Around The Horn

The Yankees are considering whether or not to pick up the option on Bobby Abreu's contract for next year. It actually isn't as easy of a question as I had first thought once you look at the numbers. Despite some pretty extended slumps, Abreu still managed to score 123 runs, hit 16 home runs, tack on 101 RBI's with an OPS of .814 this season. While his batting average went down, he still scores better in some key areas in 2007 over his combined statistics with the Phillies and the Yankees in 2006. Alternatively look at Caberea who for all the hype is actually a bit over rated at this point. In 2007 Caberea scored 66 runs, hit 8 home runs, tacked on 73 RBI'with an OPS of .718. But Abreu is old right? Not really, Abreu is only 33, although admittedly he is starting to look like 43. Caberea on the other hand still needs some more time to develop, but probably will end up being a career .285 hitter and a decent fielder. So what should the Yankees do? I say drop Abreu, move Melkey to center, and push Damon over to right given the question marks about his legs. I have to believe that long term that is the smartest choice considering Melkey will continue to improve and most likely Abreu will start to slow down sooner rather than later. Not to mention Caberea certainly has better range in the outfield and there is no chance Bobby could cover center field if Damon isn't 100%. Finally, the money that is freed up from Abreu could be used to go after someone like Torii Hunter.

November 13th. That is the last day the Yankees have until their exclusive negotiation rights with Jorge Posada expire. To this I say...WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?!?!?!?! I've written extensively on why we need to resign him. So lets get it over with, NOW, before we lose him to the Mets (which would actually be a good alternative for him).

Rumor has it that the Yankees are ready to offer Rivera 40 million and three years. He's earned it although I admit that it does seem like quite a lot to offer an aging closer, even if he is the best the game has ever seen. The Yankees really need to get on this though because Rivera's return will most likely determine Joba's career as a starter or a closer.

I have to say that I am getting pretty frustrated with the Yankees sluggish pace and lack of urgency regarding their free agents. I suppose some of it can be attributed to Hank and Hal taking the reins, but these contracts need to be negotiated before its too late.

Don't Even Think About It!!

I can't believe the picture that I have chosen for today's post. Do you know how many times it has been sent to me over the years? Well today I think that it is appropriate:

"Alex wants the Yankees to be a part of this, because the opt-out was not done with the intention of saying goodbye to the Yankees," said the source. "Alex wants to see what his market value is, but that doesn't mean he necessarily wants to leave the Yankees."

Let me start by again giving a hearty F-YOU to both A-Rod and Boras. What this sounds like is that some of the negotiations with the other clubs A-Rod hoped to bank rob aren't going as well as he and Boras had hoped. I'm guessing that they are starting to realize that they screwed themselves by opting out before they even gave Cashman the courtesy of a face to face meeting and there may be a real possibility that A-Rod will actually end up making less than he did last year as a result. Oh how I would love that!

So that begs the question should the Yankees consider renegotiating with Stray-Rod? HELL NO!! I was actually trying to formulate an argument as to why it might not be a bad idea...that was before I read this:

The question posed to Boras was why Rodriguez's regular-season numbers haven't translated to postseason success.

"That's a characterization that, when you look at the data, is frankly inaccurate," Boras said. "If you look at Alex's first season in New York, I believe he was 7-for-16 with two home runs and five RBIs going into Game 4 in Boston.

"The brilliant Mariano Rivera, probably the only flaw he's made in a historic career over the postseason*, if he got those three outs (in the ninth inning of Game 4), Alex would have been in the World Series and he would have been held to have a great postseason.

Hold the phone there BorASS, are you actually trying to go after Mariano as an excuse for A-Rod? You have got to be kidding me! As Julie pointed out in the comments a few days ago, here are Choke-Rod's post season stats for the last few years:

2007 - .267
2006 - .071
2005 - .133
2004 - .258

You can compare other players post season statistics if you want, but its not relevant, we are strictly talking about Choke-Rod's performance. So what happened in 2005 and 2006? Did Rivera steal A-Rod's Teddy Bear or something? My point is not only is he not worth the money, he isn't worth the bad vibes he brings to the team.

