are really jinxing my team (lol)! I'm actually afraid b/c
I know what he was to our team over the years and a great asset.  Tomorrow
night is really the kind of game he loves (getting right into the mix).

Sue.. maybe I'm with you.. he wows everyone (and shuts-up the boo-birds)and
has no runs scored off him! Then,   Derek Lowe comes in and gets shelled and
we win LOL!

Anyway..thanks Sue and Ally for the supportive words.. :)

Laura

Yeah, this is really rough... I am glad he's back in the majors, but for him 
to face the Yankees so soon... I almost wish that it would rain and somehow 
he'd never have to do it.  I wouldn't mind if he faced the Yankees at 
Fenway, I am just anticipating the hurt of Yankee Stadium booing him.  While 
I would like to be there to cheer him and put my small voice against that, 
I'm almost glad I'm stuck out here in Chicago, because I know I'd start 
crying.  I'll be lucky if I can keep from it hearing it on the radio-- I'm 
almost tempted to not put the radio on until after the first inning, so that 
I don't have to hear it.  I'm being ridiculous about it, I know-- not 
hearing the boos won't change how people feel-- but it just makes me so sad.

I'm all for a David Cone 7 inning gem, as Moose matches him pitch for pitch, 
and then even though Coney's mowing the Yanks down (hitless, perhaps? 10 
Ks?), it's "David, you've been injured, we can't let you go any more 
innings.  Too many pitches."  Then the Yanks shell the relievers-- couple 
killer innings so that most of the guys can get 2-for's despite not being 
able to hit Cone-- and the Yanks win it.  I hate to wish a No-D upon Coney, 
after all that happened last year, but this is the Red Sox, and they are 1 
1/2 ahead of us.  He can kick our asses in September when we're 10 up on 
Boston.

The forums are hard.  Sometimes I fight, sometimes I don't.  The hardest 
thing is to see Yankee fans I care about and respect being so awful to Cone. 
(The people who're like that to anyone I just kind of tune out.)  Some days 
I know I can't open the posts, other days I want to open them to build up my 
backbone and make me stronger, other days I want to go in and tell them all 
off.

Sometimes I wonder if this would hurt so much if it weren't for all the 
fans, if everyone was like you guys who care about David and understand and 
respect him anyway.  I think it would still be painful-- there's just 
symbolism there, and it's living proof that David doesn't love the team I 
love the way I love it.  But yet, it wouldn't be that much worse than him 
signing with the Mets, or the Indians, or Toronto.  I need to learn to not 
care about how everyone else feels, and just feel comfortable about loving 
the guy and wishing him well.  But I *do* care.

And I do wish him well, that's something I have no qualms about.  Good luck 
tomorrow night, Sweet David.

Yours ramblingly,
Britt

P.S.  Hey KC-- one thing that you do miss if you skip the forums is people 
dropping in... has anyone told you yet that Cath stopped by B-B (and chat) 
briefly and said hi?

Hi everyone! You've all summed up my feelings so well. I've been
avoiding b-b.com the past week or so. It really makes me sad that
people can be so cruel and hateful. Ally you're great for fighting
back - I just don't have the energy anymore. Plus they don't listen.
You can state all the facts you want but you know many people have
already made up their minds about David and you'll never convince them
as to what's right. The awful part of it all is when they attack him
personally. I never hated John Rocker the way some of these Yankee
"fans" hate David!

I agree that I'd love him to do well but leave the game without a
decision, then we cream them! I can't help it - I love Coney but I've
been a Yankee fan longer than he's been alive. My genes are
pinstriped!

Does anyone else find it ironic that he's supposed to pitch against
Moose? I always felt that the contrast between the way the Yanks
courted Moose and were so unresponsive to David last year was what
helped him decide to leave. Also Moose left Baltimore under similar
circumstances that forced David to leave NY. Oh well. 

I just wish he'd have stayed here where he belongs. This is too
emotional to go through. I have to keep reminding myself that baseball
is only a game because I let these things get to me too much!

One last thing - I just love Joe Torre more and more. He's been great
about David all along, but this past week, with him watching the
scoreboard from our dugout during David's first outing, and then
saying how the fans will cheer David, well, we all know Joe's a classy
guy!

#1Coneyfan


susan peters ~ [email protected]

Returns wearing turncoat instead of pinstripes

By ANDREW R. TRIPALDI
Special to The News

David Cone says he is no Benedict Arnold, just a ballplayer trying to
taste success one last time.

