~David Cone...aka Coney36

~2005New York Yankees~

~David Cone...aka Coney36

Coney!

Coney won 20 games in '98

David Cone has always been my favorite ballplayer. In fact, I think that's rather easy to tell, since after all, this website is Coney36.tripod.com. In his years with the Yankees, he had been the quintessential leader of the team. I know he had a difficult season in 2000, but nothing shocked me more than Coney deciding to sign with the rival Boston Red Sox. Okay, so it was obvious that there was no way that Yankee management was going to offer him another $12 million dollar contract after his horrible season, and maybe it was foolish of me to think that he would accept an offer 1/12 of that. (Considering that I'm not a millionaire, $1 million does sound like a very good deal.) I was hoping that he would go to a team like his original team, the Kansas City Royals, but that didn't work out obviously. At least he stayed away from the Mets. :) I know there are people out there, especially many Yankees fans, who will never forgive him for what they called "stealing 12 mil from the Boss." But in reality, he got that money because he proved in the past what he was capable of doing. How would anyone have guessed that he would tank in 2000? If anyone says that he stole the money, then apparently there are a lot of thieves out there in MLB.

Coney with a bat?! Whooo!!! :D

I didn't know how I could root for him when he pitched for the Red Sox, especially against the Yankees, but I guessed it got easier as the season went along, especially after the Red Sox suffered their annual collapse and never having a chance to reach the playoffs. Perhaps the toughest game yet was the one with Moose so close to a perfect game. (Stupid Carl Everett!) Moose pitched awesome, but so did Coney, and they were still 0-0 in the 9th. As much as I wanted Moose to get the perfect game, I wanted Coney to win too... In the 2002 season, Coney served as a part time broadcaster for his former boss, THE Boss, at YES. Strangely enough, Coney has returned to the Mets for a second round of duty, signing a minor league deal with the other New York team and made the roster as the Mets' #5 pitcher, albeit for a very brief tenure. Due to lingering injuries, Coney decided to hang up his cleats for good on May 30th with a final record of 194-126. Either way, David Cone is, as I said before and I will say it again, in my heart, always a Yankee.

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/news/nym_news.jsp?ymd=20030325&content_id=242857&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp

Cone has the look of a starter

By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Say hello to David Cone, the newest member of the Mets starting rotation.

Oh, New York manager Art Howe didn't make any such anointment Tuesday night after the Dodgers downed the Mets, 3-2, at Thomas J. White Stadium. Cone's performance, however, left little doubt as to where he stands in the rotational mix.
The veteran hurler was nothing short of magnificent against Los Angeles, tossing one-hit ball over five scoreless innings. Cone struck out three and walked only one in his final outing of the spring. Though Cone certainly has proven this spring that he can still pitch, what the Mets will do with him remains uncertain.

As per Cone's agreement with the club, he has to be told by March 29 if the club intends to keep him. The two sides haven't held any such discussion to this point, but it doesn't seem like there is much to talk about other than where Cone wants his locker to be in the home clubhouse at Shea Stadium.

Still, because of roster considerations and continued concerns about Cone's stamina, the possibility remains that he could start the season in Triple-A Norfolk to continue his work or remain in Port St. Lucie working until he is needed in New York. Cone is scheduled to pitch again on Sunday, an off day.
"I'm willing to talk about anything," Cone said after his 71-pitch effort. "I told them that from the start. I haven't given [being there for] Opening Day a lot of thought. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't entice me. But I told them when I came here that I am flexible in terms of a role and timing.
"I'm not in a hurry to have any conversation. We'll pick a time and then sit down. They have a lot going on and I'm not going anywhere. But I don't think I hurt myself tonight."
What started out as an experiment last month with Cone vying for a spot as the club's fifth starter has turned into a whole lot more. Based on what he's shown, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that Cone could even slot into the fourth spot in the rotation until Pedro Astacio returns sometime in mid-April. If he slotted into the fourth spot of the rotation, Cone would pitch April 4 against Montreal. If he were No. 5, he would go on April 6 against the Expos.
"He's in the mix," Howe said. "Everyone who is still here is someone we are considering. He pitched very well and did a very nice job. But we're not making any decisions tonight."
Cone's ERA dropped to 4.40 over 14 1/3 innings. He has allowed seven runs in five games (two starts) this spring, but six of those runs came in the arcade-like conditions of Mexico City. Cone has pitched better than Mike Bacsik and Jason Middlebrook, the two primary competitors for Astacio's spot in the rotation. Jae Seo is also in the mix after a recent surge but has less experience than even Bacsik or Middlebrook.
While it all sounds like a wonderful fairy tale come true, Cone isn't ready to admit to anything just yet.
"[The Mets] still have to say yes," Cone, 40, said. "I'm only half of the equation. I still need to wake up tomorrow and be able to recover. That's always going to be a question with me. I'd rather be able to go six or seven innings and be very economical. We'll see.
"But this has come faster than I thought it would. I kind of assumed I'd need a little extra time. But as the innings went on, between the fourth and fifth innings, it was still there. I'm encouraged with it all."
He has every reason to be encouraged. He retired the last 11 batters he faced, looking stronger in the fourth and fifth innings than he did in the first and second. What made the effort even more impressive was the fact that Cone singled in his first at-bat in the third inning and had to run the bases, eventually scoring on a Mike Piazza single four batters later.
"I held up in the fourth and fifth innings," Cone said. "Endurance wise, I held my own. But running the bases was not a smart thing to do. [Mets pitching instructor Tom] Seaver got all over me about it. He said it was a dumb thing to do."
Middlebrook followed Cone Tuesday evening and didn't fare as well, taking the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in four innings. He had trouble with his offspeed stuff, throwing several wild pitches that contributed to the Dodgers' two-run eighth inning.
"I felt better than I have lately," Middlebrook said. "I felt like I had better command of my fastball and I found my breaking ball there at the end. The results didn't show it but I threw much better."
The race for the remaining fourth/fifth spot in the starting rotation also became a tad clearer after Aaron Heilman was re-assigned to minor league camp before the game. The Notre Dame product has had an erratic spring but has pitched well of late, throwing four strong innings on Saturday against the Braves. Heilman (1-2) has appeared in five games (two starts) pitching to a 4.05 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. He allowed 17 hits and fanned eight.
"Aaron just needs a little more experience," Howe said. "I told him to go down there and get some games under his belt. When he comes up here, I want it to be for the remainder of his career. We don't want to rush him."
Bacsik is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in five games (four starts), allowing 29 hits over 17 innings. Seo is 1-0 in four games (one start) with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings. He's fanned eight and walked only two. Middlebrook falls to 0-2 with a 6.98 ERA in six games (three starts).
Kevin T. Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Coney as a Met!

