It's Official...and A Few Housekeeping Items

It's official, Joe Girardi is the new manager of the Yankees. Anyone who reads this page knows my feelings on this decision so I don't want to sound like a broken record. What I will say is that straight out of the gate I am impressed with this ambition. Hank Stienbrenner seemed to be giving him an out just in case he didn't make it happen next year by asking for patience. But Girardi, who is no stranger to New York, had this to say:

"I expect to be playing in the Fall Classic next October," Girardi said. "I think that's every one's expectation. You do everything you possibly can to get there and then you see where you are."

Your damn right Joe, I like your moxie!

As predicted Torre seems headed for LA. I think that this will be a huge test for him. For the last 6 years he has pretty much been on cruise control with the Yankees. His players were a well known commodity and he knew for the most part who he could count on and when. It will be interesting to see how he readjusts to the National League. In fact it will probably be a much bigger challenge for him than New York ever was.

Interestingly enough a friend of mine was cleaning out his old room in his parents house and found a treasure chest of old baseball and sports memorabilia which he sent to me and another friend. One of the items that he sent was Sport Magazine from July of 1984 which contains an article by Bill James ranking the baseball managers. One of the managers ranked happens to be none other than Joe Torre who was with The Braves at that point. The contents of the article don't go into too much detail on Torre, but the cover pretty much says it all "Torre, Not Brave Enough, Second Division." Let's hope that Joe can continue to prove him wrong 24 years later.

I would like to switch gears here and take a moment to respond to an anonymous comment from yesterday's post. Normally I wouldn't do this but since I am pretty sure that I know who the commenter is I thought I would formally respond. Here is what he wrote:

"It's hard to face facts but the Red Sox are now the new Yankees. I don't think the Yankees will win a world series for a long, long time with all of these changes and shake ups. And what the hell are they building a new fricking stadium for?!?!? You don't tear down the House that Ruth Built!!!!!! That's probably what is going on!!! Babe Ruth is mad and has reversed the curse!!!"

Wow, the irony of this comment is so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. So now the Sox fans are comparing themselves to the Yankees. It's like a little brother trying to one up his older brother, or Canada saying that it is the new United States. Should we expect to see t-shirts that say "Boston - the New New York?" What does this mean for the future of the Yankee Suck chant if in fact the Sox are the new Yankees? The fact of the matter is that while yes, the Sox are well positioned for the next couple of years it is too early to start throwing around the word dynasty. Let's not forget that the Sox failed to even make the post season last year and have yet to mirror the Yankees success of the late 90's with multiple World Series wins, and even more appearances. I'm not saying that it can't happen, I'm just saying that it hasn't happened yet. It's absurd to think that the Yankees are out of it already. I'm not going to go into too much detail on this because I wrote about it yesterday, but consider all of the young stars coming through the Yankees system right now. New York is well positioned for another few years based on those rookies alone. You bring up superstition. While I agree that I think that it is blasphemy to tear down Yankee Stadium, I think that you have to attribute the Yankees recent down turn with poor acquisitions and trades rather than the ire of the Ghost of Babe Ruth. Bad moves like Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, and Randy Johnson have much more to do with the drought than banshees.

Now a Few Housekeeping Items

I'm sure that by now my regular readers have noticed the countdown clock and the addition of a poll. I'll be trying to spice some things up in the off season to keep it interesting for you all. Any comments and suggestions (or criticisms) are welcome.

I would also like to say thank you to all my regulars. I've had 1,000 hits in just over a month which at least makes me feel as though I'm doing a better job of analyzing the game than I did when I started this. I even got a shout out on DCblogs...thanks guys!

Sleep Tight Baseball

There are plenty of reasons why Girardi was the right choice to take over in the place of Joe Torre, his experience with young players and the fact that he has been part of the organization as both a player and a coach just to name the most obvious. But I have to say that I didn't see Mattingly taking the decision so hard. I'm sure that in some back room George all but promised him the position when he rejoined the team in 2004, but he of all people should have known that a promise from a Steinbrenner comes with conditions. Chin up Don, you may not be in the drivers seat next season but I would be willing to bet that if Girardi fails you are next...that is if you'll take it. Enjoy the Dodgers, since that is where I am assuming you and Torre will go, but don't forget you are a Yankee and always will be.

I don't see Girardi failing though. I think that this is exactly the type of situation in which he will excell in. What's more, for all of the tales of doom and gloom about the Bronx right now I have to say that we are not in as bad shape as ESPN might like you to believe. Consider this, assuming we don't have to work through the injuries that plagued us this year our pitching staff will be stacked next season. The young guys like Duncan, Melkey, and Cano have all proved that they can hit and play solid defence. We'll lose some numbers now that Dick-Rod is gone but who cares, he was never a Yankee and we will be better off without him. I wouldn't be surprised if we used some of the Jerk-Rod money that has been freed up to make a move for Santana which would give us a rotation second to none. We may not go all the way next year, but give us two and we will be right where we belong, drenched in Champagne and hoisting up number 27.

I didn't say much about the end of the season yesterday thanks to Ass-Rod, but the few days after the World Series are always bitter sweet for me. I'm going to keep writing about baseball as much as I can in the post season, but as the winter sets in you'll be seeing fewer posts. A few years ago when I lived in Boston I walked by Fenway park the day after the season ended. Even though I hate the red sox and I was happy that they were eliminated, walking by Fenway was depressing. It was dark, cold, and quiet. Baseball had gone to bed for winter and the old park almost seemed lonely. I still think about that every year after the season ends, all the stadiums quiet, their lights out, fields covered...waiting. So that's what I have to do too, wait, wait for the days to get warmer and longer so we can do it all over again. Sleep tight baseball, see you in the spring.

I Couldn't Agree More

Breaking News

Yankees Make Offer To Girardi
Just one day after saying "goodbye" to Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees have offered Joe Girardi the managerial job left open when Joe Torre walked away. Girardi is expected to accept an offer in the three-year, $6 million range, a source told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand. Story Olney

Hey A-Rod Son't Let The Door Hit You On The Ass On The Way Out

hyp·o·crite –noun
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

"This feels like home," Rodriguez said after the champagne celebration.
"So much has happened to me here - adversity, some success - that I feel
like anything but New York feels weird to me now. ... I love New York."
Alex Rodriguez on Sept. 26 following the team's wild card
clincher"

You're asking me what my sincere feeling is. I want to 100 percent stay in
New York. Period. That's it. I don't know how many ways I can say it."-- Alex
Rodriguez, on WFAN-AM's "Mike and the Mad Dog."

