Problems With The Yankees--Can They Overcome?????

New York Post | 10/24/03

[WestCoastGal]

Excerpt from NY Post article with what really seems to be an accurate description of the problems.***

Aside from Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams, no Yankees are hitting, and Jeter and Williams are human icepacks after the games, dealing with aches, but playing through them. Aaron Boone is lost on both sides of the ball, but Torre left him in the lineup thinking the Yanks would need his defense with a lefty, Wells, starting. Of course, Boone was involved in a botched rundown that led to two unearned Marlin runs in the fifth.

So with Boone in, Soriano was out, Torre having grown too disenchanted by a flailing, no-clue approach (26 strikeouts in 68 postseason at-bats). That Torre was thinking of using Enrique Wilson at two different positions at this late date spoke to the pathetic state of his offense.

Things got worse. Torre said Giambi was limping around batting practice and "hemmed and hawed" when asked if he could play. Should Giambi get points for conceding what Pedro Martinez did not in ALCS Game 7, that he would hurt the team if he kept playing, or should he be penalized for even letting there be a conversation? Torre said it was his decision, but Giambi did nothing to dissuade him.

One Yankee official defended Giambi, saying the slugger is a gamer who always wants to play. But one member of the organization said there was a general disbelief that Giambi - with a maximum of three games left in the season - would not drag himself onto the field.

After all, Paul O'Neill - Steinbrenner's favorite "warrior" - played the 1996 World Series with a torn hamstring and Jeter played two rounds in 2001 debilitated after tumbling onto his back into the crowd to make a catch in the Division Series. Jeter is likely facing thumb and shoulder surgery after this postseason, and will not even acknowledge pain. Giambi linked himself to his father's idol, Mickey Mantle, at his Yankee introductory press conference. But Mantle was known for playing in anguish, gutting through the 1961 World Series with blood staining his uniform from an abscessed hip.

Nick Johnson played well in Giambi's absence, making two first-inning plays Giambi probably would not have to help Wells go 1-2-3. But Wells, who had bragged the day before about how he has persevered without being a conditioning fiend like Roger Clemens, could not go further do to spasming in his surgically repaired back. He said he would not push his health, although he now has an offseason to rest. Jose Contreras and Chris Hammond combined to give up six runs over the next four innings.

So aside from bad bullpen, bad offense, bad fielding, bad health and - possibly - too many bad characters, the Yanks have no problems at all as they head home trying to save the season.

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[TommyDale]

It's certainly not over, but if the Yankees lose -- what will be their excuse? Of course, it's NEVER that the other team actually was BETTER!

[ken5050]

Actually...since the preseason..the bullpen has been a problem...it finally caught up with them...and Wells..well, let's say he won't be back next year...

[RightWhale]

Some of us former baseball fans would consider another Yankee dry spell a good thing for baseball. The last one began with a 6 game series with the Red Sox which the Yankees lost 11-2 or so each game. I was at Fenway for one of the games, and it was with cold detachment I watched the Yankees unable to pitch well, to hit well, fielding was okay. It was several years before the Yankees could get back into the groove.

[PokeyJoe]

Go RANGERS! =)

[Steve_Seattle]

If this series follows the form of the rest of the post-season, the Marlin's champagne will get warm as the Yankees stage a three-run 9th-inning comeback in game six and win the series in game seven, 2-1, on a walk-off homer by Jorge Posada in the 9th inning.

[ken5050]

FYI..reports in yesterday's NY Post suggest that Vlad Guerrero will allow the Yankees to throw bundles of cash at him in the off-season....

me, I can't wait till they lose Sat night...the eruption from Steinbrenner will be wondrous to behold..

[Emile]

Usually, I just root against the Yankees because I don't like their arrogance and attempts to buy championships every year. Now, there's another reason to do so. If they lose the Series, it will be high entertainment (a lot more entertaining than the 9 Democrat dwarves, for instance) to see how Boss Steinbrenner reacts to it.

The idiot will probably get rid of Torre and the whole coaching staff. Isn't that always the solution in Yankee-land -- fire the manager? It couldn't possibly be these wonderful players the Boss is paying almost $200 million a year for that are the problem, could it?

[Mr. Bird]

I think the column is a little harsh on Giambi. Not having a DH in the NL park puts Torre in a very tough position. They concede that Johnson is the better fielder. With Giambi's knee problems, it's a no-brainer.

That said, I hope to see a slaughtered and dying Yankee team on Saturday night.

[Billthedrill]

Oh, I would think so. Most of the cream of the West Point classes opted for the Confederacy, but I think that the difference in industrial capacities will, once production ramps up, make the preponderance of material available to the Union a deciding factor, assuming the blockade holds and there is no European interv...

Oh, those Yankees. Never mind.

