Joe’s Fault?

With reports swirling that Joe Torre’s job is in jeopardy, it might be worth a look at the reasons the Yankees lost to the Tigers. Can the manager really be held responsible? Whose fault is this?

Mike Mussina ($17 million): 5.14 ERA

Jaret Wright ($7 million): 10.12 ERA

Alex Rodriguez ($25 million): .077 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Hideki Matsui ($13 million): .250 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI

Jason Giambi ($18 million): .125 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Gary Sheffield ($13 million): .083, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Robinson Cano ($381 thousand): .133, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Is any of this the manager’s fault? All he can do is send the talent he’s given out to play. He put his faith in these guys, and made changes when things weren’t working. What else was he supposed to do?

2006 ALDS Game 4 Tigers 8 Yankees 3: End of the Line

The Yankees saw their season come to a very disappointing end on Saturday as the Tigers pounded New York by an 8-3 score. This win propelled Detroit to the ALCS. The 2:54 torture session made one thing clear, the 2006 New York Yankees will go down as one of the biggest underachievers in baseball history. In a game where the Yanks saw their season riding in the balance, they showed little desperation. The Tigers were the team that played like their year was on the line.

New York’s vaunted offense did nothing for the third straight day as Jeremy Bonderman pitched the game of his life. The righty gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in 8.1 innings. Those numbers do not do justice to Bonderman’s outing. The Yanks did not have a baserunner until the game was well out of hand. Unlike Kenny Rogers the night before, Bonderman pitched a legitimately brilliant game. There was no luck involved. The Yankees spent a load of money to create “the best lineup ever.” However, such a highly touted batting order is paid to beat great pitching in big games. In the final three games of the ALDS, New York’s bats produced 6 runs, and half of them came when the series was over for all intents and purposes. The Yanks saw their big guns fall apart in the pressure of the postseason. Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, and Jorge Posada can say that they did everything that they could. Nobody else can. Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano, and Gary Sheffield were all off. Johnny Damon at least contributed in the first two games so he can get a bit of a pass. Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez were nothing short of brutal. Giambi can talk all he wants in Sports Illustrated about A-Rod’s mental state. He should be more concerned about his own because aside from his homer in Game 1, he brought nothing positive to the table.

Then there is A-Rod. Mr. Big Numbers had a third straight postseason meltdown, going 1 for 14 in the series and made an error in Game 4 that led to a run. Joe Torre has tried and tried to get through to him. He tried coddling A-Rod. He tried getting tough on him. He moved Alex around the batting order to try and light a fire under him. Nothing has worked. At this point, there need to be serious questions about whether A-Rod will ever be able to thrive when it matters most in New York. Three years after he was acquired, he still has not been able to relax and be himself. The brilliant postseason player Seattle once had is now a distant memory. Rodriguez gets his big stats during the regular season but fails when it comes to delivering when it matters most. That might cut it in Texas, but the Yankees are worried about one thing, winning the World Series. It doesn’t look like Alex will ever cut it at this point.

Not that it would have mattered, given how pathetic the offense looked, but New York’s pitching was just as bad on Saturday. Jaret Wright effectively ended the Yankees’ season by getting hammered for 4 runs in 2.2 innings. The Yanks needed a big time pitching outing to take some pressure off a struggling offense. Wright didn’t even come close to doing that. Jaret did a nice job filling in for Carl Pavano this year. He frequently kept the team in the game. However, he never went deep into games, which taxed the bullpen. Combine that with his failure in the biggest game of the year, and its clear that an upgrade is in order. The Yankees can buy Wright’s contract out, and there’s little reason to not do that. Cory Lidle came on in long relief and poured gasoline onto the fire that Wright started, giving up 3 runs in 1.1 innings. Joe Torre was very proactive, lifting Wright and Lidle as soon as they started getting hit, but the damage had been done. This just underscores the need for this team to get big time pitching over the winter.

It is going to be a long offseason for the Yankees. The Tigers deserve credit for staring down the Yanks and pulling off the upset. However, this never should have happened. New York was a much more talented team. This series should never have been in doubt. At the end of the day, most players on this roster should be ashamed. They have blown a golden chance to win championship number 27. It’s enough to make a fan sick.