In short....go to hell A-Rod. This represents everything that is wrong with professional sports, ALL SPORTS, not just baseball. Professional athletes who are motivated by money more than loyalty to a team or winning championships. Excuse my words here but his douche-baggery is further enforced by the fact that he used Torre's departure and the uncertainty about Posada and Rivera's return as an excuse. Not to mention the fact that they waited until the Red Sox won the Series to announce it all. Is there any higher level of insult to the Yankees and their fans? Screw you A-Rod, I would be willing to bet that none of those guys would even say bless you if you sneezed. What's more is that A-Rod's decision is going to ruin whichever team decides to pick him up for years to come. As my friend Matt correctly pointed out this morning, 30 million dollars is not a smart investment for one player. Think of all the development a team throws away. Sure, you get a player who probably has a couple more MVP seasons left in him, and there is some potential to increase revenue, but A-Rod isn't a Michael Jordan, a Babe Ruth, or even a Barry Bonds for that matter. You can’t win a World Series with one premadonna player. There is going to be backlash from this, not just amongst the players but with the fans too. What’s more this type of contract sets a horrible precedent and furthers to separate the wealthy teams from the smaller market teams. To put it less eloquently and to quote from Goodfella's Boras and A-Rod are staring in the face of Major League Baseball and saying Fuck you, pay me. It makes me sick. If I were A-Rod I would tread VERY carefully every time he sets foot in New York from now on. In fact he may want to helicopter it into Yankee Stadium the next time he plays there because I promise you there will be a lot of people waiting in the parking lot for...but not for his autograph.

As for the series my predictions weren't even close for games three and four. The Red Sox simply dominated and beat the Rockies by the greatest differential in World Series history. Frankly the Rockies had no business being there in the first place. They were at best a .500 team who just got lucky, just like most of the rest of the National league. But hey, a trip to the show is more than the Yankees were able to manage this year, so for that my hats off to you Colorado.

Tomorrow I'll write something more about the end of the season and what it means to me. Hopefully I'll be talking about Girardi as the new manager, but in the meantime I have some frustration to vent.

A Letter To Boston Fans

Dear Boston Fans,

First of all congratulations. You had the best team this year and you deserved to win, it's a shame that you couldn't do it in Fenway. Now that you have won your second World Series in three years, and it looks as thought the Patriots are going all the way, I ask this of you....please be good sports. Every city deserves a great sports era, but what separates the eras of some against others is the level of sportsmanship both in winning and in losing. Remember, nothing lasts forever so enjoy it....but just because you won that doesn't meant that everyone else sucks.

I'm thinking I should work at the Psychic Hotline

Ok, I wasn't spot on, but I was pretty close. The Red Sox won again last night, Schilling was good, and so was the game. The real story though is how few runs the Rockies gave up to Boston. As predicted the Rockies looked like they were falling back into their grove. That should at least be encouraging going into game three against Dice-K who I really feel is going to have a hell of a time putting the ball where he wants in Denver. He has a tendency to hang some of his stuff after thirty or so pitches. That is going to be simply devastating in the thin mountain air.

My feelings for Boston aside, I have to say that it's a shame that the World Series is turning out to be such a one sided contest. Colorado winning would be a great story, they would be like the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League....but for real. A lopsided World Series really isn't Denver's fault, or Boston's for that matter. The American league simply has better players across the board than the National league. In fact there are really only a couple of teams from the NL that could put up a good fight against Boston. It would be nice to see some equality so that the World Series is a bit more exciting.

Red Sox beat blah blah blah

Game 1 prediction - Sox 6 Rockies 2, actual score Red Sox 13 Rockies 1.

The game started off pretty much as I predicted. The sox struck early, the Rockies looked rusty, and frankly Jeff Francis looked terrified. It wasn't a fun game to watch. It was almost like watching your little brother get beat up by the high school bully but there is nothing you can do about it. Even the sports commentator on cnn headline news (I have a massive crush on Robin Meade) said he shut the game off after the fifth inning. It's too bad, but no one should really be surprised at all by this. Facing a team like Boston at Fenway against the best pitcher in the majors in your first World Series appearance ever isn't exactly a routine game. It's not over until the gravitationally challenged lady sings, but if the Rockies are going to have any hope at all they are going to need to figure out a way to put the ash to the leather. Unfortunately I expect more of the same tonight.

Since the World Series is painful to watch, but even more painful to write about I am going to switch gears.

Anyone who even thinks about baseball is chiming in on who they think is the best pick to be the Yankees new manager. I've already voiced my opinion on that, but what I haven't gone into a lot of detail about is why I think that Don Mattingly SHOULDN'T be the next manager. We all know the biggest argument, that he has never managed in the majors. But there are some other factors that should be considered as well. For example his performance or rather the Yankees performance under Mattingly as a hitting coach. Lets take a look at some numbers.

Before Mattingly:
2002 - Yankees average .275
2003 -Yankees average .271

With Mattingly:
2004 - Yankees average .268
2005 - Yankees average .276
2006 - Yankees average .285

And what about this year after leaving the batting cage for the bench coach position?
2007 - Yankees average .290

These numbers are inconclusive at best. Obviously the team has changed over the past five years but you have to notice that the average drops when he takes over and then rises when he is promoted. There is a consistent climb throughout his tenure, but keep in mind that in those three years the Yankees had a massive drought of big post season hits. I'm going out on a limb here to an extent, but since he has no stats to back up his application for manager we have to look at what we have.

There is another factor at play here, his legacy. I don't need to tell anyone that Don Mattingly was the saving grace of the Yankees throughout the 80's and the first half of the 90's. From the mid 80's until Jeter's ascension he was the only player to even come close to deserving the title of captain (no offense to Paul O'Niel, but he was a bit of a cry baby). So what happens when he takes the reins of a transitional team and he fails? Does that change what he did for us as a player? No, but it does take away some of his mystique as "Donny Baseball." It also brings back awful memories of all of those years when the Yankees stunk...and I mean really stunk. Plus what happens to his employment status if the Yankees don't make the playoffs? Would the Stiennbrenners run Don Mattingly out of town? It sounds crazy, but after what happened with Torre anyone looking to fill his shoes had better be ready for some rough waters ahead. Mattingly just isn't the guy for the job right now. Oh and by the way, I was wrong about Giardi not wanting to manage NY.....Joe Girardi sees Yankees job as 'honor.'

