WHY THE YANKEES NEED THE HUNGER AGAIN

It’s the off-season early for the New York Yankees and all of us Yankee fans are walking around aimlessly with nothing to do. Yes, we could watch the postseason without the Yankees, and yes, I’ve told you numerous times that if baseball is on, I watch, no matter who’s playing.

But let’s face it, this is October and the Yankees aren’t playing, and I don't want to watch. I want to scream like Mark Wahlberg in the Other Guys, I cannot take it. Sometimes I feel like the more we try to do things right, the more we screw them up. The Yankees need that hunger back and the fans are craving it.

The Yankees looked like scrubs out there as I reflect on the ALDS, with the exception of Jorge Posada and Brett Gardner and even Derek Jeter to some extent. Where was the hunger? Where were the bats? I firmly believe that hot teams move forward and it all has to do with momentum. I don't necessarily believe great teams win it all. I think great teams need to be hot to win it all. The Yankees were great with 97 wins going into the ALDS, but they weren't great and hot, plain and simple. Now all we’re doing is sitting in front of our computers, looking at Twitter and bitching at each other.

I long for the days when Steinbrenner would put out a press release, thanking the Yankee fans for their support and apologizing for failing to win it all. Then, weeks later, we’d go out and find the top free agent out there and all would be well in Yankeeland again, we would forget, just for the moment, that we blew it.

Time is running out for some of our icons. Yes, Jorge Posada was close to possibly getting a 5^th ring, but we fell short. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are close to retirement; wouldn’t it be nice to get one for championship before they sail into the sunset? It would, for all of us.The pitching rotation will be a priority again this year, just like it is every year and while Cashman preached patience and picked up Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and had lightening in a bottle, that charade won’t work this winter; fans get impatient, Yankee Brass gets impatient and I expect a big splash. Yes, Cashman needs to agree to a deal, but once that is done, CC Sabathia is next and then after what, who? I'm a fan of Mark Buehrle and I would love to get him, but who else? CJ Wilson? Matt Cain? Yu Darvish? Felix Hernandez?

Look, Felix is my top name after CC Sabathia. I’m not too big on “Pretty Boy” Wilson because I hate his pompous attitude. I’m also not sold on him. Matt Cain, yeah, he good, but we need him to be great. Yu Darvish…we’ve been through that Japanese pitching thing before. Felix Hernandez is the guy and if that means waiting until he’s a free agent, so be it; If it means being creative with you we unload for him, so be it. I have no desire to trade off someone like Jesus Montero for the King. After seeing him hit, it reminded me a hell of a lot like Miguel Cabrera. I can’t part with the guy.

Something needs to be done about Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Look, no doubt they are pissed that they didn’t deliver and they looked foolish in the ALDS, but let’s face it, they always do. 2009 is long gone, these guys get paid a fortune to perform, bottom line and October is the biggest show on earth, and they need to show up. They didn’t and it’s pathetic. If I’m the Yankees, I pick up Swisher’s option and I’m bringing in a bright young outfielder this spring and have him compete for Swisher’s job. Light a fire under Nick’s ass and let him know, no job is safe.

Alex is Alex and he’s owed a ton of money. You can’t eat his contract and you can’t trade him and the Yankees won’t, they want him to hit 700 and they want him the break the home run record in pinstripes... he’s not going anywhere. I also believe ARod wasn’t healthy and while nerves were a factor in the ALDS, he’s not better yet because of injury. Hopefully a long winter’s nap will heal this guy and in Spring 2012, he’ll be back.

Mark Teixeira seems to shrivel up at the wrong time...October. Not sure what happened to this guy. He’s a great hitter…when he hits, and I would never suggest we cut Tex lose for someone better, because; let’s face it, who’s better? Tex is one of the best defensive first basemen we’ve ever had; he just needs to get his swing tweaked by the King of Swing…Kevin Long. Maybe the pressure gets to Tex, who knows, but something‘s got to happen.