From everything that I have read lately I get the impression that MLB is anxious to make Boras look like an idiot, and the players union probably isn't going to go to the mattresses to protect a guy like A-Rod. Honestly, who does Boras think he is? Where does he get off calling Selig and recommending switching the format of the World Series to 9 games, two of which would be in neutral cities? He wants to make the World Series into the Superbowl and the Homerun Derby into some sort of circus side show where the players make extra money for participating. He is an agent, not an owner or even a player. He is bad for the game and a public lynching would be good for all of us.

* I hate to say this but apparently he forgot what happened in game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

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!

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.

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/

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

What are the Odds?

Attached are some of the pictures I took of the Yankees at Baltimore last night. If you want to check out the full set just click the link to my flickr page.

By now you are all aware that the Yankees lost last night in the 10th inning which means that the dream of winning the division is officially over. It sucks, I had really hoped that they would magically pull it off, but in the end I'm fine with it. We made it to the post season which has never been a guarantee this year.

Last night it seemed like Torre was testing out his post season squad. Damon was in Center, Giambi was DH, and Mussina was on the mound. Unfortunately Moose didn't look very good, and Rivera blew a save. After last night I don't see Mussina starting in the post season short of Clemens arm falling off.

That brings me to the title of my post. Even though the the Yankees didn't get the division and lost the game I am a happy man today. If you haven't figured it out yet that picture of a baseball in a case is my first true foul ball which I caught last night courtesy of Jason Giambi. I've relayed this story many times before on this page, but once more can't hurt. Shortly after Giambi came to New York he was slumping and was booed like there was no tomorrow. I was living in Boston at the time and the Yankees were in town for the first series of the season. I found out that he was at a bar next to where I was so I ran in and said to him (through his wall of body guards) that I was happy to have him in New York and wished him luck. He cleared the fortress of bounces, got up, shook my hand and gave me his autograph. I asked him if I could buy him a beer but he said no, instead he bought me one. So fast forward a few years and here we are again. He didn't get me a beer, but he did give me my first true foul ball.* Thanks Jason, just to let you know I was wearing your shirt underneath my Jeter Jersey.

My girlfriend was at the game with me last night. She isn't a huge baseball fan but she is used to enduring all of my baseball superstitions and f-bombs when the Yankees aren't doing well. I tried to describe to her what it was like to catch that foul ball, but I guess it is just something that you can't explain. You have to go to game after game every summer since you can remember. You have to bring your glove to a game and just miss, but you still keep trying. And then when you finally do catch that ball you just can't believe it. I'm still smiling this morning. But that is me, I love this game. Always have, always will, no matter how old I get or how many games I've been to. Someone said Baseball is about where we were and where we are going, its true.

*I kind of caught another foul ball of Nick Johnson last year, but that one was actually tossed to me by the Nationals Bat boy. He tossed me another one shortly after that but I gave that to a little kid.

Going To See The Yankees Tonight

That's right, tonight I'll actually get the watch the game live rather than constantly refreshing MLB gamecast or hunting for a bar that has the MLB package. I'm fricken giddy right now because.....I HAVE FIELD SEATS!!! My Giambi shirt, Jeter Jersey, and Hat are all laid out on my desk right now as a reminder. I'll update tomorrow with pictures from the game and hopefully a souvenir or two!

YANKEES CLINCH POSTSEASON APPEARANCE

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It may have been somewhat of a foregone conclusion over the past few days, but that doesn't change the fact that I am as excited as hell this morning!!! I have admitted this time and time again, but if you had asked me before the all-star break if the Yankees were going to make the playoffs I would have said yes, but I wouldn't have been confident about it. Especially since we were 9 1/2 games out of the wild card in July looking ahead at some solid teams. Well today post season dreams have become realities.

So now we turn to the post season and what to expect. The wild card means that we face off against Cleveland who I feel more comfortable with. I expect Torre to go with Wang and Pettitte as number one and two. But number three, arguably the most important game, is up in the air as Clemens struggles with hamstring problems. Personally I would rather stick Ian Kennedy in assuming that his stiff back issues are resolved, but I know that Torre will go with Clemens assuming he is close to 100%.

I would like to write more on this, but I am pretty busy today so I will leave it up to the commenters to help me out with the post season predictions. I will say this though, I have a feeling that the Yanks are going to go to the October classic and take another ring.