World Series Predictions

The World Series is upon us, and even though it's hard to see a certain team from the American league in the series I still have to watch it. Why? Because as INPY so eloquently put it a few weeks ago, baseball is an investment. You wouldn't dump your entire 401K just because you had a lousy year, so why wouldn't I want to watch this thing through to the bell? But I digress, it's prediction time so here I go, a game by game breakdown:

Sox in 6 (sigh)

Game 1 - With Beckett starting the Sox pretty much have a sure thing for game 1 especially since it is at Fenway. They still have plenty of momentum from the ALCS, and Colorado hasn't played in 8 days. In fact Colorado has been practicing in the snow. Look for the Sox to strike early in the game as Francis struggles to find his grove after the break. Becketts post season WHIP is .61 and I don't see him slowing down anytime soon, so if the Rockies are going to score any runs it is going to have to come from stringing together some bloopers. I expect the score to be decisive, but nothing like the 11-2 massacres Boston just handed down. Then again there is also a 70% chance of rain in Boston tonight.
Final score for game 1 - Sox 6 Rockies 2 (assuming the game goes on).

Game 2 - Schilling will only need to be as decent as he was last Saturday night assuming that Boston's offense can light up the Fens again. Jimenez has had some decent numbers this past season, but at 23 I won't be surprised if he gets a little lost under the pressure. Again I expect the Sox to strike early, but the Rockies will probably start to get back into their grove. Ultimately this game is going to come down to which Schilling shows up. If its the dominate post season Schilling then the Rockies are in for a long game. But if it's the Schilling we saw in the second half of the regular season then the Rockpile should at least be able to keep in it and use up some of Boston's bull pen in the process.
Final score Sox 8, Rockies 3 ....if it's bad Schilling then Red Sox 6 Rockies 4

Game 3 - Plenty of people are predicting that the Sox are going to hit the ball into orbit in Denver. I think that the return to the Mile High City will actually be in the Rockies favor considering the altitude, the fact that weather in Colorado should be in the low 40's / high 30's around game time, and the Rockies have already been practicing in the snow. Look for Ortiz and Manny to be gasping for breath and the fans to be waving bibles instead of terrible towels or tomahawk chops. Seriously though I think that Dice-K is going to have a really hard time with all of the factors at play. I don't see him making it out of the 5th. Matsuzaka is going to give up some big runs and wear out the bullpen even more in the process. Fogg is in a similar boat as Jimenez, but at least he is a bit older so he may be better at dealing with the pressure.
Final Score Rockies 4 Red Sox 2

Game 4 - With Wakefield out of the line up game 4 will be a match up between Aaron Cook and Jon Lester. Cook has a slight advantage with the numbers but not by much. This will probably be the most exciting game of the series with plenty of big hits from both sides. I still think that the altitude will play a factor for Boston...but not for much longer.
Final Score Rockies 9 Redsox 8

Game 5 - I have to speculate that Beckett would get the nod for game 5 and I think that will finally take the wind out of the Rockies sails. By this point both teams will probably have had to go deep in their bullpens, but Beckett will more than likely pitch at least 7 innings giving Boston a huge advantage. Look for Boston's offense to adjust to the altitude and climate and finally smack the ball into orbit off Denver's tired rotation and thinning bullpen.
Final Score Red Sox 12 Rockies 3

Game 6 - And here comes the nail in the Rockpiles coffin. I'm guessing Schilling takes the start in game 6. Normally I would question him just like I did in my analysis for game 2, but in the most important game of the year I don't see him making too many mistakes. The idea of winning one in Fenway is going to have that crowd electrified and that will certainly play a big part for Boston. I don't even think this one will be close unless the ghost of Babe Ruth returns from his three year nap.
Final Score Red Sox 13 Rockies 2

So there you have it, my World Series predictions. For you Yankees fans out there I am sure that it was as painful to read as it was for me to write. Please Colorado....prove me dead wrong!

So Now What?

With all of this talk about Torre in the past few days there hasn't been a whole lot of time to talk about anyone else. So today I give my thoughts about the free agents and what we should do. Cashman, I hope you are listening.

Jorge Posada
2007 season Stats
G - 144 (not too bad for a 36 year old catcher)

R- 91

HR - 20

RBI - 90

BA - .338

OBP - .426

SLG - .543

Jorge just had a career season. Amazing when you consider that Posada has been the every day catcher for years and is 36 years old. It's unlikely that he can keep this pace up for too much longer, however I would expect similar numbers over the next season and probably even the next two. But the real reason the Yankees need to resign Posada is that there are really are no good catching prospects on the free agent market right now. So what should we do? Well all know that all of the Yankee free agents have a lot of leverage right now given the way the Steinbrenners screwed Torre, but in a perfect world I'd say give him a two year deal that has a club option for a third.

Alex Rodriguez
2007 Season Stats
G - 158

R - 143

HR - 54

RBI - 156

BA - .314

OBP - .422

SLG - .645

3B - 0

Sure, A-Rod's season statistics are incredible....but did you know that he didn't hit one triple all season!?!?! How can we honestly expect to spend 30 million a year on a guy that can't even hit a triple? Obviously I am kidding (although that really is the only stat he scored a goose egg in). Here comes the dilemma. Can you justify spending 30 million a year for up to 6 years for one player, even if he is the best player in the game? Keep in mind the Yankees wouldn't have made the post season if it wasn't for his amazing numbers this season. Also keep in mind that A-Rod brings a lot of baggage with him. Not too many players seem to like him, he is a serious postseason question mark, and for that price you could buy yourself two farms worth of prospects. At this point in his career A-Rod shouldn't be focusing on the money, he should be concerned with a ring. It's crap if A-Rod tries to use Torre's departure as a catalyst for opting out. Torre and A-Rod never seemed that close. If he opts out he'll really show his true colors, plus the Rangers would no longer subsidise his contract. I just can't see anyone paying him what he wants, but some team probably will and as a result will carry a heavy burden for years. So unless he decides to show some loyalty to a team for once instead of the almighty dollar I say good riddance. We will certainly miss his numbers but at that price he just isn't worth it. Plus he can't hit triples.

