So here it is, almost 24 hours after the latest post season collapse by my favorite baseball team, the NY Yankees. As we all know, there are a different set of standards and expectations when you work for the Yankees. That is one of the reasons why I love this team, but also one of the reasons why anything short of a World Series is failure. I guess it’s better than the namby pampy pat-yourself-on-the-head for making to the playoffs crap that some small market teams get into when they are bumped. Watching the Yankees on NY-based news channels and you would think it was a funeral. When the Yankees get knocked out, you better hit the deck because shots start to fly.
First, I want to thank all of my Red Sox friends for emailing me with their soft-spoken and compassionate empathy. And I know, it’s strange that they have email in prison, rehab and the Ted Williams toll booth. It’s funny how smug they have gotten in the few short years their team has done well. I hate to imagine if they were Yankee fans, they would…oh wait, I just described myself.
The funny thing about last night, I wasn’t totally pissed off out of my head like I was the previous night. I was calm, watching the ship go down in the cold, deep, dark, shark infested waters of Yankee Universe. I think part of the reason was because I knew it would mean the changing of the guard, a rebuilding of an old house that was built in a different time, with different material, when the competitive landscape was different. More on that later.
Now that I’ve had a day to reflect and spend time in NY with other Yankee fans, I think I am 40% pissed, 55% embarrassed/disgusted/annoyed and 5% happy. Without question it was awful to watch these guys with their MVP awards, batting title nominations, All Star games, slugger awards, gold glove awards and Cy Young nominations all going down in flames. No one, other than maybe Cano and Pettitte, did well. There was a guy I played lax with in college would talked about how great he was at picking up chicks. He would go on and on and give out advice on how to score with college babes. But every time we went out, he shot blanks. That is what this group of Yankees was like this past week.
40% pissed because…
Wang, our number one ace, got beat like a republican in Boston against Cleveland’s number 4 pitcher. Think about it. The Yank’s ACE got beat by their 4th best post season pitcher. I was really surprised that Wang did as awful as he did, his era was like 19 or something. Usually these Asian pitchers do not let anything affect them. Spectators in the stands could randomly burst into flames and he would not flinch, so not sure what up.
Joba Camberlain lost this series. I hate to say that, but if he doesn’t give up that run, and they go back to NY with the series split, I truly believe they would have won the entire thing. Joba chocked. He is the future of this club and a lights out pitcher, but he chocked. It’s that simple.
Clemens was hurt. I hate to beat up on this guy, but they paid him 50 mil a day for this type of situation. Not to give up to Mussina, who did not do his job yesterday. The MOOSE (I hate baseball nicknames) needed to come in and shut things down. Instead he gives up two of Wang’s inherited runners, and two more later on. Not good.
The offense. Anemic. Jeter hit into more double plays than my buddy Jay when he was on my softball team. ARod was useless. Melky had a bad series. The killer offense could not hit when runners where on 2nd or 3rd, could not get extra base hits, and could not string a bunch of hits together. Watching them kill any rallies or hit meaningless solo home runs was painful. Just awful. They had Sabathia on the ropes and nada. Bryd?? Are you joking?? A guy who is going to release a book about his addiction to porn BEAT THE YANKEES??
One quick thing. If I see that video of the kangaroo running by those race cars one MORE TIME I AM GOING TO GET IN MY MINI VAN AND KILL IT MYSELF!!!
So overall, I am pissed because the Yankees did not do what they were capable of and its so GD frustrating because they should be better with the 200 million payroll it’s incredible. They are not going to win the Series every year and with other payrolls getting up there, its much harder. But they need to do better than this and the past 3 years.
55% embarrassed because I’m fairly passionate about this team and it ends like this. But hey, maybe I am getting too old, but life goes on, the kids still break things, SNL still sucks and there is next year.
5% happy because things are now going to change. Like I said, this house was built when times were different. They have a strong young staff in Kennedy, Joba, Hughes, Melky, Cano, and some strong minor leaguers coming up. All they need to do is stop shopping at the geriatric center for pitchers and spend their money more wisely.
Guys not signed
Torre. It’s amazing how much support this guy is getting in NY. There is not a single person, organization or player who wants him gone. Except for me. I hate to say this, because Torre has been a class act his entire time with the Yankees, but this team needs a change. And when you look at the players, there is not much room to make a change. Not sure how someone else would do with this club, but can it get worse? With 200M, they WILL make the playoffs. But maybe they need something else to get them to the Series. Who knows. But if you watch the NY sports shows, or listen to the FAN, there is more support for this guy than the Pope. It’s kind of nice but when does it end. Next year? Two years? 5 more years?
Posada. Sign him, now, and quickly. There are no catchers on the market and while he is getting old, he is still affective. Plus he bats without batting gloves. I know guys in slow pitch softball who wear two gloves and things on their forearms, but Jorge is old school.
Rivera. Sign him. Why not? He has one, two, maybe three more years. He’s not the lights out best-closer-in-history guy he once was, but as the Eck said, he is still very good.
ARod. Let him go. Cut ties and thank him for his 162 game contribution. He is going to opt out of his remaining three years and the Yankees don’t need him to 1) make the playoffs and 2) sell more tickets/merchandise. I know, I know, he was great this year and would they have made the playoffs if not for his great numbers. I think they would have, because with such a strong group of really talented guys (Jeter, Giambi, Abreu, Posada, Matsui, Damon) someone would have stepped it up a notch.
Clemens. See you. Have fun in whatever you do. You are one of the greatest, if not THEY greatest pitcher of all time, but there is zero chance the Yanks will ask him back.
Mussina. I think he has one more year at 11M, but they should cut ties. He’s kind of strange anyway.
Bobby Abreu. I almost forgot the Yanks commitment is up. They have an option for one more year I think, at 16 million, and given the rising price of good outfielders, its not too far fetched. I have to think about this one.
Damon. Hey Red Sox idiots, are you still laughing about how the Yanks got such a raw deal. Damon is a great leadoff guy, found his spot in left field, and was great in the post season. And 13 mil a year doesn’t seem so bad now that you have Nancy Drew at 15.
So now the networks get to broadcast Arizona and the Rockies, a series that should draw as much as the Martha Steward show, and the Indians and Red Sox. I actually like the Indians. My mother is from Ohio and I grew up going to Indian games at the old football stadium. It held like 80K and they would get 5 or 7 thousand a game. It was great.
Of course I am rooting for the Indians to win it all, or more specifically for the Sox to go down in flames. It will still be in lesser flames than the Yanks, but if they win two World Series rings 4 years while the Yanks haven’t been to the show since 2003 and haven’t won it since 2000, my miserable life will get only worse. My fear is that the Indians will fold like the Angels and let the Red Sox cake walk to the pennant. Why do teams do that to the Sox? It’s really annoying, just like most Red Sox fans.
So net net, I am pissed but resigned to the fact that things are not the same. At least with their current staff. But after three years of first round losses, after going 4 and 13 since the 2004 post season, things are going to change. There are some young new guys mixed in with veterans, and next year looks pretty good. Wonderful, I have now hit rock bottom. I am hoping for a better year NEXT YEAR while the Sox are advancing in the playoffs. The hunter has truly become the hunted. So please shoot me. And make my death slow and painful, like the last 4 years of the Yanks/Sox rivalry.
Talk to you in March, or when they hire Tony La Russa.
PS. Rich, take of the Yankee hat now, please, you proved your point.
