IT IS HARD TO KNOW
what George can be waiting for at this point. In early May, one might have reasonably said that the Yankees start was not all that atytpical and looked worse by reason of the Sox unwonted success. That was then. since the Yankees last reached 500, at which point they confidently stated that they had turned things around, they have played 5-11 ball or right about at .300. That's Kansas City Royal and Pittsburgh Pirate territory. Tino visited the clubhouse and judged only "4 or 5 guys" hearts to still be in it: I'm thinking Jeter, Posada, Pettite, Matsui, and Damon. To have a team give up en masse is the greatest indictment possible of the manager, particualrly when the team is as star-studded as this one. To have a team that would give up is the greatest possible indictment of the General Manager, particularly this early in the season. There really seems no rationale left for holding onto these guys. It's time to turn the page.
On the smaller scale, the Yankees have been carrying a 12 man pitching staff all season to give themselves the greatest possible bullpen depth. While I support that idea in theory, some of these guys stink so bad thay are not really giving support at all. I propose bringing Andy Phillips, who is ripping up AAA, back to the big leagues and optioning Vizcaino, who is a BP pitcher right now. The Yankees badly need production from the right side of the plate and they should look to see if Phillips can provide it.
On the smaller scale, the Yankees have been carrying a 12 man pitching staff all season to give themselves the greatest possible bullpen depth. While I support that idea in theory, some of these guys stink so bad thay are not really giving support at all. I propose bringing Andy Phillips, who is ripping up AAA, back to the big leagues and optioning Vizcaino, who is a BP pitcher right now. The Yankees badly need production from the right side of the plate and they should look to see if Phillips can provide it.
posted by joe valente | 11:55 AM
2 Comments:
While Joe V. has provided a more specific analysis of what separates the Red Sox from the utterly and unredeemably pathetic 2007 Yankees, for a more general picture, one might simply compare the two teams' play against the Angels. Against the Red Sox at Fenway earlier this season, the Angels looked completely inept--a team with no clue how to play the game, no drive or ambiton to win, and obviously intimidated by their opponents.
Cut to this weekend at Yankee stadium--a venue that pundits still insist is "intimidating" to opposing players, especially younger ones (like those 2003 Marlins who were sure spooked by the big bad Yankees....right?), and the Angels cruised to easy wins each game. I don't care how officially close or winnable they all were, or how decent Wang and Mussina might have been. the Yankees had the winning runs on base in the 9th inning in 2 of the 3 games, and yet the angels never broke a sweat becuase they didn't have to. even with a wild closer on the mound and tying runs in scoring position, there was never a serious sense that the yankees had any shot at those games, no matter how many late rallies they started.
wacthing the Red Sox this year is an errie experience; not becuase I hate the Red Sox, but becuase there is this inevitablitity about it--it's like watching a fucking Rocky movie. It doesn't matter how down they are, you know they're going to win in the end.
Watching the Yankees is like watching that that old slapstick routine where a little guy is trying to punch a bigger guy--the big guy holds his arm out straight against the little guy's head, while the little guy flails uselessly.
While all of what you say is true, I will bet you any amount you like, the red sox will not be playing in the World series this year. They have too many holes in their line-up and too much hittable pitching i.e. schilling and Dice-K--to get past both the Tigers and the Indians, the Indians and the Angels or the Tigers and the Angels.
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