Mariano Rivera

2007 Season Stats

G - 67

SV - 30

WHIP - 1.12

ERA - 3.15

There is no question that Mo is getting older. At 37 his numbers have declined slightly and he has blown more saves in the past few years than I care to remember. But he is still the greatest closer in the history of the game and has two more years of cutters left in the tank. Like Posada, Rivera is going to have a lot of leverage to renegotiate his contract, but the question is does he want to come back to the Bronx? Mo's relationship with Torre was probablysecond only to Jeter's, and we all know Rivera's thoughts on the subject. So if the Yankees are going to make a move for him they are going to have to give him some cash, and a lot of it, otherwise there are plenty of other teams who will pick up the slack in a heartbeat. At this point he's earned it and should be allowed to pitch at least one season in the new stadium. Heaven forbid they screw this one up too and Enter Sandman is blasting over the PA system at Fenway. I shudder at the thought. So the only real option here is a two year contract with a player option for the third. That is assuming he even accepts that.

Roger Clemens

Wait....are you kidding me? If he comes back next year I'm going to scream. I'm not even going to analyse his stats because they suck. He basically stole 18 million dollars from the Yankees this year. Enjoy your money Rocket, maybe you can use it to buy yourself a soul.

Of course there are other question marks, Pettitte, management, rookies etc. I would love to see Pettitte come back for one more season, but I really think he is done. I've written pretty extensively on who I think should and shouldn't manage next year but we will just have to wait for the answer to that. As for the rookies they are the only silver lining in the grey cloud that is over the stadium right now. But you know what, I don't want to jinx anything so I am just going to leave it at that.

In other new...further proof that Vermont is the best state in the nation
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21409672/

Please God No

Do I even need to say it? We all know what happened last night. Given everything that has happened this season deep down we all kind of knew it would happen right? Cleveland stuck their tails between their legs rolled over and died. The Sox are going to the World Series. (Excuse me, I just threw up a little in my mouth) I just can't see the Rockies putting up too much of a fight, anything is possible, but if the Sox keep playing the kind of baseball they played over the past three games the Rockies might as well grab as many World Series souvenirs as they can because they wont be there very long.

I watched game 6 with some friends on Saturday night. After Cleveland gave up that grand slam in the bottom of the first it was obvious how the rest of the way the night was going to go for them. I will say that Schilling looked shaky, but in the end it didn't matter because Cleveland just couldn't put up runs. (sigh) Speaking of Saturday's game, one thing that I must comment on which is almost as frustrating as watching the Sox decimate the Indians was watching people who either have never been to Boston or know nothing about baseball high five each other as the Sox piled on an obscene amount of runs. None of them happened to be wearing pink hats, but I am sure they would have if they could have. The era of the Yankee fair weather fans is officially over, the Red Sox now own the title of having the biggest bandwagon of obnoxious, unknowledgeable, and down right vile fans. (SMACK WHACK POP POW SLAM) Please take your pink hats, green jerseys, and misguided chants elsewhere because I am literally about to snap and climb up to the top of the bell tower here.

So now the Nation will most likely have another. Pretty soon they'll start coming at us with phrases like "dynasty" and "team of the decade" and "the Sawwwx ah wicked killah." Oh the agony, oh how I am not looking forward to it. It is going to be hard to even watch the World Series, but of course I have to. Please Colorado, do the impossible. If not just for yourselves but for the rest of the country who has already suffered enough at the hands and mouths of Red Sox fans over the past three years. I would really rather not be forced move to France.

The Morning After The Crush

My morning ritual has become a silent vigil. I write what I can and then patiently await posts from the DC blogging community whose writing I have come to respect a great deal. Up until now I only had a vague picture in my head of what you all looked like and could only guess as to what you all are like in person. That is was it was nice to finally meet most of you last night. My apologies for not spending too much time getting to know you (Jess, INPY I'm looking in your directions). As is usually the case I was concerned with trying to make sure everyone was happy so I was running back and forth between two sets of people but not really giving either the attention that they deserved. Regardless I'm looking forward to the next one so that I can actually have a chance to talk shop. Now excuse me while I drink a gallon of water and crawl back into bed.

Sigh

This just keeps getting worse. I think Joe made the right move for the right reasons, but consider the position that the Yankees are in now. Some big contracts are coming back up for renewal (Rivera, Posada, A-Rod) and this is going to make it extremely hard for the Yankees to renegotiate. You have to put the blame squarely where it belongs.....the Steinbrenners. I would like to say that I hope this teaches them a lesson, but it wont. What a shame, what a disaster, no doubt Boston is having a field day with all of this too. All this after such a dramatic season with an anticlimactic end.....this is a dark day in the history of the Yankees.

Here is the article from ESPN:

RYE, N.Y. -- Joe Torre told his side of the story Friday, saying the incentives in the New York Yankees' contract offer were an "insult."

"I just felt the contract offer, the terms of the contract, were probably the thing I had the toughest time with -- the one year for one thing, the incentives for another thing," Torre said of his reasons for declining the offer. "I've been there 12 years and I didn't think motivation was needed. "

"We knew exactly what was expected here," he said, "So, I just didn't think was the right thing for me, I just didn't think was the right thing for my players."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3070544

Good Luck Joe, We'll Miss You!

I've given Torre's departure a lot of thought and I think that I have finally come to the conclusion that it is a good thing for everyone except the Steinbrenners. By waiting as long as they did and throwing a half assed offer at Torre they come out of this looking like unprofessional cry babies who have no loyalty except to their own clan.

I think that the main reason Joe turned them down was pride. If Georgie hadn't made his ridiculous ultimatum and then waited a week before finally offering Torre a deal he probably would have come back for a thirteenth season. Add to that the fact that the contract he was offered was contingent on how far the Yankees went in the post season next year. How do you tie a contract to post season performance when there are so many question marks about returning veterans and when you have so many rookies? Basically I think it boiled down to the fact that no one likes to be jerked around, especially someone who has preformed year after year and given you and the city so much. Torre has simply had enough of the Steinbrenner mentality and I think the thought of working for his sons just added insult to injury. Honestly though, I have come to the realization that as much as I love Joe Torre, it is time for a change.

Matt commented yesterday on Torre's options. I just can't see him managing somewhere else, mostly for personal reasons, but also because I don't think any of the available jobs would be appealing to Joe. I don't see him going to Baltimore (hell I wouldn't even manage the O's) since he would be dealing with a whole new Stienbrenner there with Angelos. He didn't have that much success in St. Louis the last time he managed the Cardinals, although the thought of returning to the team he played for may have some appeal to him. Really though I think Torre's age is the determining factor here. He is 67 years old, I don't see him picking up and moving to a new city for only two or maybe three years. My guess would be he decides to retire to the broadcast booth.

