Alright here's the deal. I'll make this short and sweet. Yankee fans on Twitter were acting suicidal all weekend--did you really not expect to be swept, especially with Clay Buchholz back? The Red Sox are the team to beat in baseball; plain and simple. They have a solid rotation with Bucky, Lester, Peavy and Lackey. The lineup is perfectly balanced with speed and power, and with Uehara, their bullpen problems have been all but solved. The only highlight of the weekend was the really classy (everyone's been using that word) display from the Red Sox towards Mariano, and the message he wrote on the bullpen wall was simply perfect. EVEN IF the Yankees somehow make a run to the playoffs, AND win the Wild Card game, with the new playoff rules, they'd be playing the Sawx anyway, so it's really a dead end. I guess just getting to the postseason this year will be the goal. Winning the Wild Card game won't be easy either, cause the 'Stripes would have to go on the road to Tampa or Texas, two ballparks they've never been able to win at.
The ultimate sting against Yankee fans? If the Indians, with Terry Francona and NICK SWISHER, somehow ride an easy September cloud nine to October. Swisher can stick a huge middle finger in the fans that booed him out (me being one of them.)
The Yankees have Toronto for three and a demoralized Giants for three. My (non-sensical) math tells me that if they're not 4-2 through those series, they can kiss October goodbye. Who knows who'd be named Manager of the Year? Even if I wasn't biased, I'd say Girardi absolutely deserves it, since he stayed afloat in the summer with Zoilo Almonte, Luis Cruz and Brent Lillibridge in the lineup. But the writers could one again stick with their anti-New York sentiment and name Francona the MOY (which is legitimate since he took a mediocre Indian team to October his first year.) Hell, they could name Ned Yost the MOY for keeping the Royals in the hunt all season! We all know the NL MOY is Clint Hurdle, hands down.
The Yankees have to take advantage of two demoralized teams in the Jays and Giants and let the Rays and Rangers knock each other out. The Orioles are playing the Sawx and the Indians are playing the Royals, so for Yankee fans it's "Go Royals, and yes, Go Sawx!" After those two series, the Yankees play Tampa in the Bronx for three, in Mariano's last home-stand in pinstripes. Stay above .500 guys.
By the way, I don't know about you, but if the Yankees don't make it, I'm absolutely a Pirates fan this fall; love rooting for the underdog. Yankees for life though!
'Till Next Time!
Neil Dwyer @neildwyer1993
If the Yankees don't make it this October, I'll just start watching NBA. I just can't care about another team. The only time I care who wins an MLB game that the Yankees aren't playing in is if it's a team the Yankees are competing against in the standings.
ReplyDeleteYeah, who cares about the other teams .... We are Yankeefans!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDamn right I probably wont watch either
ReplyDeleteLol I still gotta watch the postseason, that's why I put the "Yankees for life" disclaimer at the end lol.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm a Yankees fan #1, I'm also a baseball fan. So I'll certainly be watching the postseason. As for who I root for, I tend to pick teams that my friends like. Well, except the Red Sox. I will NEVER root for those bums.
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