Not long ago, Jose Contreras, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez were all in the New York Yankees' rotation.
Now they're all in the World Series, ready to pitch without their pinstripes.
It must be enough to make Yankees owner George Steinbrenner cringe.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"It's definitely strange," Pettitte said on Friday as his Houston Astros prepared to face the Chicago White Sox. "I know it's special for me and Rog, and it's definitely special for those guys, too."
They left New York for different reasons: Contreras was a castoff, Clemens had retired, Pettitte became a free agent, and El Duque rejected an arbitration offer after the Yankees looked elsewhere for a few new starters.
But when Pettitte signed with Houston after the 2003 season, Clemens changed course and joined his buddy back home. Contreras and Hernandez eventually landed in Chicago, and all four flourished one way or another.
Each pitched in the World Series for the Yankees. Now they've all returned -- before New York did so without them.
"I don't know that we've ever even worried about that," Clemens said.
Not so sure that's the case back in the Bronx.
For the Yankees and their fans, Contreras is probably the most difficult success story to swallow. He signed a US$32 million, four-year contract with New York in February 2003 after defecting from Cuba, but quickly became a major bust.
Wildly inconsistent and lonely without his family, he never lived up to lofty expectations, partly because he was sidelined for 2 months with a strained shoulder. Plus, Contreras struggled most against the rival Red Sox -- and that's a sure ticket out of town.
Despite his so-so numbers overall, the White Sox always coveted the big right-hander with the nasty splitter. So the Yankees shipped him to Chicago at the 2004 trade deadline for two-time All-Star Esteban Loaiza in a deal that didn't look half-bad at the time.
"I was mad because I had a lot of friends in New York," Contreras said through a translator. "But I had to just step through that, go through it, and when I got here I wanted to thank the organization for just giving me the confidence."
Turns out, the White Sox got a steal.
Teamed with a fellow Cuban in Hernandez (they spent only a few weeks together on New York's roster) and comfortable in his new surroundings, Contreras blossomed in the second half this season, going 11-2 with a 2.96 ERA.
He stopped tipping his pitches and made some mechanical adjustments, dropping his arm angle at Hernandez's suggestion. The results were more strikes, more innings and more outs.
"I don't know, nor do I really care, about what went on in New York with Jose," Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper said. "I think Contreras' future is ahead of him."
Contreras became the team's No. 1 starter down the stretch and went 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in the American League playoffs to help the White Sox reach the World Series for the first time since 1959. Now, he'll start Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday against Clemens.
"We trust him and believe in him. He was so insecure," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "The thing about Jose was, he don't want to let people down. When he signed a big contract, people talked about how much money he made, he should win every game."
The seemingly ageless Hernandez returned from an injury at midseason last year and had an outstanding second half for the Yankees, but he pitched only once in the 2004 playoffs because of a tired shoulder.
He rejected New York's arbitration offer and signed an US$8 million, two-year contract with the White Sox in December. The right-hander went 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA during the regular season, then really delivered in the postseason -- as usual.
Coming out of the bullpen, El Duque escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in Boston, helping Chicago secure a first-round sweep.
"As time goes, I think that is going to loom bigger and bigger -- not only in playoff history, but in White Sox history," Cooper said.
Pettitte is also a proven winner in the postseason, but the Yankees let him slip away two years ago.
When they failed to pursue him aggressively, the left-hander turned his attention home to Houston. Passing up more money from New York, he signed a US$31.5 million, three-year contract with the Astros.
His 2004 season was cut short by elbow surgery, but he bounced back with one of the best years of his career this season. He teamed with Clemens and Roy Oswalt to pitch Houston to the first World Series appearance in its 44-season history.
Pettitte will start Game 2 on Sunday.
"I never thought that I'd end up leaving New York. But the door is closed there and I came home," he said. "Obviously, my first year was horrible. This is kind of what you dream. This, for me, is kind of like gravy, really. I'm just taking it all in."
Everyone knows Frank Thomas can hit. Turns out, he's a pretty good cheerleader, too.
The best slugger in Chicago White Sox history is missing the team's first World Series appearance since 1959 because of a broken left foot. But he was smiling on Friday as he watched his teammates work out, insisting he's happy just to see the White Sox in the World Series.
"I tell people that honestly," Thomas said. "Getting to the World Series, I've been watching it year in and year out. I'm just going to take it all in and really help do my part in the clubhouse.
"If I didn't play this year, it'd be different," he added. "But I played this year, I had an impact. I was able to help the team win some games. I helped do my part."
Thomas has spent his entire career with the White Sox, and the two-time American League MVP was the only thing the team had going during many lean years. Even at 37, he hit 10 homers in his first 69 at-bats this year.
"It's a little empty. I fought so hard my whole career to get here, and the year I'm not able to play we're here," Thomas said.
COST OF LIVING
The White Sox won the AL with a payroll of US$74 million, 13th among the 30 major league teams. and less than half that of the New York Yankees.
"I think I'm proud of the fact that we don't have a US$200 million payroll," White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said, "but I can assure you that if we had the resources to have a US$200 million payroll, we'd have it. I don't criticize the people who spend a lot of money as long as they're not losing money."
FLAVOR OF THE MONTH
One of the most popular guys in the clubhouse on Friday was White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper.
He has been mentioned as a possible replacement for former Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who retired after New York was eliminated from the playoffs.
"I'm aware of it. What do I think? Flattering, interesting," Cooper said. "George Steinbrenner and the Yankees -- there's no more winning organization."
Cooper grew up in New York, went to college at New York Tech and was drafted by the Yankees in 1978. His brief big league career ended after he pitched in seven games for New York in 1985.
"It's flattering, but right now to me it's all words," Cooper said. "I've been here 19 years. My loyalty, my focus, my passion is here."
Still, New York writers were lining up to talk to him.
"Right now it looks like I'm the flavor of the month," he said. "It's nice to be recognized, but I know why I'm being recognized. ... I'm not egotistical enough to think it's me."
The White Sox had one of the best pitching staffs in major league baseball all year, and they threw four straight complete games in the AL championship series to reach the World Series for the first time since 1959.
But Cooper insisted his pitchers deserve the credit.
"Maybe I'm just an activities coordinator," he said.
SHOELESS JOE
Some US senators are sticking up for Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Harkin sponsored a resolution on Friday calling for Jackson to be "appropriately honored for his outstanding baseball accomplishments."
Jackson was one of the greatest players of his time. He hit a career .356 that still ranks third-best in history behind Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby, and he helped the Chicago White Sox win the 1917 World Series, their last title. But Jackson is best known for his role in the "Black Sox" scandal, when he and eight other teammates threw games in the 1919 World Series against Cincinnati.
Though he was found innocent in court, MLB commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson and his teammates for life.
"I hope Major League Baseball will take this important moment in baseball history to remove the taint upon the memory of Shoeless Joe and appropriately honor his outstanding baseball accomplishments," DeMint said.
"While I wholeheartedly believe in Shoeless Joe's innocence, even those in doubt must admit he served his lifetime sentence with dignity and honor," DeMint added. "I hope [commissioner Bud Selig] will complete his inquiry soon and lift the ban on Shoeless Joe."
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