You would have to be clueless not to know that Benny Agbayani’s ‘prediction’ was said with jest, but because it was put on the front page of The Post yesterday, Agbayani had to answer question after question leading into Game 1 of the Subway Series about his ‘prediction.’
Anyone who knows Agbayani a little bit knows he is not the boastful type and isn’t the type of a guy who just says crazy stuff.
But Agbayani, as he maintained Thursday to reporters, not Howard Stern or Regis Philbin, said yesterday his ‘prediction’ was just done in fun.
Yes, he, of course, thinks the Mets are going to win the series, but he just said five games because that number is what came to his mind and he thinks it is “lucky.”
You could tell Agbayani felt bad about the uproar caused by his words. But what he found particularly disappointing was that someone might think he would was cocky.
“I’m not trying to disrespect anybody,” said Agbayani, who treats everyone the same. “I was just joking around. I’m not somebody who knows what is going to happen. I know a lot of people probably think that I have all the confidence in the world. I’m not saying we’re going to win in five. I was joking around. I’m not a predictor. I think they are blowing it out of proportion the whole thing.”
Interestingly, on Wednesday, Agbayani proved quite the prognosticator.
“It’s going to be fun,” said Agbayani of what he expected of the days leading up to Subway Series. “Very distracting. More distracting.”
Bobby Valentine tried to take Agbayani off the hook a little bit, saying, “I didn’t know which one they are going to win,” Valentine joked. “I’m kind of taking it off Benny a little.” … Al Leiter said he didn’t cry when he was traded from the Yankees. Michael Kay, who in 1989 was The Post’s beat reporter and now is one of the voices of Yankee radio, maintains Leiter did cry.
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When Joe Torre left Jose Canseco off the ALCS roster in order to add pitcher Jason Grimsley, Canseco supported the move because he admitted to being the “worst pinch-hitter in the world.”
Now, that Torre has included the right-handed hitting slugger on his World Series roster and doesn’t have him in the lineup for tonight’s Game 1 at Yankee Stadium against Met lefty Al Leiter as the DH, it figures Canseco’s role in the Subway Series will be as a pinch-hitter. Certainly, Torre isn’t going to play Canseco in the outfield.
“I have probably gotten worse,” Canseco said when asked if anything has changed in regards to pinch-hitting. “I haven’t had an at-bat in two weeks. I have done absolutely nothing.”
Canseco didn’t get into the ALDS against the A’s. In eight pinch-hitting appearances (six with the Yankees), Canseco had one hit this year.
“I have never been a pinch-hitter, I don’t know how to approach it,” Canseco said. “You get one at-bat in a very close game and the team relies on you. I haven’t seen a quality pitch from a major-league pitcher in two weeks. I think the odds are stacked on the pitchers’ side. I don’t know what to tell you.”
In order to add Canseco to the roster, the Yankees will drop a pitcher and return to a 10-man staff. Rookie reliever Randy Choate is the likely candidate to vanish if Grimsley’s elbow problem doesn’t flare up.
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Derek Jeter has a nine-game World Series hitting streak since going 0-for-4 in Game 5 of the 1996 Series against the Braves. Mariano Rivera’s five Series saves are one shy of Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers’ six. Rivera, last year’s MVP, hasn’t allowed a run in 12 straight Series innings.
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Billy Connors and Dave Wallace might be on opposite tracks in the Subway Series, but Connors still holds his former pupil in high regard.
“I had him in the minor leagues for three years,” the Yankees’ interim pitching coach says of the Mets’ pitching coach. “Oklahoma City for two years and Venezuela for one year. He is one of my favorite people. I have always kept in contact with him. He is one of the funniest guys I know.”
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Mike Stanton was one of the few Yankee pitchers with a bat in his locker as the hurlers prepared for batting practice. So, why did Stanton have a set of bats?
“Because (the other pitchers) can’t hit,” Stanton said.
With pitchers batting in Games 3, 4 and 5, it’s highly unlikely that Stanton will get a chance to bat.
Who are the best hitters among Yankee pitchers? Dwight Gooden and David Cone. Cone may get a chance to show off the left-handed swing he patterned after George Brett if he starts Game 4 at Shea Stadium Wednesday night.
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Cone’s take on the Mets reflects the general attitude of the Yankees’ clubhouse.
“They are not a Cinderella team, they are a good team,” Cone said. “They added Mike Hampton and they were put together to win the World Series.”
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Former Yankee manager Buck Showalter returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time since his divorce from the club following the crushing 1995 ALDS loss to the Mariners.
“Very emotional,” said Showalter, who is on hand as part of the ESPN broadcast team.
Fired by the Diamondbacks, Showalter has interviewed for vacancies in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Another ESPN voice, Buck Martinez, interviews for the Blue Jay job Tuesday in Manhattan.
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Security for Subway Series will be at all-time high when it comes to cop thanks to Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s insistence that New York will not suffer a black eye while the nation is watching.
“There will be more cops than they had for the interleague series and the (John) Rocker,” a baseball official said.
As far as bogus tickets, scanners that pick up the official hologram on the real tickets will be installed at the gates.
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Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game in the last Subway Series in 1956, will throw out the first ball tonight. Yogi Berra, who appeared in a record 14 Series and was Larsen’s catcher in the perfect game, will receive the ceremonial toss.