Baseball’s Savior

A Biased Look at the New York Yankees, the Greatest Franchise in the History of Sports

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October 30, 2005

It’s Official, Brian Cashman is Coming Back

by @ 7:17 am. Filed under 2006 Season

Of course I have mixed feelings about this. Cashman hasn’t done much to endear himself to Yankees fans with the current drought, though I’m a big fan of the saying “You’re better off dealing with the idiots you know as opposed to the idiots you don’t know.” Now while I’m not saying Cashman is an idiot, I think the saying at least has some bearing on the situation. George would rather bring him back because he knows him, as opposed to bringing in someone who might rock the boat.

The biggest shift in the division isn’t Manny Ramirez’s demand of a trade (doesn’t he do this every year, not that I blame him for trying to get out of Boston), but it has to be Leo Mazzone going to the Orioles. First set of bad news is, the Yanks didn’t get him. The second is that he’s coaching a competitor within the division.

And since we started on the subject of GM’s, Paul DePodesta, Billy Beane’s former right hand man in Oakland, lost his job with the Dodgers. And the Red Sox still haven’t come to terms with their “wonder boy” Theo Epstein. Trouble in Beantown?

Bernie Williams filed for free agency on Friday. It’ll be sad to see him in a uniform other then Yankee pinstripes, but he hasn’t had a really good season since 2002, with 2005 being one of his worst ever. I could see him catching on with another American League team and possibly moving into a corner outfield/DH role. It’s hard to say whether he’ll make the Hall of Fame. 3,000 hits seems a little out of reach (he has just over 2,200). But this is a guy who from 1996 through 2002 was one of the best players in the game, with 1998 and 1999 being MVP caliber seasons. He was never given the credit he deserved by the sportswriters, as he never finished better then seventh in the MPV voting (1998, he was 11th in 1999).

And I touched on Manny earlier. Wouldn’t it be nice to see him in pinstripes. Maybe an outfield of Manny Ramirez in left, Matsui in center, and Shef in right. Not the best defensive triumvirate, but man would we put runs on the board.

October 26, 2005

Armageddon?

by @ 10:37 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Well, it looks like lightening is going to strike in the same place twice. Last year we have the perenial losers, the Boston Red Sox, end their “curse” by finally winning the World Series. This year, we have an equally pathetic franchise, the Chicago White Sox, looking set to win their first World Series since 1917. If the Cubs win next year, I think we should plan on the world ending sometime soon.

Looks like Brian Cashman is coming back, and he might get a little more power out of the deal. So now, he’ll be accountable if the Yankees can’t put it together next year.

I think the first order of business will be getting Hideki Matsui back in pin stripes. While Hideki was a lighter at the plate in 2005, he was a touch better in the field and his WARP3 of 8.2 is the best he’s ever had. He also cut way down on his strikeouts this year, even if his walk total dropped as well. BJ Ryan would make a nice replacement as a setup man if Gordon decides to go elsewhere.

So if the White Sox win tonight, I’m sure the price of gold will go up, and people will start stocking their long dormant shelters that they built in the 1960s (when the the democrats were in charge and they were needed).

And with the end of the season, comes the awards. A-Rod should take home the MVP. Randy Johnson might get some votes for Cy Young, but he probably won’t win it. Torre might get a vote or two for Manager of the Year, but Ozzie Guillen will probably walk away with that. He can put it next to his gold gloves and his “one of the worst hitters of all time” award.

October 18, 2005

Who’s to Blame??

by @ 1:02 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

For the fifth straight year, the Yankees did not win the World Series. While part of it can be written off as the “anything can happen in the playoffs argument” I think it might go a little deeper then that. So who’s to blame. Is it Brian Cashman? Joe Torre? Alex Rodriguez? Heck, this is hard to swallow, but is it George Steinbrenner?

It’s hard to blame George. He put one of the strongest teams out on the field, and they didn’t produce. Offseason pickups of Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano were major busts, and while George and his advisors have a say in everything that goes on, I lay the blame at the feet of the general manager.