Yankee fans, of course, may disagree. After spending 5 1/2 seasons in
pinstripes and serving as a key component on four World Series
winners, Cone over the winter deserted the House That Ruth Built for
hated Fenway.

As he prepares to make his second start of the season as a member of
the American League East-leading Red Sox tomorrow night at Yankee
Stadium, he is pondering the crowd reaction that awaits him. He knows
first-hand about the excitement and passion that Yankees fans invoke
both the adulation and the vilification.


David Cone returns to Bronx with familiar delivery and a strange
uniform.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking about it," Cone said of
returning to the Stadium."Obviously, I am extremely excited."

"I have nothing but appreciation for all that Joe (Torre) and Mel
(Stottlemyre) gave me. It wasn't their fault I had a bad year. I had a
great relationship with them when I was there.

"I really don't know what to expect."

Facing Mike Mussina, the expensive free-agent acquisition who made
Cone expendable in the offseason, may provide further motivation.

But Cone, 38, has more important things to worry about, namely
bouncing back from a nightmare season (4-14, 6.91 ERA) that raised
questions about the duration of his career.

When the champagne stopped bubbling after the Yankees' fourth World
Series championship in five years, contract negotiations between the
team and Cone, a free agent, never got off the ground.

He knew finding a new stop at the downward end of his career was not
going to be easy, but the righthander ended up in the unlikeliest of
places Boston.

"Once things broke off with (the Yankees), I was looking for a change
of scenery," Cone said. "Boston came into the picture and things went
from there."

Cone did not want to be saddled with pressure from the outset, so he
carefully evaluated possible destinations before signing a minor
league contract with the Red Sox on Jan. 11.

"When I was talking with different teams, I looked at their entire
pitching staffs," Cone said. "Overall, the depth of the Red Sox
rotation is one of the best in baseball."

Cone's renewed ambition, however, slammed into a brick wall during
spring training when he injured his right shoulder.

Starting the season on a minor league rehabilitation assignment, he
worked slowly to strengthen the shoulder and rebuild his confidence
while trying to find the magic that made him an All-Star and the 1994
American League Cy Young Award winner.

After being called up to Boston on May 13, Cone began working again
with Joe Kerrigan, the well-respected Red Sox pitching coach who has
enjoyed success with reclamation projects over the last several years,
including Hideo Nomo and Tim Wakefield, both current members of the
Boston starting rotation. "It's nice to get a fresh perspective and to
work with (Kerrigan) who was on the other side all those years and who
I competed against when I was with the Yankee," Cone said.

But his Red Sox debut Thursday was less than satisfying. He lasted
only three innings, throwing 76 pitches, only 37 strikes, surrendering
two hits, two runs, both earned and four walks, while striking out two
and getting a no-decision in Boston's 5-3 loss to Minnesota. "I was
happy with my stuff overall," Cone said. "But I need to be a little
sharper because I had missed on a few pitches. This is a work in
progress. My goal right now is to build on my stamina."

susan peters ~ [email protected]

Yanks Get Ready For Sox to System

By ANTHONY McCARRON
Daily News Sports Writer

They will be facing an old friend tomorrow, someone they've won World
Series rings with, razzed in the clubhouse, crowded on the mound after
one of New York's great sports moments and were frightened for during
a serious health crisis.

So it's no wonder the Yankees say it'll be "weird"  that's Derek
Jeter's description  when they step into the batter's box against New
York sports icon David Cone.

Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Cone is starting the middle of a three-game series that begins tonight
with first-place Boston, which has a 1 1/2-game lead over the Yanks.
As plot-line-laden as Red Sox-Yankee series usually are, this one has
something extra because it will mark Cone's first appearance in the
Stadium since he was in pinstripes.

He was always an emotional figure in the Bronx, whether he was
collapsing to his knees, arms raised in utter joy, after pitching a
perfect game against the Expos in 1999  or talking about the aneurysm
in his right arm that could have destroyed his career in 1996.

"It's another story," Joe Torre said of facing Cone. "No question it's
going to be unusual. I've faced him before, but the last five years,
we've become very close. It was a very special five years we had
together. I trusted him with the ball.

"It's going to be uncomfortable for me, but, obviously, once the first
pitch is thrown, we're going to try to beat him."

Cone is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in one start this season after a 4-14
disaster with the Yankees last year.