So the next question of course is the much speculated who is next? I would be willing to bet the farm that it's Mattingly, I of course love the guy, but I think he is a dangerous selection. This is going to be a important year for the Yankees. Joba's role is uncertain, Hughes has some issues to work out, and the other young players still need time to grow into their positions. Yet Mattingly has never managed in the big leagues. You wouldn't throw an untested pitcher into game 7 of the world series, so why would you throw a rookie manager in to lead a team at a critical time? Girardi would be a better choice, but I have heard rumors that he doesn't want the job. So that leaves us with Don.

There are so many unanswered questions it's hard to really speculate on next year with any semblance of accuracy. For example, even if Rivera does come back next year he has never been managed by anyone other than Torre. How would that affect his performance? Same for Posada and Jeter. What if Mattingly decides to switch things up and throw Jeter at third and A-Rod (assuming he returns, but I think he will) back to short? It's an unlikely scenario but who knows? One thing is for sure, next year will be a season of serious change for the Yankees. The Yankees family we have all watched and loved for the last 12 years will never be the same. Change is never easy or seamless but it's time to start ushering in the next generation and hope for the best. Good luck Joe, you will always be welcome in the Bronx.

Breaking News

Joe Torre has turned down a one-year, $5 million offer to return as the manager of the New York Yankees.

I'm in shock....I need to think this through before I can comment on it but my initial reaction is good for you Joe.

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/torre-meets-with-the-yanks-in-tampa/

To make it in the major leagues takes a fierce competitive spirit, strong ambition, and superior athletic ability. The post season magnifies all of that and players strive to be the best of the best. Then there is Manny Ramirez who would telecommute to left field if he could. When asked about trailing 3-1 in the ALCS he had this to say:

"Why should we panic? We've got a great team. ... It doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."
--Manny Ramirez

I'm sure that Boston collectively gasped this morning when they read that. If Joe Torre had made a comment like that he would have been fired before he finished even saying it. Maybe Manny's still not 100% and wants time to recover, maybe his naps out in left field aren't giving him enough rest, or maybe his junk is still sore from the little grab he took in the picture I posted today (courtesy of INPY). The fact is that Manny never seems to care about anything. If he wasn't such a damn good hitter I would have more to say, the fact is that I have to give the guy some respect for what he can do with a bat....but that's about it.

Hopefully I'll have an update later today regarding Torre, but in the meantime I'll be refreshing my Internet browser with the ferocity of a kid tearing open presents on Christmas morning.

Oh Jesus

Ok, this is really frustrating that we still haven't heard anything about Torre. Come on guys, what gives? Are you renegotiating his contract, working on Don's, or are you still just not sure what you want to do? Either way figure it out. I can only refresh Yankee hating ESPN so many times.

But the real reason for today's post script post is this article which was posted on my friend Washington Jen's site. Now I was brought up Catholic, but I don't practice and or believe in the stuff that much at all. No offense if you do it just isn't my thing. But I have to say that I am really surprised by some of the comments in this article. Read it and judge for yourself. I write about baseball, I'm not about to offend anyone by getting into a theological debate or by telling them they worship a false God. I'll save that for the blogger happy hour.

Still No Word On Torre....Sox Lose Again...And a Few Other Things

We are still waiting to hear about the fate of Joe Torre. Some say that is a good sign, others a bad. I tend to think it is good because at least it means that they are actually having a debate about this and not making one of George's hot headed, rage fueled decisions. At the same time it is almost criminal to make Joe wait so long for a decision. Here is a guy who has given you 4 rings, countless wins, and a trip to the post season every season he's been in charge. If you are going to can him just do it, but don't make the poor guy wait much longer, he deserves better than that.

Of course the big story of the day is that Cleveland is a win away from the World Series. Now don't get me wrong, nothing will make me happier than the Indians putting the nail in Boston's season. But as my buddy Matt pointed out, even though no one really thought Cleveland would do this well, they are not the Cinderella story that Colorado is. They have been good all year and have some of the best pitchers in the league. They are getting a lot of attention in the postseason because they faced the Yankees and now the Sox, but they deserve some credit for their regular season accomplishments too.

This is a little off topic, but part of being a Yankees fan, or even a Red Sox fan for that matter, is knowing who is on the other team. Earlier in the season I wrote a post about my predictions for Dice-K. I predicted that he wouldn't be worth the paper his $50 million negotiation fee was printed on. Well, I wasn't spot on with that prediction but I wasn't that far off either. Sure, he won 15 games but who would have thought that he would run into so many problems late in the year and especially in the postseason. Let me qualify that by saying he hasn't pitched poorly, he just isn't effective without more rest than a bear gets in the winter. Because of that he is not the type of pitcher that you can rely on in the playoffs when you may be called on to pitch with minimal rest at best. Beckett is the Sox only true post season pitcher at this point when you consider that Schilling also needs a lot of rest and Wakefield is unpredictable. With Beckett taking the mound on Thursday the Sox will be relying on him more than ever. If he fails to give them six innings they will be in for a whole world of trouble should the series goes any further, or should they advance.

Again, off topic but a quick word of the Nats if I may. My brother hates the Nationals, primarily because when we were kids we would often go to Montreal to watch the Expos. Sure, I liked the Expos, but I was always a Yankees fan first. When MLB was looking to relocate the team he was steadfastly against Washington. His only real argument being that DC has lost teams in the past and Montreal has a rich history of baseball (minor league yes, major league no). I think that is horse sh**. Granted, I lived in DC at the time and I may have been a little biased as to where they should relocate, but one thing was for sure MLB was not working in Montreal and the team needed to go somewhere else. The first few seasons of have been pretty decent for the Nats, but with the new stadium opening for next season baseball in DC is going to be great. The pictures I have seen of the park, and the surrounding areas will help solidify the teams presence in the city and help to revitalize that area in much the way the Verizon center did for Chinatown. There is talk of water taxis from the Anacostia waterfront to Georgetown, sports bars and memorabilia shops around the stadium (something that is desperately lacking around RFK), and new housing developments that will utilize the forgotten views of the river. It's also exciting to see young players like Zimmerman and hear about all of the prospects that are working their way through the farm system. Anyone who thinks that baseball isn't here to stay in DC is delusional.

Rockies Advance, Boston Comes Unglued

Can you believe it? The Colorado Rockies are on their way to their first World Series in franchise history. What a story they have been this year. It is hard not to want them to win it all, but as I said in a comment yesterday I think that the city of Cleveland is due a bit more than Denver for a World Series ring. This will be Colorado's first dance in the October classic, but the Indians haven't won it all since 1948 despite coming close a number of times in the 1990's.

