Its Rangers and Cardinals

It was a litte strange following the Rangers/Tigers ALCS especially the Rangers victory in game 6. I couldn't help but think that that should have been the Yankees losing to the Rangers in game 6. But alas, we'll have to let that go. I still hold that we had an ALDS champion caliber team, but with cold bats, and an untimely performance digression by Sabathia here we are watching the Tigers, and not the Yankees, lose to the Rangers. But now as the Rangers and Cardinals get ready to face off in the world series we'll just have to immerse ourselves into football until the hot stove season begins.

Phil Hughes

We've been asked where we see Phil Hughes in the Yankees future rotation plans. Hughes has had an interesting career so far with the Yankees. Touted as the next Cy Young, he turned out to be mostly young, inexperienced, and injured. He's lost significant velocity on his fastball and has only really had one successful half-season (last year). Hughes has seemingly regressed, but it may be too early to count him out. He had a large increase in workload in 2010 and that may have contributed to his performance this past season. If he can get his arm strength back, he should be a legitimate rotation presence. If not, he should still be a strong bullpen candidate as his performance in the ALDS showed. Perhaps the biggest thing for Hughes is developing more of his secondary pitches, assuming he can redevelop his primary pitches. He should probably start there first as we do not need another Edwar Ramirez. Also, he should fire his personal pitching coach, Edwar Ramirez.

Free Agent Starters

It is no secret that the Yankees need to address their rotation problems this off season. Though many of us fans would like to see our prospects get a chance to win a spot, the fact of the matter is, this is New York, and the big name always wins out. Although, this years free agent market is light in the pitching department there have been some names that keep coming up: C.J. Wilson, Hiroki Kuroda, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson and Yu Darvish. The only one I would really consider out of this group is C.J. Wilson. Wilson's a left hander with post season experience, and has had quite a bit of success since they turned him into a starter 2 seasons ago. At 31, we may end up overpaying for his declining years, but we should get a few productive years and hopefully the Killer B's will be locking down the front end of our rotation in his twilight. The question will be how much would we want to commit to someone like Wilson. Considering the contract we gave to Soriano, I can see us easily overpaying. Kuroda, Buerhle, and Jackson are interesting options, but none of them really stand out. Yu Darvish is another highly touted Japanese player who probably won't live up to the hype, and I blame Ichiro. Ichiro gave us the expectation that every Japanese player had superhero powers. Matsui furthered this notion. Since then all the big names coming from Japan have been decent at best. Mostly they've not been good at all. Igawa, Matsuzaka, Fukudome, Iwamura, Tazawa haven't really been the game changers they were hoped to be.

At Least We're Not Boston

Remember when there were all these questions about whether there was tension between Theo Epstein and Terry Francona and Epstein always denied it? Turns out he was telling the truth. They were both looking to jump off this particular sinking ship as soon as possible. It's not just that the ship was sinking, it was kind of also on fire. Nuclear fire. They didn't even know that was possible. Epstein is now on his way to Chicago while Boston clubbies are telling Globe reporters that Francona was addicted to pain killers. He was, after all, taking pain killers, so he must have been addicted to them. The theory goes like this: Terry Francona's nickname was Tito. Tito is the name of Michael Jackson's brother. Michael Jackson was addicted to pain killers. Terry Francona is addicted to pain killers. It's only logic.

The Yankees now look to a postseason of throwing more money at CC Sabathia and addressing further rotation personnel issues. The Sox now look for a new GM, a new manager, and a way to get players to sit in the dugout during games. It's not like they're paid millions of dollars to sit and watch a game that we pay hundreds of dollars we don't have, but Visa and MasterCard do, to watch. Damn.

The Off Season is Upon Us

Yes, I'm well aware that the playoffs are still in process, but for all effective purposes the off season has arrived. How Yankee fans deal with an off season after the Yankees have failed to win a championship goes a little something like this:

1. Start finger pointing and yelling. Find one scapegoat to amass all your hatred against (A-Rod was a past favorite, AJ is a new favorite).