His start came Thursday against the Twins, and he lasted three
innings, allowing two runs and two hits. He spent most of the season
at the Red Sox spring home in Fort Myers, Fla., rehabbing an aching
shoulder, but his fastball crested near 90 during his start, at least
five or six miles per hour faster than last season. He threw 76
pitches in three innings, but only 37 strikes.

He has a career record of 1-3 with a 2.95 ERA against the Yankees in
five starts during his previous baseball stops. He has made three
starts as a visitor at the Stadium, going 1-2.

The Yankees are expecting vintage Coney tomorrow. They're also
expecting the Stadium crowd to give Cone a huge cheer when he walks
out to the same mound from which he pitched his perfecto on Yogi Berra
Day.

"He'll get an ovation, I'm sure," Tino Martinez said. "Hopefully. It
doesn't matter that he's on the Red Sox. The guy pitched his heart out
here for years. I know the fans appreciate that."

Added Torre: "The fans have a pretty good memory. The last time he
grabbed the ball, he got a big out for us in Game 4 (retiring Mike
Piazza in the World Series)."

Once Cone gets down to pitching, the Yankees are expecting, basically,
anything. Jeter has never faced Cone in a game, but remembers what it
was like watching while playing shortstop behind him.

"Coney doesn't have patterns," Jeter said. "He pitches everyone
different.

He'll go out there and make up pitches.

"I hope he has nothing. That's what you always hope. I'm sure he's not
saying, 'I hope Derek's swinging well.'"

"He doesn't have a 95-mile-an-hour fastball, but you have no idea what
he's going to throw you," Torre said. "He has a bag of tricks."

Most of the Yankees haven't seen Cone since he was their teammate.
Jeter schmoozed with him at Baseball Writers Association of America
dinner in New York the week before spring training.

Torre said the last time they spoke in depth was in a phone
conversation around Christmas, when Cone was still considering what to
do this season. The Yankees had offered him a $500,000 deal where he
would get a chance to be their fifth starter, which Cone ultimately
rejected for a guaranteed $2 million contract with Boston.

When Cone signed with the Red Sox, it made his former manager and his
ex-teammates wince. "I wasn't pleased about it," Torre said. "It's
tougher to pull for him."

"Just like when Bernie (Williams) was a free agent and there was talk
about him going to Boston, it didn't sound right," Jeter said.

"It'll be weird. He's been with the Yankees as long as I have. We need
to play well  they are in first place, they're in our division,
they're the team we're trying to catch."

susan peters ~ [email protected]

By MARK HALE and GEORGE KING
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  TURNCOAT!
David Cone, who stunned Yank fans by signing with Bosox on Jan. 11,
takes mound for Boston tomorrow - now wearing threads of archrivals.
- AP

May 22, 2001 -- Joe Torre thinks there's "no question" David Cone will
be cheered tomorrow night in his return to the Yankee Stadium mound.
Cone himself isn't quite as sure.

"I really don't know what to expect, to tell you the truth," Cone told
The Post yesterday at the Red Sox' team hotel in midtown.

"I've been so preoccupied with just getting healthy and trying to make
it back that I haven't had the chance to give it a lot of thought."

Cone's apprehension, of course, comes from the fact that he's now
pitching for the Red Sox ... the hated Red Sox.

Sure, Patrick Ewing got a two-minute standing ovation at the Garden
when he returned in February. But he wasn't playing for the hated
Heat.

Yesterday, Yankee GM Brian Cashman confirmed that Cone's perfect game
and four World Series for the Yanks now mean nothing.

Cone is now the enemy.

"Those feelings ended when David signed with a different uniform,"
Cashman said, downplaying any wistful sentiments. "Now we want to take
it to him. We hope we get the win."

The Boss agreed.

"He is in a different uniform," said George Steinbrenner. "I wish him
luck against everyone but us. I just hope we work him over pretty
good."

The 38-year-old righty - who'll be making only his second start of the
season tomorrow, as he recovers from a sore shoulder - also said he
had no plans to meet up with any of his former teammates or coaches
during his four days in the Big Apple.

In fact, Cone said he hasn't even kept in touch with anyone from the
Yanks.

"It's been kind of tough to do once the season starts," said Cone, who
grinned and said it was "great" to be back in New York when asked
about his return.

"I know everybody's busy, and the games themselves sort of take
precedent. But certainly I follow them. We spent a lot of time
together, and we've been through a lot of things together."

