What an awful dissapointment. How could the Yankees play so flatly? It is as if they thought that once they dispatched the Red Sox in the grand five game sweep back in August, the rest of the season and then the World Series would just fall into their lap.
Torre has had a good run, but it is time for him to move on. He has been unable to fire up the troops the last few years for the playoffs. His cool demeanor was important for the team over the years, but even though the players are millionaires, they need a manager to get on their case and whip 'em into line every now then. G*d knows A-Rod (I think the A stands for his hottest month, April) needs that. Joe doesn't seem to have that in him. He couldn't keep the team from going cold in 2004 after the Friday night game in Fenway was rained out, nor again this year when Game 2 of the Division Series was rained out. And I thought there were a lot more times that he should have ordered his pitchers to retaliate against teams for throwing way inside to and hitting Yankee hitters.
He used to have a magic touch. He'd put in a pinch hitter or Luis Sojo, and magic would happen. Lately his mojo hasn't worked so well. Not that it is all his fault. The players haven't performed to their level and upper management made some goofs too. It was a mistake to get Randy Johnson; it was a terrible mistake to sign the delicate flower, Kevin Brown; and if they didn't dump Pettitte, or at least not done so in such a shoddy way, they might have got Clemens back.
Thankfully, it was a busy weekend, so I wasn't around a TV to witness the latest installment of post-season Yankee tragedy baseball.
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