The Yankees hunger is gone while the hunger by the fans grows. We need something drastic, a shakeup… so we can stand up and say, “The Yankees put the best on the field and we will return to win it all.” Because, let’s face it, 1 championship in 11 years is not a dynasty, it’s average.

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JORGE POSADA: REVIEWING OUR PROJECTIONS

JORGE POSADA

• Projected: .245 Avg, 20 Hrs, 72 RBI
  
• 2011: .235 Avg, 14 Hrs, 44 RBI

Look, we all know about Posada's season in 2011, it was a nightmare to say the least. First he was told that he would be the full time DH and that he wouldn't catch. He got off to a horrid start to his season by hitting .165 (18 for 109), with a 272 OBP, six homers--five of which coming in the first two weeks of the season--and 15 RBI up until May 13. The following day Posada was slated to hit in the number nine spot against the Red Sox, but he decided to pull himself out of the lineup, thus creating a slur of negative behavior by the media nationwide. Posada did have a nice rebound though, from the day after his incident until July 5 he hit .320 (33 for 103) with a .390 OBP while hitting three homers and driving in 13. From July 5 on he had his ups and downs with the bat, mostly downs, as he hit .227 the rest of the season. Along the way he played at second base for the final inning against the Oakland A's on August 25 at the Stadium. It was the first time Posada played second base at any level since 1991 when he was in Low-A Oneonta. Also, he caught the six final innings in Anaheim on September 10 replacing the injured Russell Martin.

Fortunately, Posada finished out his miserable season with a bang. He hit .429 in 14 at bats during five games in the ALDS against the Tigers. It could have very well been his last time putting on the Yankee pinstripes, thus we salute you Jorge Posada for your hard work, leadership, as well as persevering throughout all the tough times this season.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY THE 2012 YANKEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT: PART 2

Let's take a look at the Yankee catchers... who will stay and who will go?
Francisco Cervelli: .266, 4 HR, 22 RBI in 43 games. Cervelli may never be a star catcher, but he’s energetic and calls a great game. He’s currently recovering from a concussion and there’s no telling if he’ll ever be the same (see Brian Roberts or Sidney Crosby). If he’s able to recover, the Yanks should bring him back to reprise his role as well as filling in at other infield spots.

Russell Martin: .237, 18 HR, 65 RBI in 125 games. Martin is a terrific catcher. His batting average dropped from the NL, but his home runs and RBIs are on par. The pitchers love him and he’s tough as nails. If he’s not resigned someone in the front office needs their
head examined.Jesus Montero: 20 for 61, 4 HR, 12 RBI in 18 games. Montero is the real deal, offensively. Defensively, he’s average at-best. Yes he’s 21 and will continue to improve. With all of the high profile veterans on the team, the Yanks are not in a position of carrying a full time DH. Nor at 21 does Montero want to pigeon holed as just a DH. I say trade him now, while his value is at its highest, for top level Major League-ready pitching. Many disagree. That's what opinions are for.
Jorge Posada: .235, 14 HR, 44 RBI in 115 games. Look, Jorge has had a fabulous career but a 40 year-old catcher needs to know when to hang up the spikes. I know he says he wants to play next year, but I can’t imagine him in any other uniform. I know where Jorge should spend
2012, but more on that later.

Austin Romine: .286, 6 HR, 47 RBI in 85 games at AA Trenton. Obviously, Romine needs to show what he can do at a higher level. He looked sharp behind the plate during September. Hopefully a full season at AAA will do him some good and we’ll see him in 2013.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com



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WHY ARE THERE BYB YANKEE NOTES? WHY NOT?

