MLB Divisional Series Thread

[mike546 0]

Waldman is SOBBING on the postgame. Can she be sent packing with Joe?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Let's not kid ourselves here. The Yankees were only the 4th best team in the American League this year. That was apparent in May and still holds true today. Really good team with a beast of an offense that lacked the pitching to make a postseason impact. Sound familiar?

 

THE YANKEES ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!

[Precious Roy 0]

THE YANKEES ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!

 

 

Torre looked like the weight of the world was off his shoulders in his press conference.

[NYU 0]

Waldman is SOBBING on the postgame. Can she be sent packing with Joe?

 

I NEED THE AUDIO

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Might be more for the offseason thread, but where do the Yankees go now? A-Rod, Torre, Rivera, Clemens, Pettitte, Abreu and Posada can all be free agents at the end of the year. Who's back in '08 and who heads for greener pastures?

[mike546 0]

I think they'll sign A-Rod, definitley pick up Abreu's option, re sign Posada ( and regret it 3 years down the line) and lock up Mo. I can't really see anyone of them not back, but if any, I'd go with Posada, who was pretty clear that he wants to test the FA market.

[cabbageboy 0]

I'm with Al as far as being bewildered with this talk of "The Indians upset the mighty Yankees!" WTF? The Indians were the better team all year, had home field in this series, and had a better record. On what possible level would this be an upset?

 

Rockies vs. Indians in the World Series. That's money.

[Precious Roy 0]

The Yankees are a perennial contender with a team featuring the last remnants of a dynasty. They have a star-studded, veteran ballclub. The only guy on the Indians most people could pick out of a lineup is Kenny Lofton, and maybe Sabathia, but only because he's a massive black guy. And don't forget that the Yankees went 6-0 against them this year. Of course the Indians were the underdogs.

 

[Precious Roy 0]

And oh yeah, other than Mo, everyone must go!

[At Home 0]

So when do we all have make-up sex?

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Well, what time can we meet up at Quizno's?

[randomguy 0]

Might be more for the offseason thread, but where do the Yankees go now? A-Rod, Torre, Rivera, Clemens, Pettitte, Abreu and Posada can all be free agents at the end of the year. Who's back in '08 and who heads for greener pastures?

 

I'd like to see Pettitte back. No to Clemens, the last thing they need is another overpriced fragile pitcher.

 

Rivera depending on price. Posada for sure, a catcher than bats .330? Come on! Abreu no thanks, another year older and becoming more one-dimensional, another guy ripe for the logjam at part-time DH as he ages.

 

I think with this team it's reasonable to expect you will make the post-season, so you have to build to accomplish something in the post-season. That means guys who can field and guys who can pitch, not 5 different DHs.

 

First base is a big hole. They either have a guy who can't field at all or a guy who can't hit at all. Outfield is a mess, with a bunch of guys who are DH-candidates who don't field well.

 

Individually the Yankees look fine but when you put them together you have too many guys who don't fit in the field and an overall poor defense on many days.

[Slayer 0]

Rockies vs. Indians in the World Series. That's money.

Two interesting (quote unqoute?) things about a Rockies Indians series is that

 

1. It would continue the streak of a WC team appearing in the WS, going back to 2002

 

2. It would continue the trend of having no multiple champions this decade. The only time MLB came close to this before was the 80's, when only the Dodgers had two titles.

[Slayer 0]

So when do we all have make-up sex?

Usually around (American) Thanksgiving

[2GOLD 0]

 

I just hope Torre quits before George can fire him. There isn't a damn thing Torre could have done the past two seasons to win in the playoffs. Unless he is going to grab a bat and make something happen, there isn't a thing he could have done. But since Giradi is just sitting on the bench and they aren't going to let him collect dust, Torre is more than 100% likely gone. I just want him to leave and not give George the satisfaction.

[Precious Roy 0]

He doesn't have a contract for next year, so there's no quitting or firing involved, he just won't be brought back.

[2GOLD 0]

He doesn't have a contract for next year, so there's no quitting or firing involved, he just won't be brought back.

 

Even better!

I wonder how long Joe lasts if the Yankees don't make the playoffs next season.

[NYU 0]

Well, there's major buzz in the New York Daily News this morning that Steinbrenner is interested in Tony LaRussa instead.

