Tino!!!!!!!
From mlb.com...h
The 'Tino! Tino!' cheers are still ringing in Tino Martinez's ears. Will he be hearing them a lot more often in 2005?
Could be. The popular first baseman, whose clutch bat made him a Bronx favorite during his 1996-2001 run with the Yankees, may again be fitted for pinstripes.
If so, fans would have a chance to regularly show him the love they've had to save for special occasions the last two seasons. Martinez got a tremendous welcome in 2003, when he hit town with the St. Louis Cardinals for an Interleague series. Back in the American League, he was a more frequent visitor last season.
A free agent after the Tampa Bay Devil Rays declined an $8 million contract option they held for 2005, Martinez may be perfectly suited for the Yankees' need for someone to back up Jason Giambi.
Tony Clark and John Olerud, who alternated in that role last season, are both also free agents.
Should Giambi's health problems carry over and change his backup's job description, Martinez should be able to handle a bigger burden. He turns 37 in a month. Last season, he put up 23 homers and 76 RBIs for the Devil Rays.
In his six seasons with the Yankees, the left-handed hitting first baseman averaged 29 homers and 115 RBIs.
The 'Tino! Tino!' cheers are still ringing in Tino Martinez's ears. Will he be hearing them a lot more often in 2005?
Could be. The popular first baseman, whose clutch bat made him a Bronx favorite during his 1996-2001 run with the Yankees, may again be fitted for pinstripes.
If so, fans would have a chance to regularly show him the love they've had to save for special occasions the last two seasons. Martinez got a tremendous welcome in 2003, when he hit town with the St. Louis Cardinals for an Interleague series. Back in the American League, he was a more frequent visitor last season.
A free agent after the Tampa Bay Devil Rays declined an $8 million contract option they held for 2005, Martinez may be perfectly suited for the Yankees' need for someone to back up Jason Giambi.
Tony Clark and John Olerud, who alternated in that role last season, are both also free agents.
Should Giambi's health problems carry over and change his backup's job description, Martinez should be able to handle a bigger burden. He turns 37 in a month. Last season, he put up 23 homers and 76 RBIs for the Devil Rays.
In his six seasons with the Yankees, the left-handed hitting first baseman averaged 29 homers and 115 RBIs.