Cone calls it a career

Righty earned five Series rings, hurled perfect game

By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com




	With his wife Lynn looking on, David Cone announces his retirement from baseball. (Ed Betz/AP)

NEW YORK -- It was difficult not to picture that sunny February morning in Port St. Lucie when David Cone trotted out to the back mound of the Thomas J. White complex, pulled off his black Mets windbreaker and fired off 34 pitches alongside a group of hopefuls.

Cone beamed that morning, excited to be back on the field, eager to prove he still belonged. As he spoke of what might be and the dreams he had for the upcoming season, the recurring thought that kept creeping into the discussion was how long could this magic carpet ride he was taking last.

Well, the trip, short and mostly unremarkable, came to a grinding halt this week in Philadelphia with Cone officially acknowledging the end Friday afternoon when he announced his retirement. He addressed the media in the bowels of Shea Stadium; wearing a smart gray suit and not the crisp white and black uniform the Mets would wear later in the evening in the series opener against Atlanta.

Cone, 40, looking calm and relaxed alongside his wife, Lynn, showed little emotion in calling it quits. There were no tears, no cracking of the voice and most of all, no sign of regret. He came into this venture with Mets knowing it was a crap shoot, finally throwing a pair of snake eyes on Wednesday night in Philly when his arthritic left hip told him it was time to quit.

"I've been struggling with this for a while," Cone said of his problematic hip, which landed him on the disabled list on April 22. "[During rehab] I came to grips with the idea that I couldn't hold up as a starter anymore. Then, after pitching Wednesday night, I woke up pretty sore the next morning. After all these years and all the miles on my arm, I never thought it would be my hip.

"But I have to be honest with myself and with the organization. I can't do it physically anymore. I came to realize it after I pitched two innings the other day and then got out of bed and limped to the bathroom. I said that this isn't going to work, not only for me but for the Mets as well. They need someone who will be able to hold up."

Ironically enough, Cone's retirement cleared a roster spot for John Franco, the 42-year-old Mets' captain who was activated off the disabled list on Friday.

"I would have liked the opportunity to pitch together," said Franco, who along with Al Leiter, helped push Cone and the Mets to the altar this winter, urging their longtime friend to call the club and ask for one more chance to pitch. "I feel sad. I would've liked to pitch on the same team with him again but his body didn't hold up."

Cone spoke with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon on Thursday night, informing him of his decision. Wilpon told him to sleep on it because once he made such a move there would be no turning back. Cone didn't have to think twice.

"We had an inkling that he was hurt," Wilpon said. "But this decision was up to him."

So Cone ended his 17-year career that spanned three decades and earned him five World Series rings as well as the 1994 Cy Young Award. He finished his career with a 194-126 mark with 81 of those victories coming for the Mets. Cone was 1-3 this year with a 6.50 ERA in five games, four of which were starts.

Though he made the starting rotation out of Spring Training, even pitching five shutout innings of two-hit ball against Montreal in his first start, it quickly became obvious that Cone didn't have the length or the strength required to stay there. He had a 6.75 ERA over four starts, pitching only 16 innings, the last two of which came on April 22 in a laborious effort against the Astros.

"There is some relief there," Cone said of his decision. "I'm very thankful to the Mets for allowing me to do this properly as opposed to last year when I kind of just faded away. I made the team when a lot of people didn't think that was possible."

What Cone does now remains unclear. The Mets have offered him a position in the organization but neither side was ready to sit down and make such a move official on Friday.

"Whatever I do I'm extremely thankful to the Mets," Cone said "They've shown me tremendous respect. I couldn't ask for anything more. I've looked at my career as a New Yorker. I've spent the majority of my career here. There is no getting around the fact that I won four titles with the Yankees but I also had six good years here and I was able to come back here.

"I grew up here. I won 20 games as a Met and President Nixon was there to shake my hand in the dugout when I came off the field. I learned a lot of hard lessons on and off the field as a Met."

The last of which was knowing when to call it a career.

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Always a Yankee, no matter what uniform he wears...