Say It Ain't So Joe!

Joe Torre reportedly to manage......the DOGDERS????

My predictions: Arod to follow.

Joe Girardi, Manager of the NY Yankees

The Yanks have made Girardi the offer. Of course he's going to accept it!

WE ARE BETRAYED

A-Rod has opted out. No surprise, and, in the end, good riddance. I won't say that the Yankees failed the past three years because of A-Rod--that would be ridiculous--but I look forward to returning to the winning formula of the Dynasty years.

2008 should be looked at as a rebuilding year. Next season, around this time, we can unload Giambi and Mussina as well, sign Santana, and be ready to begin again.

Who will lead us?

Buster Olney sums it up for me. I'm a Girardi guy. I think he's got a lot of Joe in him but will also be a great field manager. I have no such confidence in Mattingly.

I also have a general distaste for Mattingly's role in this process, and I'm not saying it's reasonable. But I wonder who he is, thinking he could replace Joe Torre and manage this team with no experience. I don't like it.

Rudy Giuliani is a moron

Rudy Giuliani has declared his support for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. People, we live in the age of nihilism.

Torre Fires The Yanks!

Torre rejected a one-year deal with a base salary of $5 million with a chance to earn incentives up to $8 million ($1 million for each round of playoffs reached).

I honestly can't say I'm surprised. Sometimes when you talk about dumping a girl to the whole world, the girl decides to drop you first. But the Yankees made a pretty fair offer, I think. Was Torre waiting to turn them down all along? Very interesting stuff.

One thing is clear, an era in Yankees history has ended.

Tea Leaves

Did Cashman tip his hand with the statement about negotiations in this article?

If you get a chance, listen to the radio interview at espn.com. It's fascinating. One thing he was unequivocal about: If A-Rod opts out, they will not pursue him and his Yankees days are done. I don't think I've ever heard a more unequivocal statement out of a general manager.

Dissention?

The silence out of Tampa today and word that no decision has been made can only mean a genuine brawl is happening down there. I have no idea what is going to happen, though I think it will happen tomorrow.

Long live Joe Torre.

If Not Torre Then Mattingly?

After reading the rumors, rants, and opinions it seems there are 3 people up for the managers job. Torre is gone as the everyone not in position to make a decision says.

Don Mattingly - He's been groomed for the job since he became a coach. He's got to know that he could win the World Series but can he take being booed?

Joe Girardi - He took a year off since being manager of the year NL. He would be a good choice but would Mattingly, the likely successor now or later, wait 5 years? For Girardi, it's now or never.

Tony LaRussa - I don't see this happening. He may leave St. Louis because of a new GM but I don't see him fitting in at all.

Torre - He's been through the fires for a few years now. He can't be blamed for everything but does share some responsibility in the teams results the past few years.

So does he stay or does he go? I think this off season will tell a lot about the direction the team will go into the new stadium. Who leads them? Who does the leader lead?

Go (F&@k Yourself,) Cleveland! [UPDATED]

They played a great series-- pitching, hitting with RISP and one helluva bullpen.

The Yanks, on the other hand, were awful. The better team won.

UPDATED: I took that racist Cleveland symbol down. In its place, I have posted a picture of someone we should all appreciate from the "good old days"-- Ramiro Mendoza. He's a symbol of what was once good and pure about the NY Yankees. Vaya don Dios, Ramiro.

Wang It Is

I think Torre is making the right move going with Wang tomorrow. Should we force Game 5, Andy will be on full rest and I would prefer he start that game anyway. So it comes down to whether Wang on three days rest is better than Mussina on full rest. I think the answer is yes, and Torre can do with Mussina what he did with Hughes today, keeping Wang on a short leash should he struggle early.

It is unfortunate that Joba is out of service tomorrow, though Mo had an efficient enough ninth that he should be available for two, should we need him. But we are going to have to get something out of Vizcaino tomorrow.

I am surprised that the Indians are going with Paul Byrd, when they are in much the same situation and have a game to give. They have Carmona on full rest on Wednesday, should it be necessary. But for tomorrow, is Byrd on full rest better than C.C. on short rest? I think it's a mistake, especially considering that Byrd is very much the same pitcher Westbrook is. If the Yankees take the same approach, and our lefties push the sinker to the opposite field, we should have great success. Opposing batter average against Paul Byrd this season: .301. I would not be surprised to see Wedge change his mind tomorrow. This just seems like an excellent match-up for us.

Steinbrenner to Torre: "Win or you're out."

Well friends, what we all knew to be true has been confirmed by the Boss. Joe Torre must win this series or his days as a Yankee are over.

Check it out.

The best thing about a five game series...

...is that you're always only one win from being back in it.

This series isn't over. If we demolish Byrd or Westbrook on Sunday, we are back in this series.

The game tonight, although heart-breaking, was exactly why I love baseball. Every pitch was exciting. And the bugs!? My word, they will be talking about that twenty years from now.

As Roy Hobbs said at his most vulnerable moment, God I love baseball.

We can win three in a row.

Go Yanks. Go A-Rod.

-Steiner

A-Rod

I think it is more obvious this year than in recent years that the Yankees are going to have to score serious runs to win the American League. Our pitching is probably the weakest of the playoff teams. We have no Sabathia, Carmona, Beckett or Lackey (though, yes, Lackey got murdered). Wang and Andy had very mediocre Septembers and after them...yikes. The bullpen is Joba and Rivera and...shiitake mushrooms.

Which brings me to the title of this post. A-Rod must shine. He must shine like a child without courage like a night without stars. It is time for him to kick Jeter to the curb and make the Yankees his team. And if he doesn't, we're not going to win. It's that simple. A-Rod hits, or this team dies.

Go Yanks. Go A-Rod.

-Steiner

Playoffs on TBS? 6:00 and 5:00 pm starts?

Watching the one game playoff on TBS last night was like watching paint dry. It was like watching a playoff game from 1975. I honestly would have preferred McCarver and Buck. The announcers were no-names and boring and the picture/camera work was far below Fox and ESPN quality.

Also, I'll still be at work when our Division Series games start. What's with these dinner time games?