This is going to be short, because I am drained. Utterly, utterly drained and spent. This must be how guys who work with the bomb squad feel -- if they had to watch their co-workers dismantle eight rapidly ticking devices in one night. My adrenal glands are shriveled prunes ready to fall off my kidneys and get lost somewhere in my duodenum with that Canadian nickel I swallowed in third grade and a paper clip or two. My synapses are frayed and sizzling, hissing and releasing steam after a busy five days of blasting dopamine through my body. My liver could use some down time, too. So I shall sum up:
The Cleveland Indians have just sent the New York Yankees off into a long, cold winter of angst and recriminations. It is ... so delicious.
8 comments:
Flop -
Indeed it is delicious. As a Yanks fan, please let me congratulate you on a job well done and thank you for once again proving that the Yankees' model of team-building is horribly flawed.
I have had a hard time liking any of the teams the Yankees have fielded since about 2004. The A-Rod acquisition was the high-water mark of the franchise. What it represented to me was the willingness to part with good young talent to acquire underperforming expensive talent.
Fonsie Soriano was just the kind of player the franchise should have been keeping. An eminently coachable (lead the AL in SO his first year; lead the AL in walks the next year) player who had good offensive production and was very talented defensively was a great building block for the Yankees post Jeter (yes - that day is coming, folks). This all made sense, doubtlessly, to bring in the best SS in the game and force him to play out of position. Frankly, if Jeter were truly Mr. Yankee, he would have been playing out of position, not A-Rod. Either the organization was too chickensh!t to force that or Jeter was noo stubborn to allow it.
But of course, that whole affair was just the tip of the iceberg.
In subsequent years, the pattern has been repeated numerous times with the personnel decisions made by the Yanks' front office. Perhaps now they will realize that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is simply insane and no longer do the following:
- Bring in players well past their prime (Clemens - I'm looking at you)
- Bring in toxic players who have great output, figuring that they can tame them (Sheff - that one's for you)
- Ignore the importance of durable (read: young) pitchers
- Take the fun out of the players (Damon is so much less fun than he was as a Red Sox guy)
- Force great players to play out of position (sometimes a lesser player in his comfort zone is better than a great player out of his comfort zone)
- Expect Torre to take the sum of these motley parts and expect him to make a team of them.
Through this all, I probably feel the worst for Jorge Posada. He's the kind of guy they need more of - and less A-Rod or Jeter. Alas, he cast his lot with Stein and got what he deserved.
As a fan of both the Pirates and the Yanks, it surprises many to hear that I am more frustrated with the Yankees than with the Pirates, who - as long as I have been licensed to drive - have not had a winning season. I am 31.
As it is, the Pirates are like the child who is a C student, but has certain aptitudes in art or sports and is generally liked at school. You know the kid will be OK and will survive on people skills despite never getting out in the world and making a huge splash.
The Yankees are like the kid with the 150 IQ who pulls steady Bs and B-s. For whatever reason, the kid always seems to get hung up by some bugaboo and the brute force numbers on the kid never translate to performance. You know the kid could do well if he stopped goofing around and antagonizing teachers, but you know he will never change and the talent will all go to rot.
So, for me, this (latest in a long string of) early playoff departures represents a kernel of hope that, maybe - just maybe, the Yankees will look back on the past 5 years and realize that maybe a new strategy is in order.
Of course, like the Pirates, if the Yankees are happy with the money that is rolling in despite the issues on the field, I know a damn thing won't change.
WOW! Tribe wins. Yanks, Sea-son OVER *clap-clap* *clap-clap clap*!
I'm tired of hearing about how the Yankees lost this series. They were beaten period. They came screaming into the playoffs and ran into a brick wall. Out pitched, out hit, out hustled, out played... have fun bitching until April.
Pirates and Yankees? Are you a Ravens and Steelers fan, too?
also, Flop and Crunk are no longer welcome to view Indians games in person until after 11/02/2007.
No - but I am a Michigan fan and a Penn State fan/alum.
I hate the Ravens more than anything else - hate Modell, hate their unis, hate their 'tude and hate that they deprived me of three years worth of Steelers/Browns games.
I hope there is a special place in hell for Art Modell.
Yes, yes, so of course the one game the Indians lost this series was the one game that Flop and I attended, but I still claim we were not the problem. Trot Nixon was. Now let's just hope Wedge can avoid talking himself into something idiotic like, "Well, Trot DOES have a lot of experience playing at Fenway..."
The Red Sox fans are into a rude awakening. It seems they have been misunderstanding some things. For one thing, just because people hate the Red Sox marginally less than the Yankees, doesn't mean they are loved.
I don't mean to "beat up" on the sane yankees fan. I really meant no harm in it and my comments was not directed at cock d.
Cock d, Your analysis of what is wrong with the Yankees is spot on. I am more tired of the media hype around this whole series as if it were served to the yanks on a silver platter and they failed to take it. The Indians are a good team (best in MLB with 96 wins let's not forget) and in no way was this a "gimmie" series for the yankees. That's all I am saying.
So, seriously, no offense I'm just happy that the Tribe won. And I'm a little amped from what Flop told of game 3 and the utter rudeness they encountered. Considering I was nothing but nice to the NY fans at the Jake during game 2 and actually had a nice conversation with the 2 sitting behind me.
As for Art Modell... agreed. He ruined Cleveland football, just look at the pathetic attempt of a football team we've had since. Hopefully, things turn around and we can have a good Steeler/Browns game at some point during our lifetime.
Crunk, I stand by my earlier comment. I seem to remember you attending Nationals/Indians games and let's not forget the most recent game which you and I attended together... another possible clinching game for the Tribe. In fact, my post/season record is 9-1 this year *ahem* CRUNK!
See you in the ALCS! I'm a little scared. Not in the running scared shitting my pants sort of way, though. More like, feeling apprehensive about which Red Sox team will show up - the Postseason team or the second-half team.
I'm looking forward to your Frank TV viewing party, by the way.
Does anybody else read Peter King? He keeps talking about how great he thinks Frank TV looks!
On one hand, you've got this guy, saying he thinks it's great. On the other hand, you've got people like us...people who will watch Frank TV as emblematic of our being willing to do anything, no matter how distasteful, to get our beloved Fighting Braves of the Cuyahoga to win...
Frank TV - I think the over/under on that show is about 2.5 weeks. Seriously, doing impressions is about the lowest form of comedy/entertainment out there, narrowly edging out pupptry. (Insert "Being John Malkovich" Joke Here) and what makes a great gag on Stern or O&A doesnt necessarily translate to TV.
Gotta hand it to the network, though; they are pimping that show as if Frank has incriminating pictures of every exec.
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