The pitching is just too damned mediocre, CMW notwithstanding. For the life of me, I can’t remember the last team to simply bludgeon their way to a championship.
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It has been a while. 1993, as a matter of fact

I think some of us bought into the hype of the media predicting the Yankees to role through the post-season, which you can’t expect them to do anymore…the series is only 1-1 its not over sure but I know alot of people are down on the team because hey they basically need Johnson or Wright to come up big and that’s not the situation they want to be in…but Rogers and Bondermen are definitely beatable as well…

As far as the game yesterday, the Yankees just got flat out beat in my opinion….Matsui is pretty bad in left if you ask me, I always felt he was kind of shakey, and Mussina threw a horrible pitch to Guillen..on the plus side Bruney looked good….I was hoping we would see Bernie DH for Giambi against Rogers in Game 3 but Giambi is hitting over .400 against Rogers so I guess the Yanks will be using the same lineup all series…it’s almost a no-win situation because these guys are so good, you can’t really sit one of them so you live or die with them if they are in a slump then your screwed…and as far as ARod yesterday…if he didn’t have a prior history of choking then yesterday wouldn’t have mattered but he’s just adding to it meanwhile Pujols is tearing up any pitcher he faces

I still think the Yanks will take down the Tigers in 5, though I’m far from optimistic about advancing beyond the ALCS BECAUSE…

A. This is not the same team that cruised to a division championship – I don’t care what the pundits say about “The best lineup in the history of mankind,” etc., this lineup is stacked with station-to-station power hitters and craploads of strikeouts. They will get stymied by top-shelf pitching. Melky was huge this year and should be insterted in leftfield without question (even if Joe has to DH Matsui and bench Sheff and his ailing ego).

B.) The pitching is just too damned mediocre, CMW notwithstanding. For the life of me, I can’t remember the last team to simply bludgeon their way to a championship. Championship teams almost always have either two aces OR one ace, a strong two and three and a lights-out bullpen. Unfortunately, the Yanks have none of the above.

Maybe it has to do with changing the ENTIRE DYNAMIC of the team… Forcing Matsui and Sheff into the lineup. Not for nothing, but we were winning with Melky in left and Giambi in 1st. Not with the Line UP we have now. I feared this when I heard they would both be in the lineup.

AROD: I am his biggest supporter. If he does not come through tomorrow and does something to help this team win the game I am really DONE. He was smoking HOT a week ago. Folds like my 3 year OLD.

Don’t get me started on Randy…

But I am not saying anything that has not been said like 10 times today alone. How can I trust the Yankees after this year? Failure is starting to seem like the name of the game. NO TRUST:::

I take it all back, Joel. They’re winning the f’ing series. See you guys tomorrow, I need to stop obsessing and chill! There’s a good reason we’re all depressed, and it has nothing to do with the first 8 innings–Todd Jones got the save. They got the leadoff runner on and couldn’t score him against Todd Jones. That wouldn’t have happened in 98-00. Pretty easy to see why we’re all shaken to the core. But that’s over and done with. Kenny Rogers will get thrashed around like a photographer, Johnson will be ready to throw a gem AND give birth, and A-Rod is smoking one, maybe two homers.

I hope the people who are predicting the loss of the series after game 2 also said the same thing after the game 1 win. If not, the whiplash will kill ya.

JeremyM,

That was one of the most depressing entries I have ever read on this site. Depressing but true. I hate to say it myself, but the Atlanta B-Word entered my mind today too.

I do not want to get ahead of ourselves, after all we’re still 1-1 in this series. But the murmurs are already beginning. I heard it today from usually unflappable Mike Francesa (a big Yankee fan and important opinion-maker in NY) of WFAN. Basically Francesa said that if the Yanks lose to the Tigers, he thinks there should/will be a total change in the “culture of the team.”

I’ll be honest ynks4life, I no longer have confidence in the Yankees as the YANKEES anymore.

Announcers are still amazed that teams are not “intimidated” by the Yankees. First off, these guys are major leaguers. Second off, the Yanks have not won it all since 2000. It’s nothing new. We’ve seen this script in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, to varying degrees. Tons of stranded runners, missed opportunites, little numbskull plays, shaky defense, etc.

Do I think the Yanks are dead? No. But when I watch a game like today, all I think about are the failures from the past anymore, and how this compares. Before, I would think “hey, they’re down 2 runs and it’s late, no problem, they’ve been there before.” Basically, we’re turning into Braves fans!

Maybe we’ll be better off if Giambi can put on a glove, Melky can go back to left, and Matsui can DH. I think they win with that setup today.

We all just got a stark reminder about the importance of pitching and defense in playoff baseball. Some thoughts:

Moose: Up 3-1 after 4, you have to give us at least a tie going into the 8th. These are the freakin’ Tigers, not the 2004 Red Sox.

Matsui: Misplayed a ball that Melky catches in left in the 7th. Sure he hit well, but he drove home none and cost us one.

Posada: Misplayed two balls. I don’t care if one was called a wild pitch, a major league catcher must make those plays.

Sheffield: An absolute, no-holes-barred accident waiting to happen at first base. Jeter’s “error” is routine for a decent first baseman.

The Bullpen: Has Joe already lost confidence in Myers? With a runner on third and one out with a lefty up (Granderson), where is Myers for the strikeout? So what if Granderson got to him yesterday. Curtis Granderson is not David Ortiz! Why have Myers if you’re not going to use him in a spot like that?

A-Rod: We’ve seen this movie before: Has one standard swing for every situation. Refuses to shorten his swing with 2 strikes. Feasts on mediocre pitching. Problem is, you don’t see so much mediocre pitching in the playoffs, so there’s your 3-23 with a gazillion stikeouts in the last 2 ALDS.

The Manager: I have generally defended Joe on this site. But now it is gut-check time for him too. He managed in 1996 like every game was an elimination game, and he didn’t care who he pissed off. No one player is bigger than this team. If someone is cold, we don’t have time to “wait for him to come around.” With Jaret Wright going against Bonderman on the road in game 4, tomorrow MUST be managed as an elimination game.

I must be in time warp. It just seems like yesterday that Randy Johnson was starting a critical game 3 in the ALDS. I hope the results are better this time around.

It was definitely a tough loss but don’t give up yet!!! You guys all sound like you’re throwing in the towel…Don’t forget who we are! We are the New York Yankees. We’re still going to win the series 3-1. Where is the faith NY???