Here are some Yankee notes I wanted to pass your way so you can keep informed on what's going on in Yankeeland. Expect a lot to happen because, as you know, if the Yankees don't win the playoffs and the World Series, no matter how many games they win in the regular season, it's a failure. That's the Steinbrenner way. Anyway, check out what's happening:
Eric Chavez: According to Joel Sherman, HERE, Eric Chavez is thinking about retiring. Craig Calcaterra from Hardball Talk had this: "Chavez had more plate appearances this year than he had had since 2007 — a whole 175 of them — but the magic is long gone. He hit .263/.320/.356 with two homers in a utility role that, thanks to yet more injuries, was more limited than it otherwise would have been given A-Rod’s injuries. It’s hard to conclude anything other than 'it’s time.'"

Selfishly, I love Chavez in the role he had in the Bronx and I'd love to have him back in that capacity. That's not fair to him though and I wonder if he'd want to try and find a full time gig just one more time or if Sherman is right, maybe Chavez really is "leaning" toward retirement. We shall see.Jorge Posada: MLB Trade Rumors had a report saying that the Yankees are showing little interest in Jorge Posada now that the season is over. Read about it HERE. MTR had this: "The Yankees used him almost exclusively at DH this summer, in part because his defensive skills behind the plate have eroded, but also because of long-term concerns about head injuries. Posada did appear in 14 games at first base in 2011 (eleven starts)."

If I had my say, Jorge Posada would retire a Yankee and immediately become an advisor for the catchers. That won't happen. Look, Jorge Posada auditioned this ALDS. He proved to many teams that he can still hit. Jorge doesn't want to leave the Bronx, but he wants to play and if he can get a job for a couple bucks somewhere else and still swing the bat, he may just go for it.
CJ Wilson: Jon Heyman believes that the Yankees are favorites to snatch CJ Wilson when he becomes a free agent. I say, how does he know? The playoffs are still going on and the Rangers are in the ALCS. Could there really be some kind of dialog between the Yankees and Wilson's agent or is this just a guess? I believe the Yankees will make a big push for the "Pretty boy" as I refer to him, but not if the Yankees resign CC Sabathia if exercises his opt-out clause. Read about the story HERE.Kevin Long: George King III had a piece about the Yankees and their lack of the "big hit" in the ALDS. Read about it HEREKing quotes long: "

"We scored almost 30 runs in five games and that's six runs a game... If you look at it that way we hit, but if you don't come up big in the postseason, it's magnified."

"We scored some runs but unfortunately it's not about that, it's about winning games... We had plenty of offense but when it came down to getting the big hit, you've got to get the big hit. We didn't."

I love Kevin Long. At the end of the day, the big boppers didn't get the big hit, that's not Long fault. Bottom line.

More Yankees news when it's needed. Stay with us on Bleeding Yankee Blue. Thanks.

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WHY REAL MEN CRY

Jorge Posada has been a great New York Yankee and that means something... he's never let down the true fan base and while this season was frustrating, the playoffs was his for the taking and me personally, I loved every minute of it, because it wasn't a great player fizzling, it was fizzling player shining. If there was a way to go out on a high note, Jorge did. I'm proud of him.

Jorge was never supposed to be a superstar catcher, but he was many a season. Sure, there were down seasons but 4 rings later this guy has transformed into a Yankee icon. The Core Four truly had a great run and after Andy Pettitte retired and now Jorge Posada's possible career in pinstripes coming to an end, well, it looks like we may be saying goodbye to our hero.Look, anyone who reads Bleeding Yankee Blue knows how much I love and appreciate Jorge Posada. I didn't like the way he was squeezed out and I watched the poor guy get pushed to the back of the line throughout the season. It could have been done differently, although, I understand, that's business.

I wrote AN OPEN LETTER TO JORGE POSADA because after everything that went on, his changing role and the reality that the Yankees needed to move forward, as did Jorge, I wanted to express my emotion. Well, that emotion came full circle watching my hero get choked up after Game 5 of the ALDS. Jorge cried, and guess what...good for him. Real men cry.