[misterrob]

You know, in spite of it all the naysaying here, the Yanks have lost three games by a total of 4 runs, one game in extra innings. They always manage to make a late game charge and you can never seem to count the team out. Giambi didn't belong on the field last night, period. He did, however, smack a homerun late in the game. This is where you see the difference of AL vs NL ball where players can get away with injuries that they cannot do in the NL. Johnson had a good game and probably saved them a run or two due to his defense. Jeter, Williams and Matsui have all had a monster series and the starting pitching has been pretty good. The bullpen has been so-so. Nelson has pitched well and Rivera has been his normal nasty self but Contreras has been inconsistant. And let's not forget, the Marlins pen is pretty scary when the game is on the line.

Marlins defense has been better, their line up has spread out the hits in the order and the starting pitching of Penny, Beckett and Pavano has been just a little better than Clemens, Petit and Musina. Plus, that huge stadium has kept a few Yankee fly balls in the park.

[Andonius_99]

Believe it or not, we have a bet going here at work that they're purposely losing these games in Florida to get it back to NY for games 6 and 7. Reason being: look at the cash that games 6 and 7 would put in peoples' pockets; mega tonnage of cash. Look at the evidence: 1. Why in the world would you EVER pitch Weaver after the way he pitched this entire season? 2. Look at the cash the ALCS brought in (Yanks-Redsox...no better ticket anywhere). I bet if the Cubs won the NLDS, the Bo'sox would be in the WS because even non-baseball fans would watch just because of the "tragic" histories of these two teams. I could go on, but I have to work. Either way, keep an eye on the WS, dollars to donuts I bet the Yankees "miraculously" win the next two, with Game 7 possibly going into exra innings.

[misterrob]

oh yeah, and I am a red Sox fan....

So how's that for fair and balanced?

[Tall_Texan]

The problem with the Yankees, primarily, is that they are old. The starting rotation is ready for Medicare (two 40-year-olds) and they really have only two regulars who can remember what it was like to be in AAA. The bullpen is not as strong as it used to be and their foreign imports are not the worldbeaters they were billed as (although I think Matsui is adapting and will be darned good).

The young nucleus of their recent dominance (Jeter, Williams, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera) are now showing the wear of too many postseasons and too many games. In some ways, I'm amazed this team even got this far.

Like another poster, I'd rather see the Yankees lose because I like underdogs and you can't get more underdog than a team with about 1/3rd the payroll of Steinbrenner's Yanks. Plus, it's fun and newsworthy to watch Steinbrenner overreact and spend another $50 million overhauling his machine.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I like underdogs."

I don't have a lot of affection for Florida in that role. They already have a world championship under their belt despite their short history. I never thought their fans paid their dues of endless losing (either always losing the World Series, or never getting there, or getting there only every 50 years) the way fans of other teams have - the Red Sox, White Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Mariners.

[stainlessbanner]

LOL!

[WestCoastGal]

"The young nucleus of their recent dominance *(Jeter, Williams, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera) are now showing the wear of too many postseasons and too many games. In some ways, I'm amazed this team even got this far."

If I were GS I would fire the rest and use that money to get these guys * (plus Mussina) healthy and then go after new players for the rest of the team.

[Reagan Man]

The Yankees are in a world of hurt.

David Wells back problems came back to haunt Joe Torre and the Yanks last night and without a better fifth starter then Jeff Weaver, the Yanks are stuck with over using first year major leaguer Jose Contreras.

The trio of Garcia-Rivera-Deluchi, who have replaced the ill tempered Raul Mondesi, are no replacement for a true warrior like Paul O'Neill.

From a serious eye infection, to a damaged left knee, Jason Giambi has played injured all year long and it showed in his average. A miserable .250!

Opposing pitchers in the post season have taken advantage of Alfonso Soriano's terrible batting mechcanics. This has hurt the Yanks. Without Soriano a serious threat at the top of the batting order, it takes away a big weapon for Torre to count on. Soriano needs some serious help on his batting and bringing in hitting coach Don Mattingly next spring would be a wise move.

Aaron Boone picked a bad time to lose his concentration on the game. Right now, Boone can't hit and he can't field. Nuff said.

The Yanks are in a world of hurt.

But they control their own destiny.

If the Yanks can win on Saturday night, then one game stands between them and their 27TH MLB championship. Andy Pettite and Mike Mussina need to be at the top of their game for games 6 & 7.

[misterrob]

This is a team that needs to be rebuilt. They have 6 guys making $10 plus who really do produce then another 13 guys who average $5 million a year. Some like Posada, Clemans and Matsui really produce but another 7 or 8 of those 13 are either injured or don't do much. They also are carrying another dozen or so guys like Nick Johnson, Karim Garcia and Enrique Wilson that you might expect to find on any major league roster. Guys who fill rolls but are not going to win you 100 games a year. The team is loaded with guys in their 30's and while Jeter is 29, key guys like Williams are 35, Matsui, Giambi and Posada are 32, Rivera 33 and Musina will be 35 in 2 months. Yes, they still have some years left in them but outside or Soriano, where is the future of this team?

[misterrob]

should have said $10 million plus....

Ooops