With the Bombers, Cone was 64-40 from 1995-'00 and enjoyed his share
of huge postseason moments, winning Game 3 of the World Series against
the Braves in 1996 and inducing Mike Piazza to pop out in the fifth
inning of Game 4 in 2000 among the most notable.

But following his disastrous 4-14 campaign last year, the Yanks had
lukewarm interest in re-signing him (according to Cone, the team never
made a concrete offer), and the two sides parted.

Eventually Cone opted to sign with Boston, a move The Boss questions
even now.

"If that's what he wanted, there's no reason to dislike him,"
Steinbrenner said. "I think he made a mistake, but that's up to him.
I'm sorry he chose not to finish his career as a Yankee."

After missing the beginning of this season with a tender shoulder,
Cone made his first start with the Red Sox last week, surrendering two
runs on two hits in three innings against the Twins. Still, Cone
insists that he has nothing to prove to his former club.

"That really doesn't have anything to do with it," he said. "It's more
about just me trying to get healthy, finding a way to contribute to
the Red Sox and ending my career on a good note."

That said, Cone promised he was well aware that his pitching with the
Bosox further fuels what he himself called the best rivalry in
baseball.

"It's exciting to be a part of that rivalry, no matter which side
you're on," he said. "I think it's one of the greatest in sports."

Tomorrow night it gets a little greater.
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Yankees will face an old friend in second game of series with Red Sox
by Ken Davidoff
Staff Writer

He has dressed in the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium before,
and he has warmed up in the visitors' bullpen before, as well.

Of course, everything has changed since David Cone last pitched in the
Bronx as an opponent. And that's why, in the important three-game
series between the Yankees and Red Sox that starts tonight, Cone's
first start back here-wearing the enemy colors of the Bosox-stands
out.

The 38-year-old Cone, who signed with the Red Sox after wearing
pinstripes from July 1995 through last year, will start tomorrow night
against Mike Mussina. Andy Pettitte will start tonight against Tim
Wakefield, and Orlando Hernandez will duel Pedro Martinez on Thursday
afternoon.

"He pitched his heart out for us for years here," Tino Martinez said
on Sunday of his former teammate. "You know the fans appreciated
that." "It was a very special five years that we were together,"
manager Joe Torre said. "I trusted him. I just enjoyed having him
around. Now it's going to be uncomfortable for me. But obviously, once
the game starts, it's baseball." The baseball needs to improve for the
Yankees, who are coming off a 2-4 West Coast trip and reside 1 1/2
games behind Boston in the American League East. After wrapping up
this three-game set with Boston, they fly to Cleveland for a weekend
series with the Indians, and then they proceed to Boston for an
unusual, two-games-in-three-days arrangement at Fenway Park.

"We've got a chance to do some damage if we can play well," Martinez
said.

To play well, they most of all need to hit better. While the Yankees
have all seen Cone, very few have hit against him in the last five
years, and their recent history is that they don't do well against
pitchers they haven't faced.

As Derek Jeter pointed out, though, the ignorance may not matter. "He
[Cone] doesn't have patterns," Jeter said. "He pitches everyone
differently. He pitches the same guy differently [from at-bat to
at-bat]. He'll go up there and make up pitches. I don't think you can
really have a plan." "One thing you know about David Cone," Torre
said, "you're going to go up there, and you're going to have no idea
what he's going to throw you. That hasn't changed. He's got a bag of
tricks. Even though he may not possess that 95-mph fastball, or that
dynamite slider, he's got the heart of a lion, and he'll do whatever
he can to beat you." Jeter, never one to back away from a battle,
said: "I hope he has nothing.

I'm sure he's not up there thinking, 'I hope Derek's swinging well."'
By the next time the Red Sox come to town (Sept. 7-10), the Yankees'
World Series rings should have been distributed, and so there likely
will be a brief ceremony in which Cone receives his.

This time, though, only the fans will acknowledge Cone's link to them.

"It's been so long since he signed with Boston, the shock has worn
off," general manager Brian Cashman said. "He'll only be a Yankee in
my mind. But [tomorrow], he's just going be an opponent on the mound.
One I hope we hit." 

susan peters ~ [email protected]

Tuesday, May 22, 2001
By BOB KLAPISCH
Sports Columnist

The question is like a pollster's delight because it requires such
precise wording, which, in its base form, is: How weird will it be to
see David Cone in a Red Sox uniform Wednesday night?

