Tuesday, October 20, 2009

When are the Yankee bats going to wake up?

I focused most of my ire after yesterday's loss on Joe Girardi. I did mention the Yankee bats a little, but several Subway Squawkers commenters thought the Yankees' hitters deserved some more blame.

Symphony writes, "One day I'll get over this sleeping lineup long enough to focus on Girardi. Its more than a side-note."

And one anonymous commenter says: "...you can't rely on 3 guys (Alex, Jeter and Posada) to carry the team. Texiera is great with the glove, but if he and Cano and Melky don't start hitting doesn't start hitting, the Angels will pitch around Alex and take their chances with Matsui. Then it won't matter what Joe does with the bullpen."


Good points. And this is the irony. Ever since 2004, so much of the Yankee postseason focus has been on Alex Rodriguez: Will he ever hit in the playoffs, blah blah blah. Now here we have him with the postseason game for the ages. Superman has nothing on A-Rod this October. But, as our reader notes, it's unlikely he will ever get anything to hit again in this series if the Yankees don't wake up. (Well, that, and if Girardi ever pinch-runs for Matsui again!)

So that means people not named A-Rod or Jeter needs to get some hits. Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, and Melky Cabrera, I'm talking to you! Time to start hitting.

At any rate, I'm still peeved over last night's game, but I did derive enjoyment from one thing today - seeing Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports make the point that I've been making - that A-Rod is hitting better without Joe Torre breathing down his neck.

On the other hand, Sports Illustrated reporter Tom Verducci completely eviscerates Girardi today. I don't have a problem with a writer slamming Joe G - that's what he gets the big bucks for - but it's a bit much to see Verducci do it, given that Verducci has been quiet over how his co-author Joe Torre has done in the playoffs. Not a peep from Verducci, then other than to blame Jonathan Braxton for not being tough enough. And he can devote a whole page to Girardi? Sheesh.


What do you think? Leave us a comment!

2 comments:

The Emperor said...

I'm going to be honest - I'm pretty nervous about tonight's game. I just feel that it will give us a psychological advantage if we win our thrid game of this series and that our chances of winning this pennant will increase.

I'm also very upset about yesterday's loss, because it really is a game we shoud've won if most of our lineup wasn't so anemic. What is going on with Tex, Swish and Robby??

And what is it with Joe's neurosis with the bullpen lately?

All I can say is we better win tonight. We better. Otherwise our chances of getting booted in the ass and shoved out the door will come sooner that we think.

Uncle Mike said...

You asked, Lisa? It just became 10-1 as I write this. A-Rod was a big part of it, but far from the only part of it. Swisher and Cano were better, and Damon hit a seat-seeking missile. Cue Crash Davis: "Man, that ball got out of here in a hurry. Anything that goes that far, that fast, oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"

CC Sabathia. It sounds like a disease, now that I think about it. But it's the Angels who feel sick. To see CC on 3 days rest, make just 1 mistake, and still chuck it at 94 MPH in the 8th, makes me feel like I can "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear!" (The Lone Ranger was the only Ranger in a blue shirt I ever liked.)

Yankee payroll: $200 million. Cost of a premium seat at Yankee Stadium Mark II: $2,500. The faces of the Angel fans that Fox is showing right now: Priceless.

You're absolutely right, Emperor. You gotta win that thrid game. The thrid game is the frist priority. And we have won that thrid game. All we have to do now is win the foruth, and the Pettant will be ours. Yaknees win, theeee Yaknees win!

I kid, I kid. It's okay when you're up 3-1 in the series. Right, Met fans? Oh, that's right...

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