New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

“There are no asterisks in this life, only scoreboards. And ours is currently reading F*CKED!” - Ari Gold

Well that was a good game to watch, if you hate the New York Yankees.

The Yankees last at bat of the day cost them the game at the time, but their lack of hitting the entire game is what really screwed them. Derek Jeter at the plate with 1st and 3rd and one out. My roommate says to me, “lay down a nice bunt here,” but knowing Jetes better than that I simply replied, “he is going to hit into a DP.”

Next pitch.

4-6-3.

Inning over and obviously at that point there was no chance the Yankees were winning this game since the bullpen (not including Joba or Mo) can complete their rare escape act only so many innings in a row.

Did Derek want to do that? No, obviously not, but was he trying to get a base hit rather than safely score Johnny Damon? Yes, he was. The double play is the Yankees worst enemy, and any team’s for that, but the opposition has picked one up time and time against the Bombers in the most crucial of situations. It is obvious when they are going to happen and not even shocking once they do.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no one on the team I would rather have up in that spot than Derek Jeter, but I couldn’t help but get a feeling that the good old 4-6-3 would take place. Maybe it is because of what the Captain did against the Tribe in the ALDS last season that had me thinking that way?

For some reason I thought Joe Girardi was this miracle worker who battled the NL East for an entire season with a Florida Marlins team, full of kids who had barely finished going through puberty. Wasn’t he suppose to be this NL-style manager who would find ways to manufacture runs the way the Yankees did when he played for them? Wasn’t he suppose to come here and drop down bunts and hit and runs and double steals and put pressure on the opposition and play hard-nosed ball?

General Joe (if you can even call him that anymore) will always talk about how Joe Torre constantly tells him to “just be himself,” in reference to managing the New York Yankees, but for some reason Girardi hears Torre’s word as “be like me.” Girardi is still playing for that 3-run homer that never comes, relying on station to station baseball the same way Torre left this team in October after Paul Byrd quieted the Bronx throwing wiffleballs at $200 million in Game 4, laughing his way to an ALCS appearance.

Is it still early in the season? Not really. The Yankees have completed 15% of their schedule and have accomplished nothing positive. They have not found ways to hit, the youngsters have not found the strike zone, and the bullpen is more burnt out than Ricky Williams.

The Yankee starters have been leaving work early, usually before the 5th inning, trying to beat the early traffic they have created by allowing a half dozen runs to score by that point. When you let the leadoff man get on every inning or fall behind every hitter 3-1, you are flirting with disaster and you might escape the situation a few times, but eventually it will get you. And for the second straight day, that is exactly what happened.

Paul Byrd and Jeremy Sowers contained the New York Yankees. Who would have ever thought they would be reading that sentence? The so-called “most feared” lineup in baseball was handcuffed by a poor man’s version of Mike Mussina (if that is possible) and a AAA lefty who produces more meatballs than the Olive Garden. That mixed with the most two outs walks and hits ever in a two-game span in the history of Major League Baseball, and the Indians find themselves sitting pretty with C.C. Sabathia on the hill tomorrow.

If tomorrow’s matinée is truly a rematch of Game 1 of the ALDS, you might as well find another afternoon program to watch because watching the Yankees tap into the pen in the third inning down 9 doesn’t sound like a relaxing Sunday to me.

When Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter want to hit, Bobby Abreu and A-Rod take the day off and vice versa. There is more production from the bottom of the order and bench guys then there is the highly paid, superstar bats.

Two days ago it was Joba Chamberlain throwing his curveball for a walk-off single when he has a 100mph fastball and devastating slider. Last night it was Andy Pettitte throwing BP to the Indians with two outs and today it was Joe Girardi sitting Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, and Hideki Matsui against a lefty. Might as well sit Jeter and A-Rod against the next righty.

Here’s a clue Joe, how about you sit Jason Giambi and his fat ass on the bench for once. If you want to play Shelley Duncan after sending him down to the minors for no good reason then put him in Giambi’s wasted spot in the order. Don’t take Matsui, the best hitter on the team through this point of the season, and sit him on the bench to watch Giambi flop around at first base like a beached whale.

Good pitching will always beat good hitting. And right now, the Yankees can’t beat anybody.