A thoughts on last night's game, and the state of the Yankees:
* What a strange game. Joba Chamberlain had one of those first innings that would make you think the game was going to be a blowout. Then he gets 12 strikeouts. Oh, and he hit Jason Bay in clear retaliation for that homer, which is something you don't see a Yankee do against the Sox very much.
* But other than that, and the Johnny Damon homer against his old team, the Yankees looked pretty flat. Some fans chanted "We want Torre" at last night's game. Good grief.
* The Yankee bullpen, which was terrific last year, is a horror show. The Yanks can't seem to hit with runners in scoring position against the Sox. And the Bombers are 0-5 against the Sox. Not good.
* I don't think getting rid of Joe Girardi is the answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his job this year if the team doesn't improve.
* I sold my ticket to last night's Yankees-Red Sox game, and I don't regret doing it. The previous night's long game completely wore me out.
* I know the weather is horrendous, and that explains part of it, but it's still strange to see so many empty seats at the Stadium for Yankees-Red Sox.
* Losing Jorge Posada - even if it's only for a month - is really going to stink. But why hasn't Brian Cashman tried to groom a real successor? As one of our readers put it, "Posada can talk about how he's a catcher and not a first baseman but his 3rd stint on the disabled list in less than 2 years says otherwise. You just can't fool mother nature."
* On a happier note, I saw this on Peter Abraham's blog: Fans have started a Vote Swisher website to write the player in for the All-Star Game. Great idea.
What do you think? Leave us a comment!
The Red Sox have a better team than the Yankees.And if that isn't bad enough, they have a better organization ... starting with the GM. In fact the Yankee problems are mostly age related... old age to be exact! This was evident for a long time. But Brian Cashman has continued to stock the team with high salaried, big names who are up there in age and who are unproductive once they arrive in NYC..The Red Sox, on the other hand,manage to reach down to their farm system when needed and bring up young, talented players to get them through tough times or reach out to acquire an established player who becomes productive upon arrival.
ReplyDeleteDoes Joe Girardi have any culpability in this losing season? Obviously, he does. He has overmanaged on a number of occasions and mismanaged on others. Should he be replaced? Probably not at this time...but maybe after the All-Star break if he hasn't straightened the mess out by then.
I have never been to the old Yankee Stadium or the new one; but I have to say that those enormous black (blue) seats that I see on T.V. behind home plate look incredible comfortable. The seats in Fenway were built when people's butts were a lot smaller than they are now. Why don't they let people move down into the seats if they are empty. It looks like there are a lot less people at the games than the numbers show. And I would really appreciate it if the Yankees would beat the Rays tonight. Let's hope for clear skies in the Northeast tonight.
ReplyDeleteWhere to start? I guess at the top. Manager is out of his league, AAA coaches and they are just that need to be replaced NOW, get some relief help, Now or we will be finishing 4th this year.
ReplyDeleteThere's no question at all that, presently constructed, the Red Sox are a superior team than the Yankees. The results of the last five games against the Sox bears this out without any room for doubt whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteIt just seems that the Yankee front office has no idea in the world how to successfully run a professional baseball team. They think that by throwing exhorborant amounts of cash to overrated free agents and hardly developing relevant talent in the minor leagues solves all problems and plugs up all gaping holes in the teams constructions.
How's that working out for us? We look like a struggling 3rd place team, not a $200 Million juggernaut. And right now this team does not justify a $1.5 billion stadium which, as amenity-packed and aesthetically pleasing as it may be, is a testament to excess greed and oppulence that kicks the diehard fan out on his ass and replaces him with either an empty seat or some corporation trying to impress a potentional client, but that doesn't give two craps about the Yankees.
I just have a feeling that it's going to be a few years before the Yankees look anything like a team in serious contention for any title or championship. Our bullpen is nothing like it was last year. I know Girardi wants to believe in these guys, but to use a philosophy of one relief pitcher per inning in spite of results completely halts any momentum the Yanks might gain if the relief pitcher in question is getting guys out. The next guy may give up a bunch of runs, and our lineup looks so anemic it's ridiculous. Only Cano, Swisher and to a lesser extent Matsui have shown any semblence of consistency. The rest of the team seems to be puffing in and out of rhythms of gaining any type of stride and they don't look confident.
The Red Sox look like the Yankees used to look years ago, when upper management and the front office actually had an idea and a game plan and new how to scout for and evaluate real talent.
We need young guys, e.g. young men in their early-to-mid 20's. I don't consider myself old, but if I were a baseball player I'd be ready to be put out to pasture already. To see most of my team full of guys around my age and fumbling around trying to get runs to score is not very inspiring right now, and things are only going to get worse because of the multi-year contracts most of them have.
look out, the sky is falling!!! fire girardi! fire cashman! purge the bullpen, except Mo of course! look out, this season is 1/8 of the way finished and this team is showing no signs of life. we are finished!
ReplyDeleteBoy, are you guys starting to sound more and more like Met fans!
km
Sound like Mets fans? Ha!
ReplyDeleteThat's just a New York thing. Both teams have fans that become suicidal over a losing streak or believe they'll win the WS after a winning streak.
It's just the way it is.