Which brings me to last nights other game.

My apologies, but after a week of receiving unflattering pictures and emails from sox fans about the Yankees I need to quickly become one of those fans for a minute.

Did you see it? Did you see the way that Dice-K fell apart faster than a Jenga tower? Did you see Big Papi almost lose his manhood courtesy of Manny Ramierez? Did you hear Manny booed every time he came to the plate? Oh how wonderful it was. It wasn't the Yankees clobbering the Red Sox, in fact it wasn't a clobbering at all, but for Cleveland to hold on to a two run lead against the Red Sox offense it was just spectacular. Clearly Dice-K hasn't found his grove in the post season, in fact he was terrible all through September. There is a lot of speculation that he just isn't used to the longer season. He needs at least five days of rest just to be quasi effective and at least six to be on the top of his game....but sorry son, that just doesn't happen in October.

Assuming that it doesn't rain in Cleveland tonight Wakefield will take the mound for Boston. If I was cheering for the sox I would be nervous. Wakefield is their box of chocolates, they never know what they are going to get. Not the position you want to be in when you are down 2-1 in the ALCS. Assuming it does rain and the game is postponed Beckett will take the hill. That works out in favor for the Sox, at least for game 4. But pitching on three days rest and then potentially pitching again in game 7 will certainly have an effect on his stuff, especially if they should advance to the Series. Again, not a good position to be in when your only guaranteed pitcher is so over used his arm hurts just from scratching his head.

What a postseason so far (aside from the Yankees obviously). Who would have thought that Cleveland would be up on the Sox, who would have thought the Diamondbacks and the Rockies would have faced each other in the NLCS, and who in their right mind would have thought that Colorado would win their first seven postseason games in a row to advance to the World Series. Man I love this game.

The Summer Wind

Every fall for the past couple of years visa or matercard (I can't remember which) has a baseball themed commercial with Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind." It is a pretty effective ad and every year around this time I get the song stuck in my head. It is a bitter sweet reminder that the season is almost over and for the next six months we will have to play the waiting game until the boys of summer return.

But the season isn't over just yet. We still have that little matter of crowning a World Series Champion. People keep asking me who I am rooting for, but that is a no brainer. Cleveland of course. I don't think I could ever bring myself to cheer for the Red Sox. In fact the only way that would ever happen is if the red sox winning would some how lead to a cure for cancer, or Alzheimer's. But in reality the red sox winning only leads to severe testicular trauma.

People are also asking me if I am still watching the post season since the Yankees were eliminated. The answer is of course yes. This is the most exciting time of year for baseball, even if my team didn't quite make it through. In fact the looming end of the season means I am hoarding baseball games like Lucky the Squirrel hoards nuts for the long winter. In a couple of weeks sports center will be handed over full time to football, basketball, and to a lesser extent hockey. I like football and hockey enough, but I can't say I am that knowledgeable. When it comes to basketball I would rather hibernate than watch the NBA. The NCAA tournament is a different story, but by that time spring training is in full effect.

So since we are still waiting to hear the fate of Torre and for Cleveland to shock the world by eliminating the Red Sox and winning it all...I'll leave you with the Summer Wind in your head for the rest of the day. If you have to have a song stuck in you head this is a good one to have:

The summer wind, came blowin in - from across the sea

It lingered there, so warm and fair - to walk with me

All summer long, we sang a song - and strolled on golden sand

Two sweethearts, and the summer wind

Like painted kites, those days and nights - went flyin by

The world was new, beneath a blue - umbrella sky

Then softer than, a piper man - one day it called to you

And I lost you, to the summer wind

The autumn wind, and the winter wind - have come and gone

And still the days, those lonely days - go on and on

And guess who sighs his lullabies - through nights that never end

My fickle friend,

the summer wind

Keep Your Friends Close But Keep Your Enemies Closer

We wont find out the future of Joe Torre until sometime next week. Rumors abound as to who could, would or should take over if the axe falls. There is talk of Donny Baseball taking over the helm. I support that idea but not yet, he needs more experience. But in the meantime it seems everyone in baseball has Joe Torre's back, even in the most unlikely of places. By that I mean David Ortiz, Terry Francona, and pretty much the rest of the Red Sox roster.

It is strange for me to be grateful for a comment by a red sox player, its kind of like when Darth Vader suddenly had a change of heart and threw the Emperor down that chute. But in my opinion Ortiz hits the nail on the head when he says:

"Every organization is like a human body. It has a head that if you mess with it, it just goes down," said Ortiz, "Joe Torre is the head of that organization. He's one of the best managers in baseball. You've got to have a good head to keep the body together like that."

"Even if they got knocked out, you've got to give him credit for that," Ortiz said. "You've definitely got to give the man respect. If he doesn't go back to the Yankees, they're going to feel that next year somewhere. This guy knows what he's doing."

Francona had this to say:

"I have a lot of respect for how Joe does things," Francona said. "It's one of those things where I've talked to Joe a lot actually this year, before series and after series - never out on the field because people don't want to see that.

"We've spoken quite a few times. Just about the chaos of our series, you know, how it's tough on everybody. I have a lot of respect for Joe."

So everyone in baseball seems to think Torre has done a good job, even the Yankees arch enemies. What's wrong with this picture?

In other news Mr. Clemens isn't sure about his plans for next year yet. Mrs. Clemens isn't so up in the air. If she has anything to say about it he'll be throwing ribs on the grill next year instead of fast balls from the mound. I mean honestly Roger, I know that you have a fierce competitive spirit, but you by no means earned your 18 million this year. We brought you in to win big games for us and what did we get? A 6-6 record and three innings pitched in the ALDS. What team in their right mind would waste more money on you? Sit back, relax, crack open a beer and wait for the call from Cooperstown. If you get bored I'm sure that there are plenty of opportunities in sports broadcasting, or even working as a pitching coach. But the time has come to know when to say when.

*Something is screwed up with the post today so sorry if it is a bit hard to read.

Still Working Through The Grief

I'm sure by now you have all heard this since ESPN and others continue to report on "the downfall" (give me a break) of the Yankees, but Mariano Rivera is standing by Joe Torre and has stated that his return may be linked to Torre's fate.