Look, this is a guy that gave his heart and soul to the New York Yankees and it had ended, while on a personal high note because successful in the ALDS, it ended on a low note for the Yankees as a team. Team is all that Jorge thought about. At that moment, as far as he knew, his tenure in pinstripes is over. He's probably not coming back to the Bronx, a place he's called home for 17 years. It's saying goodbye and so, Jorge cried. Look, I totally get it. I cry when my son wins a heat in a swim meet, or when my other guy gets a winning hit. I cry when I watch Rudy, or when the Yankees win the World Series. It's a life thing...success, the thrill of victory, or in his case the agony of defeat.

No one knows what will happen to Jorge Posada, but his future with the Yankees is certain, no, not as a player, put perhaps a coach or an advisor or maybe he'll just stay away for awhile reflecting, but expect something big to happen, when we least expect it...perhaps a number retiring, or a Jorge Posada Appreciation day. One things for sure, Jorge will never be forgotten. With the future of the Yankees catching looking bright in Jesus Montero and Austin Romine and hopefully the return of Russell Martin the Yankees will be OK. And guess what, so with Jorge Posada. No doubt Poe will go down as a Yankee legend for if anything, his incredible drive and heart as a member of the New York Yankees. He is truly Bleeding Yankee Blue and as a fellow peer, meaning, he and I are the same age, I say this, "You played your guts out Jorge. Now's your time. Walk into the sunset and remember all the great times, and most of all, thank you."

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WHY THE YANKEES WILL RISE AGAIN

I woke up early today. I went to be around 2am this morning but I couldn’t sleep and woke up at 5. I decided to go into work early this morning. While I traveled, I kept thinking about everything that could have been done differently in Game 5. The reality is, everything was done right, except of course the timely hit that would have propelled us into the ALCS.

I’m mad at the Yankees right now. I’m not sure why, I understand baseball. John Sterling says it all the time, “It’s baseball Suzyn, you can’t predict it.” Bottom line, last night’s game was ours for the taking and we didn’t take it. But, like a real Yankee fan, I did what I was supposed to do this morning; I threw on my Yankee jacket and walked out the door to go to work. After all, I’m a Yankee fan, I’m a true Yankee fan and I’m not going to NOT wear my jacket because they lost. I’m not ashamed, I’m just disappointed. My family was asleep when I left and I knew that when my son found out this morning, he'd be crushed. I put his 2011 Topps Yankee set back on his nightstand with a note "It didn't work this time, we'll try again next April," I wrote. He gave it to me to put next to the television last night for as he put it "Good luck for the Yankees." Man, I'm superstitious, but it must be rubbing off. He’ll be disappointed and I get that.

I received a text from a good buddy of mine this morning. He’s a huge Tigers fan. He wrote “Tough one.” Yeah, it was. The dude wasn’t rubbing it in. We have a mutual respect for each other’s teams. He could have razzed me, he could have told me the Tigers were much better. He didn’t. He understands defeat, so while he was just texting me as one baseball guy to another, it stung, but with win comes loss. I get it. That’s not even a baseball thing, it’s a life thing.

My iPod this morning had a song called Goodnight, Goodnight by Maroon 5. While the song itself has nothing to do with the New York Yankees, I just found it ironic and the first set of lyrics I heard hit home to how I was feeling:

“I licked my wounds but I can’t see them getting better. Something's got to change... it cannot stay the same.”

Change is needed and we'll be hearing about it soon enough. We can try and blast Joe Girardi but personally, I don't think you can. You definitely can’t blame AJ Burnett this time Ladies and Gentlemen, he was the best pitcher for the Yankees ironically… 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in this ALDS. You can’t blame Granderson, Cano, Jeter, Gardner… and you can't blame the bullpen, no. What about our hero this ALDS... Jorge Posada? Nope, they were all terrific.

I know... when we lose, we’re always looking to blame someone. You want to blame Ivan Nova for being hurt? You can’t. How about CC Sabathia for giving up the 3^rd run? Personally, I wouldn't.

