David Wells Bronx Bound?
Is it possible to see David Wells come back to Yankee Stadium one more time? According to the NY Post,Wells wants to come back and Hank Steinbrenner is a fan of his.
Wells went unsigned over the winter but continues to throw to his son’s high school baseball team to keep in shape.
“I’m in shape, I’d just have to fine-tune a couple of things,” Wells said. “I’d need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good.”
David pitched for the Bombers from 1997-98 and 2002-2003. In ‘98 Wells pitched a perfect game at the Stadium against the Minnesota Twins. He is beloved by most Yankee fans, although David did raise some eyebrows in Yankeeland. He took himself out of Game 4 of the 2003 World Series with a back injury, which forced Joe Torre to put in Jose Contreares in the game for a second consecutive night. That game was lost in extra innings when Torre summoned Jeff Weaver in and he promptly served up the game winning homerun. In 2005, Boomer signed with the rival Boston Red Sox, a move in which he once stated he would never do.
“New York has always been the favorite of all my stops,” Wells said. “When I got traded, I was bitter. When they didn’t re-sign me, I was bitter, but I know that wasn’t the Yankees, everything was Joe Torre. I wasn’t one of his boys. I don’t think he liked the way I lived my life or that I spoke my mind.”
Wells would welcome the idea of pitching under his former catcher Joe Girardi. Hank admits he’s given Wells some consideration concerning a return.
“Obviously, he’ll always be a Yankee to me,” Steinbrenner said. “I’ve thought about it…..I saw him on TV, and I did think about it when I was watching.You never know,” Steinbrenner said. [Wells] hasn’t come up in conversation, but I’ve had so much other [bleep] to deal with lately.”
Wells also stated he believes the Yankees have nothing to lose if they were to resign Wells. I agree. He’s a lefty with expirence in New York and might still be able to pitch that big game they need. Whether David can prove to be useful in his mid-40’s is another story. I don’t think he can do much worse than Phil Hughes and his 0-4 9.00 ERA or Ian Kennedy’s 0-3 8.37 ERA.
Give the guy a chance, you never know what you might get. I think the Yanks should take advantage of this situation while the time is right. This Wells-Yankee love affair could take on some stem if fill ins Darell Rasner and Kei Igawa struggle in their starts. As I always like to say, stranger things have happened, so the idea of Wells coming back may seem outrageous at first, but think about it…it could very well be what the Yanks need. I would love to see Boomer back, let’s see if the door opens for a return to the House That Ruth Built.