That's easy, say the Yankees: Very weird.

How difficult will it be to block out memories of Cone as a former
teammate and friend? That's not so easy, the Bombers concede. After
all, he was an inner-core guy for six years, smart, talented, and full
of grace under pressure, just like a Hemingway hero.

So, is it more difficult to imagine crushing Cone's two-seam fastball,
given how fragile his career is, because a pummeling from the Yankees
could bring him one step closer to retirement?

To this, the Yankees shake their heads and say no. Their compassion
isn't limitless. In fact, Derek Jeter flatly said, "I hope Coney has
nothing. I mean, I know he's not out there thinking, 'I hope Derek's
swinging the bat well.' He wants to win, just like we do."

No one feels sorry for Cone, is what the Yankees mean to say. They
like him, respect him, wish him closure in what's been a terrific
15-year run. But not Wednesday night, not when the Red Sox are in
town, and the Yankees are just a short winning streak away from first
place.

If Cone is expecting anything else . . . well, he wouldn't. He
couldn't. He knows Jeter and Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill too well
to envision an extra-wide berth. If anything, O'Neill's motivation is
just as profound as Cone's. The right fielder's struggle borders on
crisis, just like his former buddy's.

O'Neill went 1-for-22 on the West Coast trip, dropping 30 points so
fast, Joe Torre was answering questions about whether he's considering
another No. 3 hitter. Not yet, says the manager, but O'Neill grimly
conceded, "If I don't start hitting soon, I'm going to end up in a
beer league."

That's why O'Neill has no room in his heart for Cone's struggles.
Instead, he plans to tap his own memory bank, recalling at-bats as a
Red against Cone, the former Met.

"He's a different pitcher now, but then again, I'm a different hitter
than I used to be," O'Neill said. "He threw a little harder last time
I faced Coney, but he's definitely come up with new ways to get a
hitter out."

Martinez, who played for the Mariners the last time he faced Cone in
the 1995 American League Division Series, agreed with O'Neill, saying,
"Coney just makes stuff up as he goes along. He pitches different guys
differently, so there's no pattern. Hell, he pitches the same guys
differently from one at-bat to another, so the last thing you want to
do is let him get on a roll."

At least the Yankees know Cone's basic arsenal: a heavy dose of
sliders away and two-seamers in. The right-hander's effectiveness,
however, depends almost exclusively on his velocity, and whether he's
throwing the two-seamer hard enough to actually exploit the inner half
of the strike zone against righties.

If Cone's fastball is no better than 86 to 88 mph, he might not last
three innings. However, in last Thursday's start against the Twins --
his Red Sox debut -- Cone actually reached 90 mph on the radar gun,
but was sabotaged by wildness.

His four walks were most likely indicative of nervousness more than a
lack of stuff. Maybe Cone really does feel weird pitching for the
Yankees' arch rival. Even Jeter, in his icy-cold assessment of Cone,
admitted, "It's going to be strange seeing him wear that uniform.

"It's the same way I felt two years ago when there was talk about
Bernie [Williams] going to the Red Sox," Jeter said. "It just didn't
seem right. It seemed weird."

And how does Cone feel about his return to the Bronx? He'll open his
heart in today's pregame news conference, trying to make sense of it
all while the Yankees are taking batting practice. This is one big
mystery to Cone, but any Bronx historian will tell you he's an
adrenaline junkie.

Remember, Cone could've easily signed with the now-invisible Rangers,
pitching in the bullpen in meaningless Western Division games. But he
didn't. Cone chose the Red Sox precisely because of the heat he'd
generate in his first appearance against the Yankees.

He's waited five months for this moment. Waited through an awful
spring training, a cortisone shot, endless acupuncture sessions, a
prison sentence on the disabled list -- and with it, thoughts that his
career had taken its last breath.

Cone persevered, and not because of the money. It's because he needs
closure. He needs one last rush. Who better than the Yankees to give
it to him? As O'Neill so crisply put it, "We all know Coney wants this
game. You have to respect that."
susan peters ~ [email protected]

Get your VCR's ready!

FOX said they're going to have a piece on him at 10pm on the NY Sports
Report after the Mutts game. I'm sure all the sports shows will have
something on him tomorrow too, and he'll probably be the story on the
MSG pre-game show. 

#1Coneyfan
susan peters ~ [email protected]

By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer 
May 22, 2001 

NEW YORK (AP) -- David Cone walked out of his Manhattan
apartment, got in a taxi and headed up to the Bronx. 