(oh and thanks to Lucky, yet again)

Sigh

Well, we can pretty much kiss the division dreams goodbye but I am really fine with that. What we need to do is clinch our position in the playoffs!!! Giving up a grandslam home runs is not what we should be doing right now. I hate to overwork the poor guy but I am sending in Lucky yet again. Simply put we just need to do this thing.

Magic Numbers......2

(First of all, thanks Lucky, you have never let me down)

I was pretty worried yesterday as I was attempting to live blog, but Moose managed to reset and pulled off his 250th career win against Toronto. Of course he was overshadowed by Joba who lowered his ERA to .42 earning his first save as a Yankee. What else can I say about Chamberlin that I haven't already? The kid is simply amazing.

I must say that I do have respect for Toronto. They really are not as bad of a team as their record might lead one to believe. If they played in another division they would be contenders. They have certainly proven they can win big games against great ball clubs. When you consider that and the amount of bad blood that has passed between these teams it puts me on edge whenever they play each other.

So now the Yankees magic number to secure a playoff spot is at 2 games. People have been talking all season about if Torre be back next year, voluntarily or otherwise. To hell with that, the way things have gone this season I think that Joe Torre has to be in the running for manager of the year. To take a team from 14.5 games out of first and 8.5 out of the wild card to end up 1.5 out of first and 5.5 up on the Tigers is nothing short of an incredible feat. I'm sure that someone will argue that Torre couldn't have done this with a team that didn't have the talent that the Yankees have, but screw that too. 14. 5 games is 14.5 games. Not to mention the fact that Torre has been forced to go through an obscene amount of pitchers before settling on the rotation that we have now. He's made big choices like taking the Moose out of the line up, holding Chamberlin in a relief position, and using the younger position players much more often. If you can give me a reason why he shouldn't AT LEAST be in the running I want to hear it.

Come on Moose

I'm going to live blog for as long as I can today, but I have to go play poker soon so unfortunately I can't do it for the entire game.


Top of the second vs Toronto and Moose has given up three runs. That worries me, whenever he gets behind early he has a really hard time getting settled back in. Come on Mike, we need you, we want you to be here, but you have to figure this out now otherwise you can kiss your post season start goodbye. Detroit is winning by the way, I'm not scared yet but we can't come this far only to let it slip away.

I'm sending Lucky in for relief!

Bottom of the 2nd....MR. DEREK JETER!!!!! Bobby Abreu ends the inning. Red Sox are losing to Tampa bay 2-0. Detroit is up by 5.

(Damn I love that Squirrel)

Does The Division Really Matter?

The Yankees lost last night and the Red Sox won. There is no reason to think that the dream of the division is dead, but there is another question to ponder after last nights 14 inning marathon. Should Torre rest up the pen and the rotation so they are fresh for the playoffs or should we go for the division full speed ahead? Now don't get me wrong, I want to win the division, but what advantage does that really give us? In other words the division doesn't really matter, I want to win the October classic.

If we do win the division chances are that we will play the Angles, the only team in baseball who has a winning record against the Yankees in the Joe Torre era. They haven't been playing up to their potential lately but the fact that they have knocked us out of the playoffs both times we have faced them in post season play doesn't sit well with me.

So I'm torn. What I really would like to see is this scenario.....Yankees win the division by the skin of their teeth and face Anaheim in the fist round. Yankees take the series in four and go on to have another classic series against the Sox in the ALCS taking them down in 6 games. Then it's on to number 27.

What I think will happen / should happen is that Torre will be cautious with the starters, both the position players and the pitchers. The Sox win the division by the skin of their teeth, Yankees sweep Cleveland. Another classic ALCS with the Sox, Yankees win in 7 thanks to a late inning home run by Derek Jeter. Then it's on to number 27.

And Then There Was One......and a half

I'm having a bit of writers block today so I will keep today's post short and simple. Congratulations to Andy Pettitte who won his 200th game last night in what could be his last season as a major league pitcher. The Yankees are now only a game and a half behind the Sox. Even if the Yankees don't catch them, the turnaround the Yankees have had this year is nothing short of amazing.