Fortunately, it looks like that problem will go away. I doubt if Cashman is coming back, so the question will be, who is the next Yankees GM? Maybe it’s Lou Pinella (who would also replace Joe Torre on the field as manager), but I find it hard unlikely that Lou would yield to Steinbrenners’ controlling ways. Bowden, the Nationals’ GM, is probably a better fit. He made some bone head moves, but the Nationals improved dramatically last year.

October 11, 2005

Time to Think

by @ 8:51 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Alright, the Yanks are done. Yeah, I’m disappointed. When your expectations are to win the World Series each and every year, anything short of that is a downer.

There will be some changes heading into next year, namely Joe Torre and Brian Cashman will probably not be with the team. Some new blood might a good thing, so wait and see.

Even though the Yanks are done, I’m not. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the offseason and I’ll be continuing my World Series Retrospective series. I’ve also been talking to some other like minded bloggers, and we might do some group roundtables or something, so be sure to check back every week or so. I plan on posting at least twice per.

Regardless of what happens, we have the best owner a professional sports team has ever had. Mr. Steinbrenner gives us a chance to win the World Series every year, and I’m confident he’ll do the same for 2006.

October 10, 2005

Colon Says No Mas

by @ 9:00 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

One inning from Colon. Too bad. I would have much rather beaten him then given everyone out there who hates the Yankees and excuse. But, it is what it is. Yanks are up 2-0 with two outs in the second. Moose just has to give us some nice innings.

Elimination

by @ 4:46 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Game five in the ALDS is a little over three hours away. I’m not sure how I can be expected to work with this kind of anticipation.

Moose has to come up big, as do the bats. I expect big things from A-Rod in this game, like RBIs. He’s going to be the man of the hour.

October 9, 2005

Still Alive

by @ 11:16 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

The Yankees head back to Anaheim for Game Five in their ALDS. Some solid pitching by Shawn Chacon and Mariano Rivera allowed the Yanks to get back in the game. Derek Jeter’s ground ball fielders choice scored Jorge Posada on a close play at the plate. Someone has to tell Molina it only counts if you tag the guy with hand that has the ball. Someone also has to tell Robinson Cano that he has to slide on close plays at the plate. I almost had Jeremy Giambi flashbacks on that play.

It’s Moose vs. Bartolo Colon in game five. They haven’t announced a time yet, so I’ll be curious to see if they juggle their primetime lineup to show the Yanks move on, or if I’ll miss the game because I’m at work and it’s shown during the day.

Go Time

by @ 4:29 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Alright, it’s do or die time for the Yankees. After a rain out yesterday. MLB.com is saying John Lackey and Yahoo is saying Jarod Washburn. Whoever it is, we need to rock them early. Shawn Chacon is throwing for the Yanks, and he’s been solid.

Time to get the job done. I want to see another Yankees game tomorrow.

October 6, 2005

Tony Graffanino

by @ 10:10 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Give the guy a break. Do you know how hard it is to field a ground ball when you have your two hands wrapped around your throat??

I feel for Boomer too. He’s a Yankees through and through even though he took this one year to go over to the dark side. He’s a great big game pitcher and got the Red Sox out of a jam in the fifth….ooops, maybe not. While he did an admirable job at replacing Pedro, not even he can overcome the black hole like sucking sucking ability of the Boston Red Sox. The only thing that would have made it funnier is if Wells started pummelling Gaffy in the dugout. Then I guess he wouldn’t have gotten that double to “redeem” himself.

Even Steven

by @ 6:37 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Not a good game last night. You’re not going to win many games when you make three errors.

Randy Johnson throws against Paul Byrd at Yankee Stadium tomorrow. I think we should wrap this up at home, so I’m planning on celebrating this Saturday.