Blame the Yankees for not having the timely hit. That’s it. Blast Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher for being the heart of the lineup and giving us absolutely nothing, but then, may I suggest, you don't blame them either... instead, let's just move on. Bitching about those guys won’t change anything. Season’s over. Steinbrenner said it best: "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing."

Take a minute and applaud Brian Cashman. After all, every move he made this season turned to gold. We fell in love with Russell Martin... the Freddy Garcia & Bartolo Colon combination was amazing. How about Nova, huh? Remember when he almost went to the Mariners last season? We had 97 wins… the best record in the American League, that’s a great run.

We have nothing to be ashamed of... being disappointed is another story, but one thing you can't do is hide the interlocking N-Y. Don't NOT wear the Yankee cap like you're punishing the Yankees. Instead, embrace it. I wore my gear proud today. I was looking for someone to say something. I wanted to engage. I wanted to get it off my chest and move on. Yes, we're the Yankees and we blew it, but we rise above it. Bottom line... we lost, we didn't die. It could be worse... we could be Red Sox fans.

So yeah, as I was writing this, ironically another close pal just sent me a a text. He knows I’m a gigantic Yankees fan. He wrote “Sorry about your Yankees. You’re the biggest fan I know and I know you’ll rise above it. They’ll be back.”

Damn. It is crazy how things happen. I believe in my New York Yankees, no matter what and he’s right, we will be back, it’s the Yankee way. So, take a day or 2 and forget about the loss, but don't be ashamed of our New York Yankees...EVER. After all, we had a great run... all of us... together in Yankeeland.

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WHY LOSING JUST SUCKS

There is nothing that can be said to console me today. Our Yankees fell short of #28 and, right now, there is no "silver lining" for me. Casey summed up the game perfectly and I feel reflected the feelings of most Yankee fans in his piece, THE DAY THE LAUGHTER DIED. One of the points Casey made was that the Yankees beat themselves and I couldn't agree more. So after two cups of coffee this morning and taking a few deep breaths, I wanted to rant just a little about this nightmare of an ALDS...

Who would have thought that the only pitcher that would hurt us in relief last night would be CC Sabathia? I know we didn't hit but that third run CC gave up just killed us. When Jackson scored I was just scratching my head. What happened to CC? When did he become an average starter because for the last two months that is exactly what he has been. Is it the weight? Is there some hidden injury? Did the six man rotation throw him off? I don't know what's up with him but unfortunately the Yankees played down the stretch and headed into the playoffs with an"ace" who didn't pitch like an "ace". If CC does get resigned/extended by the Yankees, which I suspect he will, I hope he comes into Spring Training with a new fire in his eyes.

The other player Casey mentioned in his piece was Nick Swisher. Look, I'm so angry about last night's game that I don't want to blog something I will regret in a few weeks so before I wrote this next part I actually stepped away from my computer, took some more deep breaths, and counted to 10...Nick, you have been a fun Yankee. We know you love wearing the pinstripes and we loved having you represent the Yankees but bro, it's over. The Yankees are not about 162 regular season games, we are about post season and post season ONLY and you have not done the job. You have now had 100 AB's in the postseason with the Yankees and only have 16 hits with 5 RBI; that's a .160 AVG. But here is the number that really hurts the most: Nick Swisher has 1 hit with Runners In Scoring Position(RISP) in 31 postseason AB's with the New York Yankees. One! That's just not going to cut it.

ARod, ARod, ARod. What can you say fellow fans? Is he playing hurt, maybe. But I really think there is more to it. When ARod struck out to end the season last year against the Rangers I remember thinking, okay, it could happen. I mean it sucked but it never crossed my mind that we may be looking at an aging ARod. But you know what? After this ALDS and the way he struck out three times last night, I am now seeing the writing on the wall. Arod is declining, and, there is nothing we can do about it. ARod said many things last night at his locker after the game and one of the things he said was that he would "come back next year with a vengeance". Now does that mean 50 HR's and 140 RBI during the regular season? Or does "come back next year with a vengeance" mean he will step it up and lead us through the 2012 postseason? I guess we will have to wait...

