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December 20, 2007
Mike Borzello Leaves Yankees For L.A.
From George King -
Alex Rodriguez will try to duplicate his scintillating 2007 season without a key member of a very small inner circle.
Mike Borzello, a bullpen catcher for the past 12 seasons and Joe Torre's godson, has left the Yankees and taken a job with the Dodgers as a catching instructor.
Normally, a support-staff member splitting doesn't create a huge void. However, Rodriguez leaned on Borzello as a workout partner, and he was one of the few people whose criticism Rodriguez listened to.
Whether it was a 7:30 a.m. spring-training workout fielding ground balls or the daily 3:30 p.m. long-toss session, Borzello was on hand. And when Borzello saw Rodriguez drifting mentally, he wasn't afraid to say.
"He was good for Alex because he told Alex the truth," a Yankee employee said of Borzello. "Not everybody does that."
Without the 37-year-old Borzello, a former minor-league catcher who also is close to Mike Mussina and interacts with the pitcher the same way he does with Rodriguez, it will be interesting to see how Rodriguez reacts.
Nobody in baseball puts more emphasis on routine than Rodriguez, who now needs a workout partner and somebody not afraid to tell the best player in baseball that he isn't perfect.
A bullpen catcher, who was the godson of the former manager (which was probably the reason why he got the job in the first place), quits - and, it becomes an "A-Rod" story. These are the days of our lives, now, in Yankeeland.
Get used to it - we have ten more years of it coming.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at December 20, 2007 09:45 AM
Comments
J33z, an0ther AR0d post? j00 r 0bs3ssed!!11!!!eleventyone!!!!1
Just kidding, Steve :)
So, Borzello was the reason Rodriguez had a MVP caliber season? Not the fact that high school chum Minky was on the team? Or was it because he isn't listening to the media anymore? Or was it because of steroids (he's alternated MVP years with "mortal" years?) I get my stories mixed up
It's funny, the lengths the media will go to talk about Rodriguez. Must be a slow news day. I'm surprised King didn't go after Schilling (or maybe he did? I don't read the Times much)
By the way, I'd like to apologize for the rant the other day in the Cashman Appreciation thread. It was out of line. Figured I would apologize here, instead of there, where it's buried. Time permitting, I'll try to throw together an analysis/essay, I'm just trying to determine the topic (don't want to rehash previous entries).
Posted by: Raf ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 20, 2007 10:11 AM
Don't sweat it Raf - I'm not.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at December 20, 2007 10:56 AM
If Borzello is so connected to Torre, why couldn't he stop him from batting A-Rod 8th in the 2006 ALDS?
Posted by: Rich at December 20, 2007 11:56 AM
I don't think 10 MVP's is worth hearing about this madonna everyday. Hearing this everyday for the next decade of my life is going to be a strain.
Posted by: Corey at December 20, 2007 02:04 PM
At least Steve hasn't found a way to blame Ca$hman for this, not yet anyway.
Regarding A-Freud, I did want the circus to leave town, but Hank-N-Stein couldn't help himself.
Posted by: Don at December 20, 2007 02:31 PM
i too would have been happy to see the circus leave town. a fucking decade to go...
Posted by: Travis G. at December 20, 2007 02:46 PM
Did you see the disgraceful headline to this story? "A-ROD CRONY BOLTS FOR L.A." God, I hate the "Post." Borzello has been the bullpen catcher for twelve years! And now he's A-Rod's "crony"?
George King writes some stupid stuff, but this takes the prize. Ooooh, can A-Rod be effective again without the bullpen catcher around? Are these stories more about A-Rod or more about the media? Does his personality engender this nonsense or are the writers just shitheels? Maybe a little of both.
As for Borzello, I think his relationship with Mussina was much more intense. I recall hearing somewhere that the two were very close.
Posted by: baileywalk at December 20, 2007 02:48 PM
Borzello and Mussina are very tight. Reportedly, Mo likes him too. But, again, A-Rod is the story.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at December 20, 2007 02:55 PM