No matter where you fall on the should he stay or go now debate, you have to applaud Mo for his sense of loyalty. Joe and Rivera have been a good team and they clearly respect each other a heck of a lot. In fact Torre's selective use of Rivera throughout the years has been a contributing factor to both of their amazing successes. That is why it would be so strange if either of these NY icons were to leave (or be fired), they are intertwined. But regardless of what uniform Mo or Torre wears next year (that is if the Yankees are crazy enough not to resign Rivera) for a player as loved and respected as Mo is to stick out his neck like that says something that will hopefully will resonate up in the front office. I won't be surprised if Posada follows suit, although I doubt he would make his sentiments known publicly.

On a side note I keep getting various pictures and miscellaneous crap from Red Sox fans. They didn't even play the Yankees in the postseason and yet they feel as though they beat us vicariously through the Indians. This is exactly what I am talking about when I say they are the most obnoxious fans in North American sports.

SHUT UP...JUST SHUT UP!!!!!!!

It has only been a day, but all you hear about on any of the sports shows right now is about the future of Joe Torre and how the Yankees failed to make it out of the ALDS again. Forget about the fact that Colorado and Arizona both seemed to come out of nowhere to make it to the NLCS, the fact that the Angels rolled over and died, or the fact that Cleveland is in its first ALCS since 1998. Nope, all they want to talk about it the Yankees because they think stories about the Yankees losing is all people want to hear. Well I AM SICK AND TIRED OF IT. We all know what happened, we all know there are big questions about who is coming back and who isn't, but the level of commentary (particularly from Yankee hating ESPN) is almost to the level of a kindergarten bully "nanny nanny goo goo, you didn't make it." So please just shut up until things start happening, or at least report on positive stories. It is hard enough to deal with this without reminders ever five damn minutes.

I thought I was done with this rant but I am not, so just give me a minute here.

The damn Red Sox won the WS in 2004, they failed to even make the post season last year....but did that drive the level of scrutiny that the Yankees are being forced to endure right now? NO! Even when the Mets failed to make the post season this year after being up 7 games in the middle of September, sure they took heat but the focus quickly became the post season. That is what the focus should be right now, the post season. The World Series has yet to be inked into the history books. Let's get through that and then we can start talking about who will stay, who should go, and why. Until then if I see one more article about Torre or "What's Wrong In NY" I swear to God I am going to scream.

The Morning After

Well that's it, the season is over for the Yankees. Chances are Torre is going to get fired, but is it really all his fault? In my opinion everyone deserves some of the blame. You certainly can't put it all on A-Rod, he wasn't great but he did get a few hits. The offense as a whole only showed up for a game and a half this series. The pitching stunk worse than the Coleslaw I put in my co-workers desk last Friday. Wang was terrible, Mussina flopped, and Roger wouldn't have pitched another game even if we had gone deeper into the postseason.

But there were other factors at play here aside from the biblical plague of bugs. I think that we can all agree when I say that I hate it when George drops his ultimatums. It is distracting and it doesn't help the focus any when you are concerned about losing your job. Especially in a game in which your team faces elimination. Because of that I think you have to chalk up some of what happened to the Stien. Regardless, here we are at the end of the Joe Torre era. I think that he has a chance to save his job, but only if he really wants it. The players would have his back, but that probably isn't enough to quell the fire up in the front office.

At least we have things to look forward to next season. Chamberlin should continue to improve, as well as Melkey, Duncan, Hughes and Kennedy. Cashmans plan does seem to be working. It still just doesn't seem to help take away the sting though. It will be especially painful if Torre doesn't get to manage the last season in one of baseball's last shrines.

So now I have to figure out what to write about until next April, but in the meantime I will be entering my post loss depression for a few days. It sucks more than I can tell you, but it is all part of being a fan. Next year is a whole new season, and you can bet I'll be watching and writing about it with no less enthusiasm. We lost, but I still love this game and especially this team!

I've been staring at my computer for a solid twenty minutes trying to figure out what to say about last nights game. What is there to say really? The Yankees are one game away from elimination and the end of what should have been a miraculous comeback to ultimately win the world series....or at least that is what I had hoped for. Since the inception of the wild card only four teams have ever come come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a division series. Is it possible yes, probable....no.

In what could be Andy Pettittes last game he pitched a gem. Enter Joba Chamberlin and logic would dictate that the game was over. Then came the swarm. I have never seen anything like that before. Joba had to call the trainers to douse him with bug spray twice. TBS (whose coverage has been less than stellar in my opinion....could we get some more shots of the plate please!!!) had close ups of Chamberlins neck which was absolutely covered in bugs. Insects aside I think Torre should have kept Joba in for an extra inning. He wasted Rivera too early.

As predicted there are articles on ESPN this morning about A-Rod. No one produced offensively last night with the exception of Cabrera but it doesn't matter. What argument can I make in his defense though? Sure A-Rod has produced in the post season in the past, but in his last 14 postseason games he is 4-for-47 (.085) with no RBIs. The numbers speak for themselves I am afraid, he is a liability in the playoffs.

I don't know what it is but I feel as though the God's of Baseball are angry with the Yankees for some reason. I've written about my baseball superstitions before, but when you saw Joba in a cloud of Gnats or whatever the hell they were it just felt like something bad was going to happen. When Cleveland tied the game you knew it was going into late innings. When Vizcaino came in for Rivera you knew we were going to lose. Meanwhile the Red Sox are unstoppable. I don't know about you but it all just doesn't seem right. Maybe it has something to do with tearing down Yankee Stadium.

When I started this blog I had never intended it to become a blog that is almost exclusively about the Yankees. But that is what it became and it has been a lot of fun for me to write about the team and sport I love so much. Part of being a sports fan is dealing with your team losing, it just comes with the territory. But I'm taking last nights loss pretty hard. In the back of my head I have always thought that as bad as it was we could still make it to the World Series somehow. But now I'm afraid of a worse case scenario on Sunday where the Yankees are eliminated at Yankee Stadium, the team gets booed, Torre is fired shortly thereafter and A-Rod leaves. It isn't over yet, but I am not a happy man this morning.

It's Only One....LUCKY GET IN HERE!

When your starting pitcher gets in trouble early in the first game of the playoffs what do you do? Do you take him out risking over using your bullpen in what could be a long series? Or do you keep him in knowing that its only one game and maybe the offense can make up the difference? If you answered C, its a combination of both you answered correctly. I think Torre left Wang in a little too long last night. He just couldn't find his stuff. Then again fast forward to game three and you get a Roger Clemens who will be starting with a HUGE question mark over his head. So maybe that is what Torre was thinking? Save the boys for game three in case Clemens arm falls off or his hamstring rips to shreds. Either way the Yankees shouldn't have been beat up as badly as they were last night. The offense seemed dormant, and the pitching...well I have already covered that.