And here is my last rant. We all know that this may have been the last time we see Jorge Posada in pinstripes. Last night while he was being interviewed in the locker room Jorge got very choked up and began to cry when he was asked if this is it for him as a Yankee. So for all you Jorge haters who thought he did not care about his team or being a Yankee after that whole "Posada-gate" I hope you took notice! Jorge BLEEDS YANKEE BLUE and always will! We love you Jorge Posada and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a GREAT Yankee!!!

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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THE DAY THE LAUGHTER DIED

We were in the Bronx. We were with our family, in pinstripes, bleeding blue, ready for the Yankees to beat the Tigers and advance to the ALCS. It's the Yankee way, it's destiny. I never like to climb back in games to win, but that's exactly what the Yankees have done so many times before in the playoffs, maybe tonight would be along the same lines. I tell you what though, I was kicked in the gut as soon as the game started.
The first inning was horrible for Ivan Nova and it made me mad nervous. Yes, Austin Jackson got a quick K as did Miguel Cabrera but Don Kelly and Delmon Young both cranked solo shots.
Now it's 2-0. Fister looked good, but hittable. The Yankees usually go through the order before they start hammering, so, I'm not getting crazy yet. Luckily Mark Teixeira cranked a double. To bad they couldn't get him around to score.
The 3rd inning Phil Hughes came in to relieve Ivan Nova. Apparently Nova had tightness in his arm. I was surprised actually, I was expecting another inning. Hughes struck out to first 2 batters he faced. Delmon Young got a single and then he got Miguel Cabrera to ground out.The bottom of the third, Brett Gardner singled. Jeter struck out and Curtis Granderson worked a walk. Robinson Cano came up and I had hope. Cano popped out to center field. Inning over.One thing I need to point out. The strike zone again was horrible. There were pitches that game in too low or off the plate that were called strikes and strikes that were definitely balls. There were many questions by the Yankees tonight and with good reason. Bad calls. Alex Rodriguez had a very very bad night.

The 4th inning gave me another surprise, after the first out and a single, Girardi made yet another pitching change. I'm thinking... man I hope it's not going to be one of those nights. I prayed at that point that Yankees offense would turn it around and the Girardi binder doesn't insert itself all night, otherwise, there's no way to win this damn thing. Boone Logan came in. I groaned. Yes, Boone struck out the side the last time out in the ALDS, but you never know what your going to get with this guy. I started to get pissed, what the hell is Girardi doing? Logan pitched to lefty Alex Aliva, and of course, the guy gets his first hit of the ALDS. Now we're in trouble, men on first and second. Peralta flied out which was great. Luckily with 2 men on Boone Logan got a strikeout.

The top of the 5th brought Alex Rodriguez to the box. I noticed ARod had a quicker swing in the last game. I'm hoping I'm right and he cranks it out. I told someone on my train expect hits by ARod tonight. Yeah right... who am I kidding? Luckily ARod walked this time. Nick Swisher then singled to right. 1 out. Jorge Posada came to the plate. A huge single and now the bases were loaded with 1 out. After a Martin pop up, Brett Gardner was up, our hottest hitter and the whole stadium was into it, Gardner popped out. I was crushed.
CC Sabathia came in to start the 5th. So strange to see him in relief. He allowed a run to score and at this point it's 3-0. I am shocked and I know the Yankees are running out of time.

The bottom of the 5th there were 2 quick outs in Jeter and Granderson. Wimpy outs. Then Robinson Cano came up. He buried the ball into the right field seats and suddenly it was 3-1. I realized right then that this was Yankee Stadium, the best place you want to be in a playoff game. I realized, we can do this, but our pitching needs to be solid and keep the Tigers from scoring. Luckily our pitching was great, the hitting was crap.

Rafael Soriano came into relieve CC in the 6th inning. He immediately got the double play. Good job RaSo.