 

Which doesn't seem like much of an improvement over Torre to me at all.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I bet you'll hear Tony LaRussa and Lou Piniella linked to the job (yes, I know Lou isn't going to leave Chicago after one year). Don Mattingly is probably the favorite amongst fans, but I'm not sure they'd turn the team over to him with so little managerial experience. I guess that makes Girardi the leading candidate. but I'd be extra careful about bringing him aboard to manage Joba, Hughes and Kennedy after that mess he made of the Florida pitchers.

 

Espn.com is reporting that Mariano Rivera plans to test free agency.

[Failed Bridge 0]

Well, there's major buzz in the New York Daily News this morning that Steinbrenner is interested in Tony LaRussa instead.

 

Which doesn't seem like much of an improvement over Torre to me at all.

Just keep taking veteran managers away from the St. Louis Cardinals.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Tony La Russa would fall asleep during games if he went back to the American League. There's hardly any managing to do. How do you demonstrate your intelligence when you just have to sit on the bench with your thumb up your ass?

[Brett Favre 0]

I hope Torre stays. The Yankees are better than how they played (They were like 73-39 to end the season). Next year the rotation should be Pettitte, Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy. Rodriguez, Abreu, Posada, and Rivera will all be bought back I think, or at least should be bought back.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I hope Torre stays. The Yankees are better than how they played (They were like 73-39 to end the season). Next year the rotation should be Pettitte, Wang, Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy. Rodriguez, Abreu, Posada, and Rivera will all be bought back I think, or at least should be bought back.

 

Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy are all fantastic young pitchers, but isn't a little risky to break them all in at once? Most teams try to avoid even two rookies in a rotation. Yes, I know they aren't technically rookies, but they've never been stretched out for a full season of major league work. That could be incredibly taxing to the bullpen and leave them in big trouble if one of the young guys doesn't adjust properly.

 

I don't think Torre will be back. He's 67 years old and his contract's up. It makes sense for both sides to end the relationship.

 

They'll pick up Abreu's option and make every effort to resign Posada and Rivera. The problem is those guys are going to make a fortune in free agency, probably even more than they are worth. Will Cashman be willing to go three years, maybe more, for guys on the downside of their career?

[Brett Favre 0]

Torre wants to stay. He really likes managing here, even with all the headaches and he's perfect for the team. It will depend on Steinbrenner.

 

I'm confident that all three will make the transition cause Kennedy was already pitching lights out, and Hughes was picking up at the end of the season and in the playoffs. The only real question mark is how Chamberlain transitions from the bullpen, and he was the most dominant pitcher to begin with, so I'm not worried about him. You still have Mussina for one more year as a sixth starter, and he should spot here and there for the youngings if they struggle a little.

 

Cashman is probably going have to overpay for Rivera and Posada cause there's no one out there to replace either of them.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I like how people say A-Rod should be "brought" back. It's up to A-Rod, not the Yankees, whether he is a Yankee in the coming years.

[Brett Favre 0]

Actually if the Yankees give him the most money, he'd come back for sure.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I'm confident that all three will make the transition cause Kennedy was already pitching lights out, and Hughes was picking up at the end of the season and in the playoffs. The only real question mark is how Chamberlain transitions from the bullpen, and he was the most dominant pitcher to begin with, so I'm not worried about him. You still have Mussina for one more year as a sixth starter, and he should spot here and there for the youngings if they struggle a little.

 

Let me rephrase what I said earlier about the young pitchers. It's not that they lack the ability to pitch in the majors, it's just the lumps that come with having them in the rotation. They lack the efficiency to go deep into games, meaning that most nights you'll get five or six innings out of them. That makes middle relief incredibly important and that hasn't been a strong suit for the team recently.

 

Second, you don't want to overwork these guys. At best they'll go 20-30 innings over what they did this year. That might cause problems for a stretch playoff run when fatigue injuries start popping up or the team has to shut the pitchers down for the year.

 

We saw this at the start of the year with Minnesota and the handling of their star young pitchers. I also know that Theo has quietly said that the Sox won't start the year with Lester and Buchholz in the rotation. It's just too much to ask of a team, especially the Yankees.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Actually if the Yankees give him the most money, he'd come back for sure.

 

Well yeah but that's not going to happen.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Listening to this second embarrassing Suzyn Waldman clip, I have to say that John Sterling has a really strong voice. Too bad he's probably an epic douchebag during games.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Just keep taking veteran managers away from the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

A proud tradition that begins with Johnny Keane.