I know many people have brought up the fact that Joe Torre is in a weak division as the reason that he is in the playoffs, but unfortunately its too simplistic a view to take. This view completely denies the fact that Torre got way more out of his team than the Yankees got out of there's. Torre managed to get his team to the playoffs despite his best pitcher Brad Penny being on the DL and being largely ineffective when he pitched (6.27 ERA), two of his biggest power threats Andruw Jones and Nomar Garciappara combining for 11 homeruns and 42 RBI's as they missed huge stretches of the season due to injury, and no one on the team reaching 100 RBI's.
The Yankees had some largely ineffective pitchers in their rotation, but this isn't a drastic change from any of our previous years. 2005 through 2007 we had just as many injuries in our rotation and still managed to make the playoffs every year. Is it just by chance that the first season Torre's gone that the Yankees can't figure out how to deal with injuries? Just to be clear, I support Girardi, and think this was a good learning season for him, but Torre had a bigger effect on this team than I think anyone really appreciated.
The Dodgers had their pitching problems as well. They had 11 different pitchers making starts for them including Chan Ho Park. The Yankees had 13 different pitchers make starts but really I only count 12 because Bruney's start wasn't necessary. Its a mystery to me why we even let Pavano pitch. Either way, the Dodgers made it to the playoffs with pitching problems and big injuries to major players. If the Yankees were to lose Abreu and A-Rod this season to major injuries, the Yankees would be dead last in the AL East. Torre loses his two best power hitters and wins the division.
Torre made it look easy, and now the Yankees are seeing how difficult it really is. Go Torre! I'm pulling for you even though I don't think you'll beat the Cubs.
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Torre's team looked pretty good in Game 1. Just shows what having Manny in the lineup gets you. Loney's not complaining. Would the Yankees have made the postseason with Torre at the helm? Maybe. But would they have been eliminated in the first round again? Probably.
They did look good. Who knows, they might go on a tear and surprise all of us.
The Yankees would probably get eliminated in the first round, but that has more to do with our pitching depth than who manages. Although last season, Pettitte pitched an absolute gem, and we lost. Just can't call it.
Joe Torre isn't the reason we lost all those first round series. Joe Girardi was, and everybody knows it. He would call up the players before the game and psych them out by saying, "Hey, A-Rod, someone might take your candy." And of course A-Rod thought Girardi meant his stripper girlfriend Candy, and was too distracted to hit. That's how Joe Girardi rolls.
Much to the Steinbrenner boys' disbelief, Mr. T and his boys beat up the Cubs yet AGAIN.
Hopefully this time Hank won't blast Knut the Polar Bear for conspiring with Sweet Lou to hand Joe "Has-Been" Torre the victory for free twice in a roll.
What makes me miss Mr. T most is his famous "Manager for one day" trick. Nomar got the job this year, and everyone in LA seemed to have lots of fun while the Yanks were heading home to a chilly playoffsless October.
Here's the latest news from Yankees front office: Hank will sue Torre and his gang for animal abuse.
The Dodgers are killing the Cubs right now! I'm pulling for them, but I'll have a hard time deciding between the Dodgers and the Rays if it comes down to it in the playoffs.
Beating the hard luck Cubs hardly warrents saying that the Dodgers are better then the Yanks. Going down the stretch the Yankees showed the team that they were meant to be. The Dodgers are just living in Manny's world, and that world is highly combustable. The Dodgers will get steam rolled by Philli, and all this madness of praising Joe Torre's mad managerial skills will come to a crashing halt. If he managed the Yanks this year they would have been lucky to have went .500, and on top of that Chris Britton porobably would have pitch 150 innings of 5.53 era ball. Let's get real and realize that only the players can bring a championship. Girardi can not go up to A-Rod and coach his non-clutch hitting ass into hitting the game winner. Girardi also can not go out to the mound and coach Sir drunky Ponson into pitching into the 8th. The Yanks need to just get proper role players and everyone needs to do their job.
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