Looking at the bottom of the 6th, Max Scherzer came in. Mark Teixeira was the first Yankee batter and flew out to Austin Jackson. Nick Swisher continues to disappoint and ground out and then Jorge Posada had a single. Russell Martin came to the plate with Jorge at first. He struck out. Way to kill a rally.

Rafael Soriano had a good second inning in relief. The Tigers looked off balance at the plate, I placed my Bucky Dent / Mike Torrez autographed bat on the floor in front of the television. I was desperate.In the bottom of the 7th, Delmon Young came out of the game. I felt the ghosts of Yankee Stadium coming out. I prayed this game would be in our favor. Gardner came to the plate and struck out. Jeter came up and fought hard waiting for his pitch, then, he beat out an infield single and at that point I saw a glimmer of hope. Say what you will about old man Jeter, he can easily set the tone. At this point Scherzer came out and Granderson came to the plate against Joaquin Benoit who had an enormous band-aid on his face and Girardi strategized and asked to have it removed, hopefully it rattled Benoit. Granderson rips one for a single. Now, men on first and second and Robinson Cano comes to the plate. An easy dribbler next to Benoit and he missed it. Bases loaded for ARod. Alex struck out. Unbelievable! Something's got to be wrong with this guy. How could that happen? Teixeira then came to the plate. He walked. 3-2 at this point and the bases are still loaded for Nick Swisher. If anyone needs to deliver tonight, it needs to be Swisher. Swisher struck out. The biggest opportunity of his career and he blew it. Based on this post season alone, I would not pick up Nick Swisher's option. You can't be all flash and show no bash in the playoffs. Pathetic.

David Robertson came in the top of the 8th and showed me why we love him. The inning went quick. The bottom of the 8th needed to be big for the Yankees, they needed 1 run. I took out my 1956 autographed Mickey Mantle Sports illustrated. I was clearly desperate at this point.
Jorge Posada came up in what could be his last at bat as a New York Yankee. Posada has been one of the hottest Yankees all playoffs. He needed a hit right now. We all did. He grounded out. Martin came up and he was overdue. I was sure he'd deliver here with a base hit. Martin struck out. Are you freaking kidding me? 2 outs and we look like crap. Shortly later, with Gardner on base, Jeter cranked one high to the wall, but caught by Don Kelly. So close...but not close enough.
Mariano Rivera came in in the 9th inning. The score is still 3-2 by the way, I'm not getting this, but whatever, this is what Girardi does, he either doesn't pull the pitcher quick enough, or the binder tells him all about match-ups and changes pitchers like Kool-aid. Mo was brilliant, a 1,2,3 inning.

This is it, 3-2 game. The Yankees are down in the Bronx. I have been at games and seen games on TV that have blown me away, always with the ghosts coming out and always with the Yankees winning. I've prayed, I have all my favorite collectibles out. We need alittle hitting now to win this God damn ball game. I do not want to see this clown Valverde dance in the Bronx, we must beat him.

Granderson came up and popped up. Robinson Cano had a broken bat hit that was caught all the way in center field by Austin Jackson. Then, once again it was up to Alex Rodriguez...and with a strikeout, the Tigers won.
Just like last year, Alex Rodriguez strikes out for the last out. Remember when he struck out and Bengie Molina jumped up and ran out to the mound to celebrate? I'm so crushed right now.
(Photo: 2010)
I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. The Yankees season is over. Jorge Posada's career is probably over in pinstripes. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next 4 days or so, you start hearing whispers of CC Sabathia wanting to opt-out and questions about whether or not Nick Swisher should come back. After having the best record in the American League, the Yankees lost to the Tigers. The Tigers didn't beat the Yankees, the Yankees beat the Yankees tonight. The pitching was good, the timely hitting was not.

Tip your hat to Jim Leyland, I love that man. He's a true baseball guy and he managed a good team.

If Bleeding Yankee Blue takes a day off, I know you'll understand.

Final Score: Tigers 3 - Yankees 2

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