By John McMullen
The Phanatic Magazine
Who or what is the biggest train wreck in popular culture today?
Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are all good guesses but the real answer is the New York Yankees.
At least the meth-pack are interesting water-cooler fodder, mildly entertaining and good for a wardrobe malfunction every couple of weeks. The 2007 Yankees, with their $195 million dollar payroll, are a blight on the major league landscape.
I realize after 26 world championships and a decade straight of playoff baseball, no one is feeling all that sorry for "The Evil Empire" but it is amazing the talent-laden Bronx Bombers are floundering.
After yet another loss on Monday, Joe Torre's lackluster club now finds itself with a 21-28 record, tying them for last place in the American League East with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Of course, the Rays' payroll is the lowest in baseball, just $2 million more than Alex Rodriguez gets every single season.
So, maybe shopping at the Walmart clearance aisle is the way to go. There are many reasons for the Yankees downfall and $195 million hasn't bought the club any pitching or clutch hitting. It also hasn't given a bunch of All-Stars, the sense of urgency it takes to be a great baseball team.
That said, the downfall of this dynasty begins and ends with the skipper. I'm not about to play the role of Bill Conlin or Howard Eskin here and claim Torre is a moron who can't figure out the double switch or hasn't mastered the intricacies of the simplest game on the planet.
If football is chess, baseball is checkers. A smart fifth-grader could master the strategy it takes to be a major league manager in one afternoon. Simply put, piloting a baseball team is all about managing egos and staving off skin cancer.
But, Torre is doing a spot on impression of Doug Moe right now. I can't pinpoint the day he checked out but it's clear that the Yankees mentor cares little about his team any more. I guess four rings and a meddling owner can spark complacency.
So the next time you want to rip Charlie Manuel. Take a deep breath and be grateful...At least he cares.
3 comments:
The Phanatic needs more crotch shots.
Lohan is probably in worse shape than the Yankees. Good comparison though
Myth: The Yankees should trade guys like Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi and start rebuilding. Maybe Josh Phelps can get something.
Reality: All three have blanket no-trade clauses in their contracts. Abreu will be a free agent after this season and has approximately $10.3 million remaining on his deal. The return on him would be marginal. There is not a large market out there for aging, underachieving expensive players. Phelps was a Rule 5 pick and can’t be traded without the team obtaining him adhering to the Rule 5 restrictions.
————-
Myth: Fire Kevin Long, the hitting coach must be at fault.
Reality: The Yankees are fourth in runs scored in the AL, sixth in batting average, 4th in OPS and third in OBP.
————-
Myth: Fire Ron Guidry, the pitching coach must be fault.
Reality: In 49 games, the Yankees have gotten 24 starts from Wang, Mussina and Pettitte. The rest have come from rookies or bums.
————-
Myth: Just call up kids from the minor leagues, they have to do better.
Reality: OK, like who? The best hitter at Scranton is Shelley Duncan, who has 12 homers and 31 RBI in 44 games but also 35 strikeouts. Spring training masher Bronson Sardinha is hitting .213. Scranton’s most consistent hitter is Andy Phillips. Forget about the kids at Trenton, they’re not ready yet. The Yankees have already tried most of the pitchers. Edwar Ramirez, a 26-year-old reliever with good numbers, could get a shot soon.
————-
Myth: Fire Brian Cashman, this is all his fault.
Reality: Cashman has made mistakes, Kei Igawa being the biggest. But everybody wanted Carl Pavano, including the Red Sox. Everybody liked the Damon signing and most everybody agreed with dumping Sheffield and Johnson. The Yankees don’t have a lot of roster flexibility and Cashman has improved that to some degree. Firing him now could drop this team into a 10-year slump. Signing a series of older, expensive players is not the way to go and that’s what Steinbrenner’s advisors will tell him to do.
————-
Myth: Just fire Joe Torre then.
Reality: It’s tough to argue against this. But would Don Mattingly make that much a difference a third of a way through the season? I’m not convinced of that. But when teams go bad, it’s almost always the manager who pays the price.
Post a Comment