Billy Crystal to Play for the Yankees

[GordonGecko]

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees are ready to add a touch of Hollywood to their roster, announcing their plans to sign actor and comedian Billy Crystal to a one-day contract during Spring Training.

Crystal will sign the contract on Wednesday and work out with the Yankees at Legends Field before playing in the club's game on Thursday against the Pirates in Tampa. Commissioner Bud Selig approved the Yankees' extension of a contract to Crystal.

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said. "I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and Commissioner Selig. I know this'll be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I'm looking forward to helping the younger players -- by the way, which is all of them."

Crystal, who will turn 60 on March 14, will wear uniform No. 60 in the game.

"The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees," said Yankees COO Lonn Trost. "The Yankees are very grateful to the Commissioner's Office for allowing us to extend this special invitation to Mr. Crystal."

Official Press Release

[nyyfan]

wow. This will be intresting.

[Old Sweater]

I hated it when Garth Brooks done it for the Padres and don't care for Billy Crystal doing it. At least Crystal is a Yankees fan. ST should be for MLB and MiLB players only. IMO<

I'll never forget packing my lunch early in the morning, when I looked at Sports Center and seeing the worst stride with choppy steps I had ever witnessed. The guy seemed like he was going no where. Walked into the front room where I could hear the TV and it turns out to be Garth Brooks.

[Williamsburg2599]

Remember that thread that was something like "I'll quit watching baseball when ________ tests positive for steroids"? This is it.

[Silver Blaze]

I hated it when Garth Brooks done it for the Padres and don't care for Billy Crystal doing it. At least Crystal is a Yankees fan. ST should be for MLB and MiLB players only. IMO<

I'll never forget packing my lunch early in the morning, when I looked at Sports Center and seeing the worst stride with choppy steps I had ever witnessed. The guy seemed like he was going no where. Walked into the front room where I could hear the TV and it turns out to be Garth Brooks.

I'm right with you. At least Garth Brooks was younger. This is a joke, and completely disrespectful of the other team. Let him play in the Fantasy Camp games.

[Evangelion]

I don't mind either way.

If this was a regular season game, then yeah, this would be disrespectful, but it's a Spring Training game. Still, is he going to play and take time, no matter how small, from young players trying to make the club? In that sense, it is disrespectful he's even on the field.

[Mattingly]

I'm right with you. At least Garth Brooks was younger. This is a joke, and completely disrespectful of the other team. Let him play in the Fantasy Camp games.

Dude, it's a one day thing. Where is your sense of humor?

I don't mind either way.

If this was a regular season game, then yeah, this would be disrespectful, but it's a Spring Training game. Still, is he going to play and take time, no matter how small, from young players trying to make the club? In that sense, it is disrespectful he's even on the field.

Please name the non-roster invitee (see link of names) who will likely lose his precious chance from making the team that Billy Crystal has used up in that one day. Please describe how someone would've had a chance to make the team but couldn't because Billy Crystal was playing on that day. I'm all ears, pal.

[duckydps]

I'm right with you. At least Garth Brooks was younger. This is a joke, and completely disrespectful of the other team. Let him play in the Fantasy Camp games.

I think Garth Brooks was actually trying to make the team, but I am not 100% sure. As for Billy Crystal... if I was him and I got to play for the team for 1 day, that would be awesome.

[Brian McKenna]

No sense of humor here - a 60-year-old actor makes a joke of the game. This is not golf.

[Gary Dunaier]

Please name the non-roster invitee who will likely lose his precious chance from making the team that Billy Crystal has used up in that one day. Please describe how someone would've had a chance to make the team but couldn't because Billy Crystal was playing on that day. I'm all ears, pal.

Doesn't matter who. That non-roster invitee is trying to earn a living and advance his career. Billy Crystal already has a career and makes a good living, he doesn't need to act like a dilletante and "play" ballplayer.

Even if the guy Crystal displaces didn't have a chance of making the club, who knows what scout might have seen him and been impressed enough to make some kind of a note for future reference? You never know. But thanks to Billy Crystal, that guy's not even going to get that little sliver of hope.

And why is Billy Crystal getting this honor? Because he's got a sense of humor and is a big Yankee fan? I'm sure there are a lot of you guys right here at the Baseball Fever who can play just as well as Crystal, have a great sense of humor and love the Yankees so much you wish you lived across the street from the Stadium, but the only way you're going to put on the pinstripes is if you buy a custom-made replica jersey.

[Evangelion]

Please name the non-roster invitee (see link of names) who will likely lose his precious chance from making the team that Billy Crystal has used up in that one day. Please describe how someone would've had a chance to make the team but couldn't because Billy Crystal was playing on that day. I'm all ears, pal.

That entire list. All of them are working hard to make the New York Yankees, worked hard their entire lives to make it to this point, even if it's unrealistic chance to make the team, they worked their butts off to reach this point, then this celebrity comes and takes time away from them, again, no matter how small, from playing. I won't be too happy that this man got to play in a Spring Training game, because he's celebrity. Not when I worked my butt off to reach that point.

If you look at from that point of view, it could be disrespectful that Crystal on the team. If you look at from your point of view, it's not that big of deal, even I said I didn't think it was a big deal, but from the position of a young player who's worked hard to reach that point, it's quite disrespectful.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

That entire list. All of them are working hard to make the New York Yankees, worked hard their entire lives to make it to this point, even if it's unrealistic chance to make the team, they worked their butts off to reach this point, then this celebrity comes and takes time away from them, again, no matter how small, from playing. I won't be too happy that this man got to play in a Spring Training game, because he's celebrity. Not when I worked my butt off to reach that point.

If you look at from that point of view, it could be disrespectful that Crystal on the team. If you look at from your point of view, it's not that big of deal, even I said I didn't think it was a big deal, but from the position of a young player who's worked hard to reach that point, it's quite disrespectful.

I agree with you, but I can live with it if Crystal will play only one inning in the field and have one at bat. That will not hurt anyone.

[runningshoes]

What's the big deal?

The St. Louis Browns once employed a midget, did they not? :cap:

[ipitch]

Even if the guy Crystal displaces didn't have a chance of making the club, who knows what scout might have seen him and been impressed enough to make some kind of a note for future reference? You never know. But thanks to Billy Crystal, that guy's not even going to get that little sliver of hope.

Games often end in ties in spring training. Should the managers be criticized for costing players their "slivers of hope" for not playing extra innings?

And, then you have Mother Nature (rainouts) that have cost players a few million slivers of hope over the years. Billy Crystal is doing .0000001% of the harm that she has done.

[Mattingly]

That entire list. All of them are working hard to make the New York Yankees, worked hard their entire lives to make it to this point, even if it's unrealistic chance to make the team, they worked their butts off to reach this point, then this celebrity comes and takes time away from them, again, no matter how small, from playing. I won't be too happy that this man got to play in a Spring Training game, because he's celebrity. Not when I worked my butt off to reach that point.

If you look at from that point of view, it could be disrespectful that Crystal on the team. If you look at from your point of view, it's not that big of deal, even I said I didn't think it was a big deal, but from the position of a young player who's worked hard to reach that point, it's quite disrespectful.

If you were referring to something longer than a single day, I would strongly agree with you. Billy Crystal is 60 years old. However, it's for all of *ONE SINGLE DAY*. How much can a scout learn more in a single day of seeing a player's pitching, ABs or fielding that couldn't have been learned from other days?

I would simply replace your "all of them" with a "none of them", since if they were really any good, one day's less work could just as easily have been a day on the bench for that one guy anyway. Perhaps he'll play 1B while Shelley Duncan (who already looks to have made the team) will sit for a few innings. What's the big deal about that?