R.I.P. 2006

I’ve been on the road since Friday, and it’s going to take me a few days to properly assess this disaster. There are no words at this point. This $200 million assessment of superstars has shown no heart in this series. Detroit has taken the game to New York completely. It’s just an embarassing performance led by the $252 million man. I’ll be back on Monday to try and put this into some kind of context.

2006 ALDS Game 3 Tigers 6 Yankees 0: All Around Brutality

The Yankees now trail their ALDS with the Tigers 2-1. Detroit pushed New York to the brink of elimination with a 6-0 win tonight at Comerica Park. The Yanks must win both tomorrow and Sunday, or their season is over. This game was a complete disaster for New York in all aspects. They did not perform well and had some rotten luck. That is a lethal combination in the postseason.

One of the great myths that many will take from this game is that Kenny Rogers finally proved that he can handle the pressure of a big game. That is an easy trap to fall into when reading only the boxscore. His 7.2 inning shutout line looks most impressive. However, the truth is that he had nothing. He left pitches for the Yankees to hit all night. They were hit right at fielders like Bobby Abreu’s liner in the first and Derek Jeter’s screaming liner back at Rogers. They were just missed like Bernie Williams’ homer that hooked just foul and Jorge Posada’s flyball that died just short of the wall. There were instances where the hitters did not take advantage of meatballs like Jason Giambi, who got under a hanging curve in one at bat and missed another pitch to hit later on. These are only a few example. The Yankees should have knocked Kenny out early. There is no way he should have tossed anything close to a shutout. Rogers brought nothing to the mound. That is what makes this defeat more painful. To watch such a gutless wonder thump his own chest as if he was dominating was just brutal.

His counterpart, Randy Johnson, pitched better than his 5.2 inning, 5 run line would appear. Randy was let down by shoddy defense and bad umpiring. In the 2nd inning, a bad call by the umpire on a play at third led to 1 of Detroit’s 3 runs in that frame. Alex Rodriguez providing a poor tag to make what should have been an easy out a questionable call sure didn’t help matters. Randy also gave up a run because of Jason Giambi’s inability to make a decent throw when Curtis Granderson was picked off second base. Had Giambi made the play, the inning would have ended. However, Granderson came around to score. Johnson gave up 2 more runs in the 6th, but this happened when he started to tire. The Yanks probably just stuck with him for too long. Before he fatigued, Johnson was on. He kept his team in the game. The Big Unit deserved a better fate.

This was truly a bizarre game. A guy who had nothing appears to have had a great night in the boxscore, while a guy who pitched well appears to have struggled if one judges by the numbers. At any rate, there is one reality. The Yankees have 16.5 hours until they take the field again. There had better be a lot of soul searching tonight. Right now there is no fire. The Tigers want this more. The Yanks cannot become discouraged over the bad breaks. They have enough talent to overcome this. New York is the more talented team in this series by far. However, the big guys need to start showing up. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi have been nothing short of terrible during these last two games. Both made poor plays in the field tonight that helped Detroit jump out to a multi-run lead. Both look lost at the plate. The two men did a great job in pointing the finger at each other in the now infamous Sports Illustrated article, but they had better start looking at themselves because neither is pulling any weight at this point. This does not just go for those two, however. Nobody with the possible exception of Derek Jeter is playing particularly well. To get this series to Game 5, everybody from Alex Rodriguez down to Miguel Cairo has to start living up to their potential.

The Yankees face a tall order in beating Jeremy Bonderman tomorrow. Jaret Wright will get the call. Everybody will need to show up. At this point, Detroit is taking the series to them. There is no excuse for this. The Yanks are far more experienced. It is up to them to imposed their will on the Tigers. If they play like they have over the past two days, the season is over on Saturday.

Wright Over Lidle for Game 4 Start

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but the Yankees have officially named Jaret Wright their Game 4 starter over Cory Lidle. The move makes sense. Wright had a great end to the year, while Lidle was on the shelf for a lot of September. Jaret has shown his grit time and again for this team, a trait needed in the postseason. He also has a decent postseason track record. His pitching against the Yankees for Cleveland in 1997 left a bitter taste in the mouths of most Yankees fans. He isn’t automatic, but it’s tough to argue that Jaret should have been benched for Lidle in this spot.