2. Begin making wild trade proposals (IE. AJ Burnett and Pedro Feliciano for Cliff Lee, cash considerations, and a player to be named later).

3. Demand in some sort of online forum that Cashman sign (insert name of biggest free agent here) and that he should be fired if he fails to do so.

4. Repeat steps 1 - 3.

Before we at the RJG begin this process however, we want to celebrate the release of certain contractual obligations that had been a hindrance to the Yankees. First up, Kei Igawa. This years $4 million payment marked the last we would make to our favorite triple A pitcher, and marks the end of a $56 million investment that never paid out. Second, Damaso Marte. He did well for us in helping us win a world series, but his overall value has been diminished as he's seemingly taken up permanent residence on the designated list. That's another $4 million freed up from the payroll. Third, A-Rod made $32 million this season, next season that price will drop to $30 million for a saving of $2 million dollars. Now some may think that a .276 average with 16 homeruns and 62 RBI's is not worth $32 million or even $30 million, but that doesn't take into A-Rod's intangible qualities. Like who else would we hate if A-Rod wasn't on the team? Who else could we boo? $32 million assured us of at least one player we could boo and feel guiltless about. Booing the $900,000 Bartolo Colon? That's just wrong. Booing the $32 million A-Rod? Priceless. Lastly, we will be losing Posada's $13.1 million contract. That is the biggest contract coming off the books, but it comes with much sadness. Posada did not produce this year, and we were forced to come to terms with his humanity. Posada will likely not be back next year, but it doesn't diminish what he's done for this organization, and the many great memories we've had with him in the Bronx. He was a vital part of the dynasty, and helped continue the tradition of Yankee catchers who were also strong clubhouse leaders.

All in all, I am ready for the off season. The Yankees have holes throughout their rotation they need to fill, and CC's impending opt out could be an interesting story over the next couple months.

What Now?

With the Yankees season over, many are wondering what the Yankees will do now. Most of them will go to a house much much larger than yours, so stop worrying about it. Soon we'll find out whether Sabathia will opt out, or whether the Yanks will throw money around like they're making it rain. First, unfortunately, we have to wait for the remaining teams to finish their seasons. How selfish of them is that? Ever heard of a New York minute? We don't have time for this $#!% right now! What else do the Yankees need to worry about this off-season?

Update:

[The following comment, from blog regular Rich Mahogany, was too good to leave in the comments section, so I've moved it here]

A lot depends on whether Cashman comes back. If he does, I fully expect more miraculous scrap heap signings, perhaps even finding a pitcher who was previously living under a heap of scraps.

If he doesn't, his replacement will be a yes-man for Levine and the Steinbrenners. That person will re-sign CC for 10 years and $220 million, and will also give CJ Wilson $160 million and Yu Darvish $150 million. Add in the contracts to Pujols, Prince Fielder and David Ortiz (for depth) and we will see baseball's first $1 billion payroll. Yankee Stadium will change its name to Goldman Sachs & Co. and FTI Consulting Present the New York Yankees Old Fashioned Ballpark and the average seat price will be the same as Phil Hughes' salary.

So I hope he comes back.

Yankees Offense Stays Home, Now the Rest of the Team Can Join Them

The Good

Endless speculation about whether the Yanks sign either Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder to be their full-time DH can now begin.

The Bad

Ivan Nova left the game after two innings with forearm tightness. I can't confirm this, but it sort of feels like he may have given up on the team after finding himself in a really tough spot. I'm not prepared to go there entirely just yet, but it feels that way.

The Ugly

An inability to score runs with the bases loaded is pretty ugly. The Yankees had plenty of opportunities tonight but simply didn't get it done. We can only blame ourselves.

I Can't Believe We're Paying For This

Cano hit another home run. Great.

