'Homer' may be dirty word at YES

'Homer' may be dirty word at YES

BILL JANSCHA/AP

Lou Piniella has always been a broadcaters to play by his own set of rules, an aspect of his personality that may make things interesting this year.

As the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Networks 10th anniversary season begins Friday in Tampa with the Bombers opener, its voices may be going in with added pressure and something to prove.

Early last month, the networks president Tracy Dolgin called YES a homer net work. He said he used the word homer proudly, as opposed to a journalist fearing the word.

When youre watching a game (on YES), Dolgin told Newsday, Im very proud to say were rooting for the home team on our air.

Since YES announcers are not tripping over themselves to confide in us, we dont know how they actually feel about Dolgins claim. In the past, when others from outside the family have made similar statements, the voices bristled. Dolgins comments confirms the notion YES mouths are required to carry pin-striped pom-poms into the booth.

We do know other baseball voices who are outraged over Dolgin portraying his announcers as cheerleaders. They figure a few of their peers at YES are ticked off, too.

How could they not be. The guy they work for doesnt care about their reputations. He made them look like a bunch of subservient jackasses, said a baseball broadcaster who wanted to remain anonymous.

I know some of those guys (at YES) and I know they are very good at what they do, he said. Unfortunately, they are managed from the top down by people who sometimes dont have their priorities straight.

Dont look for any of the YES broadcasters to start gratuitously bashing Yankee players just to prove a point. Yet it would not be surprising to see them ratchet up the scrutiny dwell on the negative more than usual especially if the Yankees get off slow.

How might this all manifest itself?

What happens if Derek Jeter slumps early like he did last season? YES analysts would likely point out how he eventually rebounded from a slow start in 2011.

But if they were looking to show their independence, to stick it to Dolgin, they could flip the script. They could put a bulls-eye on the untouchable Jeter. Instead of the ritual genuflecting, they could talk about this being the second consecutive season he has floundered early. They could continuously wonder how much the Captain has left in the tank.

What about Mark Teixeira? His batting average has dropped over the past two seasons. YES mouths didnt exactly bang on him over this slide. Maybe they put a hit on Tex if the trend continues.

If Michael Pineda is out for an extended period of time, they could really go off the reservation and question Brian Cashmans trading of Jesus Montero to Seattle for the young pitcher. In the YES booth, Cashman is bullet-proof. He rules.

They could take off the gloves on Alex Rodriguez, too. Proving Dolgins pom-pom theory, Michael Kay went gaga over A-Rod during 2011 spring training, predicting a monster season for the man. Injury got in the way.

A-Rod turns 37 in July and has had stints on the DL every season since 2008. YES mouths have mostly wished him well and waited for A-Rod to return.