It was just like normal for him Tuesday, looking at the signs on
Yankee Stadium recording all the World Series titles, walking through
the press gate and down the stairs to the long, dark tunnel. 

And then came the difference that separates the champions from the
wannabes: a left instead of a right. 

Yes, his career had taken a strange and unexpected turn. 

His 5 1/2 seasons in pinstripes were over. The four World Series
titles and the perfect game meant little now. He was just another
enemy pitcher playing for the Yankees' hated rival, the Boston Red
Sox. 

Well, not just another enemy pitcher. 

``I know my way around too well to feel like a visitor,'' said Cone,
whose scheduled start against Andy Pettitte on Wednesday night wasn't
affected by Tuesday night's series opener being rained out. 

Red-faced as always, the glint of fire was still in his eyes, the
spark that enabled the wiry kid from the Kansas City suburbs to
compile a 184-116 career record, win a Cy Young Award and pitch for
five World Series winners. 

After last year's 4-14 disaster, he's struggling at age 38, ``trying
to find a way to go out on my own terms.'' 

He's heard all the talk from fans. And, yes, they made an impression
on him. He can recite all the knocks. 

``It's time to quit. It's time to hang it up. No one wants to see a
washed-up pitcher that was once pretty good,'' he said. 

Instead of dressing in the stall just around the corner from manager
Joe Torre's office, Cone was in the far right corner of the visitor's
clubhouse. 

Media savvy as always, he had changed from his black trousers and
gray, ribbed shirt into a Red Sox uniform before speaking with
reporters, knowing that in New York, his image would be on evening
newscasts, his every word liable to wind up as a back-page headline. 

The rainout made Cone, once again, the story of the day. Just last
week, he made his first start of the season. After signing with Boston
during the offseason, he left a March 13 spring training game with
right shoulder tendinitis. At first, he thought that might be the end.


``There's a lot of doubts that go through your mind,'' he said. ``You
wonder if it's time to hang it up.'' 

He was depressed, but quickly moved on. 

``I'm stubborn enough to believe I can still do it,'' he said. 

He needed nearly two months of rehab before last Thursday's start at
Minnesota. He didn't get a decision, throwing just 37 of 76 pitches
for strikes and lasting three-plus innings. Cone allowed two runs, two
hits, four walks and a hit batter. 

``It feels good to be back,'' he said. ``When you've spent as much
time in Fort Myers, Florida, as I have, you take anything you can
get.'' 

He has the Yankees a little worried. They don't think about the
pitcher who went 0-8 during a 15-start winless streak last year and
finished with a 6.91 ERA. 

``I think it's going to be weird seeing him in a different uniform,''
said Jorge Posada, who's caught Cone many times. ``Don't take him
lightly, because he's a competitor.'' 

While he made only a small contribution last year -- the most notable
was retiring Mike Piazza on an inning-ending flyout in Game 4 of the
World Series -- Cone left a void in the Yankees' clubhouse, where he
always seemed to say the right thing: to veterans, rookies and
reporters. 

``You miss him. He was a very big presence,'' first baseman Tino
Martinez recalled. ``Never made excuses. Was a great teammate and
a great Yankee. ... The way he was a teammate: in the clubhouse, out
at the airport, at the hotel. A lot of stories you can't tell.'' 

Cone wasn't going to seek out his old mates, 

``It's not like you can go in the clubhouse over there and start
shaking hands,'' he said. 

But he singled out Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, now
recovered from multiple myeloma, as people he wanted to see while he
was in town. 

``He's an emotional guy,'' Torre said. ``He wins a lot of games with
his head and his heart. You can't look at the readings, you can't look
at the numbers and make a decision on him, because there's more to him
than that.'' 

Cone left the Yankees because he wanted to be more than a fifth
starter. He signed with Boston because he would get that chance --
and still pitch in baseball's biggest rivalry. 

He talked about how the 2001 Red Sox remind him of the 1998
Yankees, who went 114-48, of how Boston has the best pitcher in
Pedro Martinez and the best hitter in Manny Ramirez, of what the
payoff would be to help Boston win the World Series for the first time
since 1918. 

But for now, the focus was on Wednesday, when he walks up on the
mound where he pitched a perfect game against Montreal two years
ago. It's another chance to prove himself. 

He's driven and admits he'd rather go too late than too early. 