Randy Says He’s Good to Go

The New York Daily News talks about how Randy Johnson can silence the ghosts of his miserable Game 3 outing against the Angels in last year’s ALDS with a big performance tonight. There would be some nice symmetry to it. A year ago, Randy was dominating entering the postseason. He looked like a sure thing and came out perhaps overconfident. This season, he’s a major question mark. People are counting him out. Maybe this will serve as the motivation he needs to have a great outing.

Boss Concerned About A-Rod

From today’s Newsday:

“I didn’t like him that well,” the Yankees’ principal owner said of Alex Rodriguez, who is 1-for-8 with four strikeouts in two games.
Asked if he is worried about his third baseman, Steinbrenner said, “He’ll come out of it, I hope.”
When asked if he is concerned, The Boss said, “Sure.” Then he slipped into his chauffeur-driven black sedan.

I’m usually not a big fan of the Boss ribbing Yankees. Most of the time his criticisms are without warrent, and those who received them don’t need the extra motivation that he is trying to provide. However, this case is different. Somebody needs to try and light a fire under A-Rod because for all the words of denial Alex offers, he looks like a guy who is lost on the field far too often in big spots. Somehow the Yanks need to motivate him to quiet his critics.

2006 ALDS Game 2 Tigers 4 Yankees 3: Knotted

The Tigers evened their American League Division Series matchup with the Yankees by registering a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the series. An extra night in the hotel apparently didn’t hurt the Tigers. Nor did Justin Verlander’s warming up on Wednesday night, thinking that the game was about to start while no Yankees were on the field. The Tigers showed what they were made of by registering a gutty road win. However, the Yankees have to be kicking themselves after this one. The game was there for the taking, and they let it slip through their fingers.

New York’s vaunted offense looked anemic. Part of this was due to a gutty effort by Detroit rookie, Justin Verlander, who faced down the enormity of the game to pitch 5.1 innings of 3 run ball. However, in scenes very familiar to recent past postseasons, the Yanks put runners on base. Just nobody could collect the big hit. New York had men on base in 6 of the 9 innings. The only time they scored was on a Johnny Damon 3 run homer in the 4th. This only proves that no lineup is slump proof, regardless of how many good hitters occupy it. Everybody eventually goes into a slump. They often can be contageous as players will start to press, thinking that they have to carry the load since nobody else is able to step up. This has plagued the Yanks in the past few postseasons. Nobody is able to lock in and deliver the big blow that is needed. New York thought it had its offensive problem solved for good when it signed Jason Giambi. It happened again with the additions of Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez. The fact of the matter is that any lineup can be shut down, even one with nine All-Stars. All of these big names try to do too much to carry the load since all are used to being the guy. However, pressing does not help at the plate. The Yankees can only hope that this was a one game thing and that everybody will relax on Friday night. If not, the season is going to be over very soon.

Mike Mussina’s pitching line of 7 innings and 4 runs is not horrible. However, put in the proper context, it is very disappointing. Moose had a 3-1 lead. He did not protect it, giving up 3 runs after that and taking the loss. In the postseason, leads are something to be treasured. A 2 run lead is not an automatic win. However, a big game pitcher like Mike should know how to exploit a free-swinging and inexperienced team like the Tigers. Detroit had to have been anxious after falling behind in the game. Instead, Moose handed the game right back to the Tigers, and Jim Leyland’s bunch graciously accepted. Mussina is making big money to deliver wins in October. Yesterday he did just enough to lose. The numbers might not have been terrible, but that just is not good enough.

Alex Rodriguez was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, including a K to end the 8th inning. However, he did hit 35 homers during the regular season so nothing he does in the biggest games of the year matters. This is at least what some would like you to believe. A-Rod had better get over his mental block soon because he hasn’t seen anything yet. If he thinks he’s been treated bad this year, wait until a third straight disappearing act in the postseason leads to a third straight early elimination for the team. Elite players lead their team to big wins. A-Rod has not done enough of that during his tenure in pinstripes. If he doesn’t start soon, there might be calls to run him out of town.

