It's true what they've been saying.
For a decade now, fans have been showering the visiting Yankees with the same seranade:
It's come true.
We're about a third of the way into the season, and one must be mindful that the Yankees are "only" six back of the Orioles (whom we are told will soon fizzle because of weak pitching...just as we were told the Yankees would win 98 games this season because of their great pitching), and three behind the Red Sox, whose own pitching woes have fortunately kept them from running away with this.
Nevertheless, this is a Yankees team that simply can't find ways to win games, and it's not something we fair-weather fans are used to. What is so baffling though, is why the Yankees are behaving in such a complacent fashion. In a conference call with Steinbrenner the other day, manager Joe Torre and GM Brian Cashman told The Boss they had the players they needed, they just need the players to play better. A line that sounded ominously similar to statements coming out of the Pentagon with regard to troop levels in Iraq. With a $200 million payroll, you'd think they've got the horses to run, but even then, the manager and GM can't be afraid to make changes. And, for whatever reason, they seem afraid to make the changes they need to make. Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang have been the best thing about this team since they were promoted from AAA. Why that hasn't inspired Yankees management, I don't understand.
Tony Womack "gives the team a different look," Torre is fond of saying. Meaning, he's the first professional base stealer the Yankees have had for a long time. Trouble is, he doesn't get on base. He has a .296 OBP, and a Slugging Percentage that is actually lower than his OBP; no easy feat. For a second baseman, he's not much of an offensive threat. For a left fielder, he's god awful. Bernie Williams needs to be in the lineup every day. The fact that he's giving up at bats so that Womack can play left every day is simply insane. Bubba Crosby can give the Yankees late inning defense and a running attack. He should be given another chance.
The experiment that is Jason Giambi must end. Yesterday, the Twins pitcher threw a 95 mile an hour fastball right over the middle of the plate. Giambi popped it up weakly. Giambi used to be a fastball hitter. He can't catch up to them anymore. The Yankees either care more about winning or they care more about not being embarassed by the $81 million they owe a not-playing Giambi. His at bats come at the expense of Bernie Williams. That, too, is insane. I am not one of those who think that Giambi has been a disaster from day one. Those that do seem to forget the two HRs he hit in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. But I haven't seen anyone fall off the ledge of ability so quickly. Whether getting off the steroid train killed his confidence or what, the guy lost something over the past two seasons, I think we've seen enough to know it ain't coming back.*
Some day, Jared Wright will come off the disabled list. It is bad enough that Torre has to appease his veteran (otherwise known as "old") pitching staff to sit Wang so that the other starters can get their regular rest. There's been talk of sending him to the bullpen or even back to Columbus once Wright comes back. That is, yes, insane.
Complacency, and a tendency to trust veterans -- regardless of their respective lack of success -- over "youth," is going to keep the Yankees from beating teams like the Twins...or maybe even the Brewers, whom the Yankees face starting tonight in the latest horror show known as "Interleague Play."
And that's my June 6, 2005 "Yankees suck" rant.
*UPDATE: Giambi had a couple of hits last night in yet another losing effort. In fact, Giambi quietly hit .317 in the month of May. But he's still not hitting for power and his swing appears late. I'll await judgment on the "experiment," but I can admit it if I'm wrong; it would be great for the Yankees if I am.
UPDATE 2: Corrected year of Giambi's two homerun game in the ALCS. It was 2003, not , 2004.
Yankees suck.
It's come true.
We're about a third of the way into the season, and one must be mindful that the Yankees are "only" six back of the Orioles (whom we are told will soon fizzle because of weak pitching...just as we were told the Yankees would win 98 games this season because of their great pitching), and three behind the Red Sox, whose own pitching woes have fortunately kept them from running away with this.
Nevertheless, this is a Yankees team that simply can't find ways to win games, and it's not something we fair-weather fans are used to. What is so baffling though, is why the Yankees are behaving in such a complacent fashion. In a conference call with Steinbrenner the other day, manager Joe Torre and GM Brian Cashman told The Boss they had the players they needed, they just need the players to play better. A line that sounded ominously similar to statements coming out of the Pentagon with regard to troop levels in Iraq. With a $200 million payroll, you'd think they've got the horses to run, but even then, the manager and GM can't be afraid to make changes. And, for whatever reason, they seem afraid to make the changes they need to make. Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang have been the best thing about this team since they were promoted from AAA. Why that hasn't inspired Yankees management, I don't understand.
Tony Womack "gives the team a different look," Torre is fond of saying. Meaning, he's the first professional base stealer the Yankees have had for a long time. Trouble is, he doesn't get on base. He has a .296 OBP, and a Slugging Percentage that is actually lower than his OBP; no easy feat. For a second baseman, he's not much of an offensive threat. For a left fielder, he's god awful. Bernie Williams needs to be in the lineup every day. The fact that he's giving up at bats so that Womack can play left every day is simply insane. Bubba Crosby can give the Yankees late inning defense and a running attack. He should be given another chance.
The experiment that is Jason Giambi must end. Yesterday, the Twins pitcher threw a 95 mile an hour fastball right over the middle of the plate. Giambi popped it up weakly. Giambi used to be a fastball hitter. He can't catch up to them anymore. The Yankees either care more about winning or they care more about not being embarassed by the $81 million they owe a not-playing Giambi. His at bats come at the expense of Bernie Williams. That, too, is insane. I am not one of those who think that Giambi has been a disaster from day one. Those that do seem to forget the two HRs he hit in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. But I haven't seen anyone fall off the ledge of ability so quickly. Whether getting off the steroid train killed his confidence or what, the guy lost something over the past two seasons, I think we've seen enough to know it ain't coming back.*
Some day, Jared Wright will come off the disabled list. It is bad enough that Torre has to appease his veteran (otherwise known as "old") pitching staff to sit Wang so that the other starters can get their regular rest. There's been talk of sending him to the bullpen or even back to Columbus once Wright comes back. That is, yes, insane.
Complacency, and a tendency to trust veterans -- regardless of their respective lack of success -- over "youth," is going to keep the Yankees from beating teams like the Twins...or maybe even the Brewers, whom the Yankees face starting tonight in the latest horror show known as "Interleague Play."
And that's my June 6, 2005 "Yankees suck" rant.
*UPDATE: Giambi had a couple of hits last night in yet another losing effort. In fact, Giambi quietly hit .317 in the month of May. But he's still not hitting for power and his swing appears late. I'll await judgment on the "experiment," but I can admit it if I'm wrong; it would be great for the Yankees if I am.
UPDATE 2: Corrected year of Giambi's two homerun game in the ALCS. It was 2003, not , 2004.
posted by John at 3:37 PM
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