I admit that I thought Cleveland would pretty much roll over and die in the face of the Yankees. You have to give CC Sabathia credit though. He pitched a solid 5 innings and set the momentum for the tribe for the entire game.

A-Rod oh A-Rod

It's the post season so that means everyone will be staring at A-Rod with x-ray eyes. The question is if Alex doesn't preform in the post season was his MVP year all for nothing? Of course not. It is well documented that I have a love hate relationship with the man, but the fact is that the Yankees wouldn't be in the playoffs in the first place if it weren't for his superhuman contributions this year. Critics are going to say that even though he walked twice last night he didn't contribute all that much to the game. Honestly neither did the rest of the offense. One more game with no hit and I'm sure there will be a story on ESPN.

Pettitte starts his 35th post season game today. Let's get this thing going Andy. What a disappointment it would be to come all this way and not even get out of the ALDS. It is by no means time to panic...yet...but I'm calling in Lucky just to make sure.

Tonight It Begins

162 games later here we are....playoff time baby! Wang takes the mound and as I suspected Torre is going to go with the veterans. Sorry Duncan, sorry Ian. I'm tempted to use Lucky today, but I don't want to wear him out unless we need him.

A Rant If I May

Since the playoffs have yet to begin I would like to write about something else this morning. Specifically people who deserve to be punched in the face, inspired by this mornings metro ride. Some of these people don't actually deserve to be hit, I just find them to be extremely annoying. So before you think that I am violent and need anger management classes just read the list and tell me if I am wrong:

Top Ten List of People Who Deserve A Punch In The Face

10. Loud Elevator Talkers

There is nothing worse than getting onto a crowded elevator and being forcibly subjected to people essentially yelling at each other. Its an elevator for god sake. Shut your mouth and stare at the numbers light up like you are supposed to. BAP

09. Overly Chipper Morning People

Listen I don't want to be rude, but until I've had at least one cup of coffee I don't want to say good morning to you, and I certainly don't want you smiling at me. So shut up and stay away until at least ten. POW

08. Anonymous Commenters

I would love to punch them in the face but since you never know who they are it is impossible. These people claim to have an opinion, but they just don't want you to know who they are....grow a pair and write your name. SLAM

07. Women Who Turn The Heat On In The Office in the Summertime

I'm probably going to take some flack for this one, but as a man who is required to wear pants and a collard shirt even on the hottest and muggiest days in our nations capitol it drives me crazy. Women can wear skirts and no socks, no wonder you get cold, but bring a sweater because us guys can't just take off our pants. (I wont hit a lady)

06. Douche bag Guys

You know the type. They are the ones who have enough grease in their hair to light a wet log on fire. There typical conversation consists of the words "dude" and "bro" and their world revolves around looking at themselves in the mirror. CRACK

05. Kickball (WAKA in particular)

Again, I am probably going to take some heat for this one but I can't stand the kickball crowd. I like to drink don't get me wrong, but there is just something about this organization that rubs me the wrong way. http://www.dieyuppiekickball.com/ If you want to play a real sport and socialize play Softball or Flag Football, kickball is for elementary school kids. ZAP

04. Overly Aggressive Bums
I don't mean to sound heartless and cold here, but sometimes I really just don't have any change. I'm sure that you are down on your luck for a good reason and I sympathise, but following me down the street and calling me a racist isn't going to make a twenty magically fall from my pocket. WHACK

03. People Who Suck on Their Fingers After Eating Cheetos

I know this sounds stupid, but for some reason I find it disgusting when people do this. If you want to get the last of all of that orange goodness that is fine, just please don't do it where I can see it. SMACK

02. Bad Metro Seat Partners

We have come to the reason for today's rant. This morning on the metro (crowded as usual) a woman sat down next to me on the outside seat, I was next to the window. She proceeded to cough, push me with her elbow while she fumbled around in her purse, and then started to eat something that smelled like a dead fish. Once finished with the dead fish she sucked everyone of her fingers with a loud smack and answered her cell phone and talked as loud as humanly possible without actually screaming. My fist was clenched and ready to go. But then came the swan song of all, when I said excuse me to get off at my stop she simply moved her legs...slightly...forcing me to essentially hurdle over her. I HATE THAT!!!! Get the F up for Pete's sake, just be courteous for one fricken second!!!! AAAAA...you get a punch in the face lady. POW SMACK SLAM BAM WHACK

01. Red Sox Fans (the really obnoxious ones)

Come on, you didn't think I could write an entire post without at least one baseball reference did you? I will say that a not all Sox fans are like this, and the Yankees certainly have some of those fans too, but we all know the ones that I am talking about here. I read Yankees Chick from time to time, she had a run in with some of those fans yesterday. Click here to see what I am talking about if you don't know already. WHAP

Ok, thank you for bearing with me today....I feel much better now.

They Got Hosed Tommy, They Got Hosed...But Oh What a Season

Whatever you call them, referees, line judges, or umpires they all have one thing in common....they can drastically effect the outcome of a game with one mistake. Usually it only goes as far as creating outrage on PTI or Mike and Mike in the Morning, but when a missed call ends a teams season and keeps them out of the playoffs, well that is another thing all together. In short, San Diego got hosed last night.

Aside from the short falls of the officials, what a season we had this year. The game saw so many milestones. Glavine won his 300th, Biggio hit 3,000, and A-Rod became the youngest player to join the 500 club. Something else happened in San Francisco, but it is the policy of this page not to comment on ongoing investigations. (ahem 756*)

I don't watch the National league very often unless I am going to a Nat's game, but in the words of the immortal Hary Caray, HOLY COW!!! What a way to finish up, right down to the wire. The Mets choked, the Phillies won, and the Cubs and Rockies worked their way in too.

The American league didn't disappoint either. Detroit should have been in the post season, but similar to the Mets (although not as dramatic) they fell apart late in the season. Meanwhile after threatening for weeks on end Seattle just disappeared all together. Toronto looks as though they will be a promising club in the near future, but their feathered cousins the Orioles have a lot that they need to figure out. It pains me but the Sox managed to lead from wire to wire and ended up with the division, barely. But of course there is no question that the story of the year is the Yankees miraculous comeback from 14.5 games out to capture the AL wild card.

All of the teams have proved that they deserve the right to play in October. After a season like this I just can't see the playoffs disappointing....that is unless the Sox win it all.