Derek Jeter did not have a good game. The Captain went 1 for 4 after his stellar 5 for 5 Tuesday. D.J. made a pair of mistakes in the 1st inning that set a bad tone for the game. In the top of the frame, he made a bad throw that Gary Sheffield could not handle. A more experienced first baseman might have made the play, but Sheff could not be expected to pull of that play. In the bottom of the inning, with Johnny Damon at first and no outs, Derek decided to try a sacrifice bunt. That play made no sense at all. He had been swinging a red hot bat. Verlander was struggling with his location early. His offense was primed to have a big day. However, Derek decided to drop one down. He did not even bunt for a hit. He squared to give himself out. Normally when D.J. bunts for a hit in the first inning, it is not a problem because at worst he will have moved the runner up. However, given the other circumstances, what he did was a poor play in that spot. The worst part was that he popped the bunt up, failing to even advance the runner. Derek has won far more big games than he’s lost for New York. However, he very well might have taken his team out of a big inning with his decision to drop a bunt down yesterday.

Curtis Granderson had a pair of RBI’s yesterday, 1 of which came on the game-winning triple. He is starting to become a pest akin to Chone Figgins. Granderson is a guy with pedestrian numbers, but he makes things happen against the Yanks due in part to blinding speed.

Gary Sheffield had a bit of a rough day at first. He could not pick Jeter’s errant throw cleanly. He also did not get to a few liners that a better defender might have. However, this is no reason to jump on Sheffield. The only other option is Jason Giambi. Giambi does not get even close to the balls Sheffield missed. The Yanks aren’t sacrificing defense with Sheff out there because Giambi is probably worse in the field, even with more experience. Unless the team wants to sacrifice a ton of offense with Andy Phillips at first, the most prudent course of action would be to stick with Gary. Phillips might be a defensive upgrade. However, he cannot hit and has not taken consistent swings in a while. Sticking Andy out there would be completely different from playing Melky Cabrera, who swings a nice bat and was a regular for most of the year.

The Yanks now head to Detroit for Game 3. They will send Randy Johnson to the mound tonight. New York needs to say a few prayers that his back will hold up. Then the team needs to say a few more that even if his back holds up, he won’t be throwing beach balls. This is Johnson’s biggest start of the year. He needs to be on. This is the reason that the Yanks got him. He is capable of dominating. He is also capable of making an early exit. The season rests on his back tonight. If he wins, the Yanks are in great shape to make the ALCS. If he fails, New York sends Jaret Wright to the mound on Saturday against Jeremy Bonderman with the season on the line. The Yanks could book their tee times right then and there. The good news is that Randy should have plenty of run support as noted choker, Kenny Rogers is on the mound of the Tigers. If the Yanks can’t hit Rogers, they don’t deserve to play for the pennant.

2006 ALDS Game 2 Tigers at Yankees Postponed by Rain: Rescheduled for Thursday

Tonight’s Game 2 of the Division Series has been rained out. It will be played at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. If any team gets an edge from this, it’s probably the Yankees. New York gets to rest the big guns in the bullpen who pitched last night. The Yanks also get to spend another night at home, sleeping in their beds. The Tigers have to spend another night in a hotel, and the worst thing for a team struggling with confidence is to not play. Detroit has another night to think about how everything has been going wrong for them. The real losers in this are the fans, however. Many who would have been able to see and go to the game tonight will not be able to tomorrow afternoon. Postseason rainouts just stink.

The Boss Speaks

On Jeter: “Well, it was good because it was a tough game. He measured up very well. Very well.”

On Abreu: “He’s super. He’s doing well.”

On A-Rod: “I’m not disappointed in A-Rod. A-Rod’s doing his part.”

On whether the series is over: “No, I’m just very happy we’re doing as well as we’re doing.”

Very vanilla comments by the owner. However, he has not rocked the boat this year. Him toning his act down and staying out of the way was one of Brian Cashman’s biggest conditions for returning to the team last season. From now on, the press is going to find that George will not give them the outrageous quotes and threats that he did in the past. After three decades as owner, he has finally found people that he trusts to run the franchise better than he could in Brian Cashman and Joe Torre. Having almost pushed both out the door in the past, he is going to walk on eggshells to make sure neither walks out on him. In his old age, he has finally figured out that he will be remembered better if his team wins because of the men he has hired than for trying to hog all the glory for himself and damaging the team in the process.