October 5, 2005

No Surprises

by @ 6:34 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Someone wrote me asking if I’d do playoff predictions. I’d do that, but frankly predicting the other series is irrelevant. Then Yankees won their first of eleven games that they need to win another World Series. While I’d like to see them win those eleven games in succession, they might lost a game or two, so repeating “Yankees sweep series” in a prediction column wouldn’t provide much value to anyone. So in short…

Yankees Win
Nothing Else Matters

The Angels threw their best at us in their home stadium, but the Yankees still prevailed. Robinson Cano got things started in the first inning with a bases loaded three run double. Jason Giambi drove in two with his double in the second and the game was effectively over. Mike Mussina threw 5 2/3 shutout innings as he took advantage of the run support. The only worry was the Angels got to Rivera in the ninth. Fortunately, it didn’t matter.

Game two is tonight at 10 pm. Yankees win, nothing else matters.

October 2, 2005

Baseball’s Savior

by @ 9:36 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

The question I’m asked most about my new site is, “What does the name mean?” Plain and simple, the New York Yankees, along with George Steinbrenner, are baseball’s savior. The league would not exist the way it does now if it weren’t for the Yankees. Let’s look at the numbers…..

First, George Steinbrenner gives away more money in revenue sharing and the luxury tax then any other team in the league. It’s not even close. That number is set to be close to $100 million this year. That’s more then most team’s payrolls and most of it goes to the so called “poor teams.” I know the luxury tax goes into the league’s coffers, but it’s the owners money to play with and you know Bud’s into helping out the little guys. Where would the Royals be if it weren’t for the paycheck they get from King George.

Second, the Yankees make the rest of the team’s money. A lot of money. They’ve led the league in road attendance from from 2002 through 2004. In addition, every team requests to have the Yankees come to their stadium. A lot of people would point to this year as a decline because they finished a close second to the Red Sox, but the only reason that happens is because we’re forced to play 10 games in the world’s largest kitty litter box (Fenway Park) that holds around 35k, while the Red Sox benefit from playing in Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees broke the American League record for attendance this year. So those 10 games in the shit box, whether they sell out or not, lowers their average attendance on the road.

Take the Yankees out of the equation, and you have something akin to a very popular International League or Pacific Coast League. Despite the fact that everyone hates the Yankees, everyone knows that the Yankees are needed.

And since we’re on the subject of the Red Sox, it’s interesting that they squeaked into the playoffs. It took a bigger choke job (Indians) to get them in, but they’ll be there. They say if you put an infinite number of monkeys into a room with an infinite number of typewriters, one of them by accident will produce something Shakespearian. The same can be said for the 2004 Boston Red Sox. A loser franchise finally beat all the odds and did it. Unfortunately for them, their luck has run out. The Red Sox will get squashed in 2005 and this year, they won’t be able to hide behind some stupid curse.

October 1, 2005

New York Yankees Clinch American League East for Eighth Straight Year

by @ 9:14 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Tomorrow’s game doesn’t mean a hill of beans, at least to the Yankees. This is due in large part to the Indians current choke job. If the Red Sox win, they get the Wild Card. If we win tomorrow and the Indians win, then the Red Sox and Indians go to a one game playoff for the wildcard.

Gary Sheffield is the man. He got things going with a huge two run homer in the first inning. In addition, he made at least two great catches (those were the ones I saw, I didn’t see the whole game) out in rightfield. Not bad for someone with a lame leg.

Until the wildcard is sorted out, we won’t even know who our division series opponent is. At this point, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Red Sox getting knocked out and going against the Indians.

Boston Wins Game One

by @ 10:06 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Round one goes to the Red Sox. From the very beginning, I had little confidence in Wang. We really blew an opportunity in the first inning though. Bases loaded and nobody out and we only managed one run. David Wells thrives on getting out of jams like that, and he settled down and took care of business. Unfortunately.

The good news is, the Indians lost, so we’re still a game ahead of them. The machinations of this three team race are pretty interesting.

Game two is this afternoon on Fox. I’ll be flipping between innings to the UM/MSU game. I’m a State grad (which is why I’m a Yankees fan in Michigan). Go State.

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