No Crying In Baseball

It was inevitable, a Yankee no Post Season year for Derek Jeter. It is amazing how many Yankee broadcasters and fans feel it is an inalienable right of Fall for the Yankees to play October baseball. The season is no officially over and the blaming has begun; but yet among the blaming their are still cries of the Yankkes are hanfinig in their for the Wild Card.

Teams are just that teams. The Yankees have no individual to blame for this failure, it is a team failure. Fault cannot be fixed on the manager, the coaches or any one player. The Yankees on paper in March looked great, but paper was starting to be shredded before April ended.

The Yankees of 1996 were a young team with some veteran players. They had an astute manager with great help. Joe Torre, Mel Stollemyre, Don Zimmer, Jose Cardenal, Chris Chambliss, Tony Cloninger and Willie Randolph.

The team had a balance of youthful energy and veteran talent, pitching and batting.

Compare these stats and draw your own conclusions:

This clearly shows the Yankees don't have pitching and don;t have the hitting required for Post Season. Home runs don't put World Series Trophies in the case, unless you have men on base when the ball goes out.

My Red Soxs friends think I am pronouncing the Yankees dead too early. I don't think they have any magic tricks. However given the Yankees lackluster performance in the the last five preseason, maybe this is the kick in the butt they need. They will wake up tot the reality they don't go to the playoffs by divine right, they get through through consistently playing great baseball.

Nine Days of Other Teams

I have just returned from 4 days in Red Sox Nation. This was preceded by 2 days in Chicago and 3 days in Milwaukee. Chicago was a side trip due to the Nor'easter that shut down Newark Airport, preventing me from getting home.

I got a chance to watch the Brewers on local TV while in Milwaukee. The Brewers have the stuff to make a run at the Chicago Cubs, they are now only 4.5 games back. More than that they have the player talent that could assure a post season appearance by the Brewers in the Fall Classic.

Right now I see the the following teams representing the NL in October, The Cubs, the Brewers, Diamondbacks and possibly the Mets. The Mets are not a sure thing. Philadelphia still lurks in the curtains. For the Mets they need to stay one step in front of the Phillies in the home streak.

Chicago is clearly the land of the Cubs. My seven hours of waiting around O'Hare for my flight to be allowed to leave taught me that the White Soxs are just that other team. The success and domination of the Cubs in the NL Central has been like a shot of Adrenalin for the long suffering Cubs fans. They are counting on this Presidential Election year, in which a man from Chicago is on the slate as the a sign of hope. They remember how the Red Soxs upset the Yankees in the last Presidential election year. They consider 2008 their chance to erase the curse of the Billy Goat.

I spent Tuesday through Friday outside of Boston. There is no Yankee baseball in Boston unless you have access to the YES Channel in your room. I don't . To ask for the Yankee channel, even if they are playing Boston is grounds for ejection or a beating, maybe both. I quietly chose to watch the Red Soxs. And I am am concerned.

I am not concerned about the Red Soxs, I am concerned about the New York Yankees. The Yankees are 9.5 game back in 3rd place in the AL East. To make the playoffs, they need to win at least 32 games. I just don't see it happening. The Red Soxs are posed to take the Wildcard and worse yet, the Tampa Bay Rays mostly likely have the AL East sewn up; unless they collapse like the Mets did last year. Frankly I don't see that happening.

This may be the first year in his time with the Yankees, that Derek Jeter does not earn playoff bonus money. Clearly he will be a spectator and not a participant this year in October. September 21 will truly be the last game at Old Yankee Stadium.

This week the NYY Yankees also announced the Opening Day 2009 will be April 16 against the Cleveland Indians. The chose being made due tot eh fanfare that will surround the opening of the new digs. No one wants a postponement due to snow. Rain however is another issue. With all the money spent on the new digs, no roof was built. I would optioned for a roof, for those early and late season games and those foul weather days in summer when thunderstorms delay the start of games.

How to Get the MoJo Back - Old Timers!

There is nothing more mystic then the gathering of the the retired New York Yankees on Old Timer's Day. This year the Yankees went all out. Just about everyone still alive and breathing made it back. Noticeable absent, was Rick Cerone and Jim Leyritz. Also absent was Jim Kaat, who considering the litany of ex-Yankees who appeared, was most likely invited. Kaat however lost his wife, Maryann on July 22 to bladder cancer, 10 days after Bobby Murcer, an Old Timer's day fixture passed away from brain cancer.

In absent of some the greatest deceased Yankees heroes, their widows were presented.. Representing their husbands were Mrs. Elston Howard, Mrs. Billy Martin, Mrs. Thurmon Munson, Mrs. Jim Hunter and Mrs Phil Rizzuto.

Given their lackluster playing of late, the active Bombers went on to beat the Angels 8-2. Moose put on a great pitching performance, and although his count was low. He left after 7 full inning leaving Yankee relievers Jose Veras and Brian Bruney to finish.

My friend Mike came with me, we also give Mike some Mojo. Mike (NY Yankee Update) has a lousy track record at Yankee games. He was until Saturday 0-8. We cured that with a visit to Monument Park, Mike's first. Mike pasi tribute to the greats, including Billy Martin. That ended Mike's curse.