``Maybe,'' he said, ``there are some unresolved issues.'' 


susan peters ~ [email protected]

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

Hi everyone!  Well, I certainly can understand and relate to what you all
have been saying...I know it's tough to think of seeing David pitch
*against* the Yankees tomorrow, but I think it's so wonderful to know that
he is still supported by well-respected, die-hard, long-life Yankee fans
as yourselves, and I think that it proves even more how worthless and
unwarranted the menacing comments on certain forums are.  I still haven't
had a chance to get over to the forums, I just don't have the time for it
anymore...but from the sounds of it some things being said I'd rather not
see anyways.  Way to go Ally and others for staying in there and fighting
your hearts out...I did it myself for quite awhile..but I grew weary of
sounding like a broken record, screaming the same thing over and over to
the same people who just won't see things any other way.  But I am so glad
that there are those of you still in there speaking your positive words,
because that side should always be heard...  

I know and understand that many of you don't want to see the Red Sox beat
the Yankees...with me becoming a Yankee fan mostly because of David, I
just see things very differently.  I guess I don't see the whole division
race and all, (this could be largely due to my location) but it's
weird...I don't view my rooting for David to win as rooting for the Red
Sox per se, even though that's technically what it is.  I even catch
myself smiling when the Red Sox are doing well now, I did before David was
even brought back up...but it's all because of my support for him!
Instead of seeing David's winning equaling Red Sox success, I see the Red
Sox winning as equaling David's success, which is what is most important
in my eyes.  That probably makes me a terrible baseball fan, or maybe not
terrible really, just "different??" :)

Susan-- Thank you *so much* for taking the time to share all of those
articles with us!  They were fantastic to read!  I think that Torre and
everyone have just been so wonderful toward David and his decision...it
makes me wonder why the fans can't do the same...after all, his leaving
the team affects them more than it does the fans...and if the players
themselves feel he deserves to be cheered, then the fans should respect
that!

Britt-- Great to hear from you!  I did hear about Cath...I thought that
was nice...I am glad she is doing well! :) I would forum more if I had the
time, but with 420 sub-forums, I just can't keep up with it all, heehee!

RU-- Studying in Spain...wow!  That is fantastic! Felicitaciones y buena
suerte!  I am so glad that the list will be of good use to you over the
summer, and don't worry...if you can access the site you will always get
pictures!  2001 pics will be updated as they come! :)

Also, the chatroom is back up and running!  If anyone has any ideas for a
date and time for a chat about the book or anything else anyone would like
to discuss, please feel free to share it with us!  And if you need any
help getting into the room, don't hesitate to e-mail me!  It's channel
#ConeysCourt on IRC server irc.eskimo.com!! :)

Wow, I apologize for such a long message!  I hope I didn't bore anyone!!
Anyhow, I know we all wish David the best tomorrow, so let's all keep good
thoughts! :)  I believe the game is on ESPN tomorrow, too...

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

Hi everyone!  Thanks KC and Susan for the shout-outs, I have been trying to
fight the good fight, believe it or not, I actually convinced one
person...my hubby!  OK, I know that sounds like it should be easy, but when
Coney first signed with the Sox, JP's reaction was, "well, he was a hired
gun when we got him and he's a hired gun now, I'm not surprised, just
disgusted".  Yes, that made for some fun times around my house, ha ha, but
we kind of agreed to disagree.  Well, yesterday I was telling him what was
going on and he said, "you're right, he has as much right to work as anyone,
and if that's who wanted him, so be it, it's not his fault".  YAY!!!  I feel
bad arguing, this is the kind of issue that starts huge divisive fights that
people remember for years, but I can't help it, I am a true-blue Yankees
fan, and I don't hope the Sox win anything except the games that Coney
pitches that are not against us.  But in the same way that I follow a lot of
former Yankees, I will always hope for the best for Cone.

OK, off the soapbox, maybe I'll do some work today (doubt it though, I have
only one boss in today and he is in meetings most of the day!).

Susan - thanks for the great articles!

Talk to you all later - have a good day and keep smiling...:)

Ally
allybear
[email protected]
IM:  allybearm

Good morning all

Well first off... how is the weather in NY today?  Will there be a game
tonight or are you guys gonna get more rain??

Secondly, I wish David Cone the best for tonight.  I can't hope for a win,
but I will pull for him to do well enough to quiet any boo-birds that come
his way!