Robinson Cano 2hr = $10
Curtis Granderson 1hr = $3
Nick Swisher 1hr = $3
Total = $16

Burnett Saves Season, Granderson Reveals His Super Hero Nature

The Good

The season fell to the efforts of AJ Burnett who has been dismal this season, but who was remarkably effective last night. 5.2 innings of 1 run ball was the final line, and despite some scary moments, the Tigers were not able to capitalize on their base runners. Then there was Granderson, who may have revealed that he is the mysterious New York crime fighting vigilante known as Gurtis Cranderson. Apparently, like most super hero crime fighters, Granderson can fly, which came in handy with a late game grab of a quickly sinking would-be double. Oh, and the Yankees scored 10 runs while AJ and the bullpen, including RJG blog favorite Rafael Soriano, kept the Tigers to 1 run.

The Bad

Montero finally came in to play and he had a couple hits. This immediately made me think, what would have came of the much needed game 3 if Montero was allowed to play? No matter, we're on to game 5.

The Ugly

The Yankees are now set to face off in an epic game 5. Burnett's outing was a huge boost, and having homefield advantage is a plus, but it still comes down to this final game. On thursday, we may really be watching Nova transform into the Super Nova we've always dreamed of.

10 Runs and No Homers!?

Another benefit of a game 5 is that maybe the Yankees will make up for their lack of homeruns in a power boosted display of rage! 10 runs, and not a single jack. The babies need you.

Robinson Cano 1hr = $5
Curtis Granderson 1hr = $3
Nick Swisher 1hr = $3
Total = $11

Oh No

The Good

The Yankees scored 4 runs including 2 off a Brett Gardner double that almost, sort of, kind of gave us some momentum. Unfortunately, the momentum was stopped short.

The Bad

The momentum was stopped short by Soriano, who follows the same script every time he gives up a run. It goes something to the effect of "It was a good pitch. I got beat on a good pitch." And the thing is, I think he's telling the truth. It turns out, Soriano can't pitch like Mariano. Its a simple mistake to make though seeing as the names kind of rhyme, and the Yankee front office likes to have fun with words.

The Ugly

We lost the game. We're now facing elimination as we turn our hopes over to AJ Burnett. Burnett may surprise us. He surprised us last year when he seemingly forgot how to pitch, so surprising people is in his blood.

Homeruns Would Have Been Nice

No homeruns yesterday, which certainly didn't help our efforts and definitely didn't help the children.

Robinson Cano 1hr = $5

Curtis Granderson 1hr = $3
Nick Swisher 1hr = $3
Total = $11

Yankees Drop Game 2

The Good

Mere mortals faced off in a game of giants! There were homeruns by Swisher and Granderson, effective relief pitching by Cory Wade and Boone Logan, and when all was said and done, the rain did not bring the game to an early conclusion.

The Bad

Freddy Garcia gave what we could have hoped to get. 5.1 innings 4 runs, 3 earned. The question is, will this cut it in the ALCS or World Series? I can't imagine it will.

The Ugly

Boone Logan balked! We asked him what happened and this is what he said: "In the middle of my delivery I heard someone behind me yell 'The LORD has returned!' and I was like 'Oh no, the apocaypse!? Here now!? In the middle of my delivery!?!? I must stop and investigate this matter further. Turns out, the LORD didn't come back, it was just Miguel Cabrera messing with me. But its a good thing. I would have been screwed."

The Money and the Babies

When the Yankees turn in a good season and make it to the post season, charity should not cease to be benefited. To this end, the Respect Jeters Gangster blog has decided to continue its charitable donations to the Children's Health Fund homerun club throughout the postseason. Now during the regular season, we gave $2 for every homerun hit. But since everyone knows homeruns in the postseason are more valuable the only right thing to do is to up our amount to $3 for every postseason homerun. Further more, to honor the newly anointed homerun club captain, Robinson Cano, the RJG will be giving $5 for every homerun Cano hits in the postseason. So that looks a little something like this:

Robinson Cano 1hr = $5
Curtis Granderson 1hr = $3
Nick Swisher 1hr = $3
Total = $11