And Ally, convincing one person to rethink this whole David saga (even if he
happens to be your hubby) is better than not convincing anyone at all.  You
should be proud of yourself ;)

Have a great day everyone :)

Laura

For those of you who aren't in the Metro NY area, ESPN will be broadcasting the
game tonight.  Coverage begins at 7 PM.  Enjoy the game - I know I will!!!

Melanie

The last time David Cone was in this particular interview room at the
Stadium, nearly two years ago, he had just pitched his perfect game
and his fastball still ruled the plate. Rudy Giuliani was standing in
the back, glad handing everybody. Don Larsen was there giving
interviews, too, because it was Yogi Berra Day.

The whole New York baseball world had converged on Cone's coronation,
the crowning achievement of a worthy career already filled with titles
and unbeatable quotes. Cone was always such a big part of New York,
both the good and bad chapters in two boroughs. He had somehow come
all the way back from a front-page Post headline, "Weird Sex Act in
Bullpen," to become the media darling of an elegant, pinstriped
dynasty.

David Cone hopes Yankee fans don't turn their backs on him even though
he has his familiar number sewn on a foreign uniform. It seemed then
he would never dare leave us again. But that would be overestimating
Cone's arm, and underestimating his dogged nature. Cone is
never shy about taking people's money, whether it be hard currency or
fool's gold. He is rarely frightened by opinion, or by cold, hard
statistics.

And so, in yet another incarnation, Cone will start tonight for Boston
against the Yankees, another chance at proving something to somebody,
mostly himself. He was there yesterday, before a rainout in the series
opener, sitting in front of microphones, wearing a gaudy blue uniform
with red trim.

He looked all wrong. The words "Red Sox," baseball's literal
translation for frustration, humiliation and defeat, adorned his
jersey. Cone felt no shame in them.

"It's a good-looking uniform," he said. "That's the payoff, one of the
reasons I was attracted to Boston. The golden nugget, to win a world
championship. I know what a payoff it would be if we can break
through."

Another contractual hiccup had brought him to Fenway. Cone, at age 38
and after a disastrous 4-14 season with a 6.91 ERA, turned down
$500,000 guaranteed from the Yankees last winter to accept $5 million
in possibilities from the Red Sox.

"I was sort of dangling, looking for a job," he said. Cone stared
straight ahead and insisted he had enough left in his arm to make the
gamble worthwhile.

It was hard to believe him, even tougher after he suffered tendinitis
in his arm this spring, spent months in Florida for rehab, then
endured an erratic first outing Thursday. Nothing much had gone right
for him since that perfect game. He didn't beg us to believe
yesterday. He only asked us to watch.

"I'm still stubborn enough to think I can do this," Cone said. "I
didn't want to quit on last year's note. The underlying fact for me is
I've got to keep trying."

He knows what we are saying about him, that he's washed up,
embarrassing. "I can take those kind of statements," he said. We have
to give him credit: Cone has the uncanny ability to float through the
major leagues with just the right blend of detachment and loyalty. He
knows what the uniforms represent. He appreciates the fans. But he
also understands that this is a nasty business.

There is no looking back. Only up.

When he walked into the Stadium yesterday, Cone looked up again at the
painted numbers at the top of the building, 26 of them, representing
the Yankees' world championship seasons.

"That block of four on the right-hand side, that's a big part of my
life," he said.

Cone lost some of that tradition and the gracious exit when he left
New York, but the Yankees and their fans cannot afford to be smug
about it quite yet. His team is in first place. The Yanks don't have a
fifth starter. If Cone were available in the Bronx, he would still be
getting his shots at the tail end of the rotation.

Besides, it is tough to hate this man with the intense eyes and the
studied responses. During his tenure with the Yankees, he was already
too old, too much the veteran, to make close friends with teammates.
Keith Hernandez wasn't around. Darryl Strawberry was on the periphery.
Cone felt closer to Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemyre than he did to Jorge
Posada or Derek Jeter.

There was still a bit of the child in Cone, though, in his unbridled
enthusiasm for the sport. He would work with Luis Castillo, the Yankee
batboy hoping to hone his own pitching, before every home game, during
batting practice.

'He helped me all the time," Castillo said yesterday. "He's a great
guy. I miss him a lot."

We all miss Cone in New York. We all wish he weren't pitching tonight
in a Red Sox uniform. It was already one season too long last year.
This one is too tough on everyone.
susan peters ~ [email protected]