And my dog ate my homework…

Steve , Hank heard your call. This is from Pete Abe…

HANK SAYS WAIT ‘TIL NEXT YEAR: Hank Steinbrenner has emerged from seclusion. Here are his comments to the AP in Tampa.

“I’m not writing off this season. They’re trying hard to win. There’s only so much you can do. They’re not supermen. I think it’s very simple, we’ve been devastated by injuries. No team I’ve ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team. Imagine the Red Sox without (Josh) Beckett and (Jon) Lester. Pitching is 70 percent of the game. Wang won 19 games two straight years. Chamberlain became the most dominating pitcher in baseball. You can’t lose two guys like that.”

“It’s not making excuses. It’s reality. That’s part of the game. That’s clearly our problem. We’re going to win it next year. If we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we’ll do that. We’ll do whatever we need to do. Next year we’ll be extremely dangerous.”

UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: Hank’s excuses will register with a lot of fans. But I agree with a recent blog entry from Joel Sherman. Every team has had problems, including the wild-card leading Red Sox.

When the Yankees were three games out on July 26 (only 17 days ago), there were injuries then, right? They added Marte, Nady and Pudge and everybody was talking about the pennant. This collapse can’t be blamed on injuries. This team remains capable and is simply playing poorly. The injuries might have been what kept them out of the Series. But there is ample talent to make the playoffs.

Yeah, Kevin Long will be a goner. As much as Arod likes him and former Yankees like Mankiewitch praising him, it’s over for KL if they don’t make the playoffs. Arod is back to being clutchless BUT Jeter has become Mr Clutchless Jr this year. Cano is playing lazily in the field and at the plate, where is Bowa when you need him? I thought about Long being the fall guy, but we saw what happened when Denbo got fired back in the day, Their playoff performance actually got worse,not better.

somehow everyone thinks this is A-Rod’s fault…
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It’s not all Arod’s fault but he hasn’t helped the situation. Once again, he stinks in the clutch.

Is he the only one who’s stinking up the joint? No. But he’s the only one signed for the next 9+ yr’s at $30 mill per.

Firing Girardi or any of the coaches would be totally pointless. And firing Cashman now would be pointless as well.
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Remember who we’re talking about here. Does there have to be a point?

Firing Girardi or any of the coaches would be totally pointless.
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There is one coach that can obviously take a fall… Kevin Long. His job is to be hitting coach. It seems the Yankees have changed their approach to hitting from years past and its currently not working.

You have Cano, Cabrera regressing as hitters and having poor at bats all season. Jeter’s numbers are down across the board and he appears to taking the wrong approach to hitting in many situations (swinging on 3-0 counts etc). Molina’s inability to bunt down the 3rd base line. A-Rod striking out 33% of the time with runners on 3rd w/ less than two outs.

All of these problems fall under hitting and thats his responsibility and in the land of Steinbrenner someone always pays for failure with their job and my money is on K. Long.

Can’t say that I am surprised. I think A Change Is Gonna Come, like Sam Cooke said.
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What kind of change? Firing Girardi or any of the coaches would be totally pointless. And firing Cashman now would be pointless as well. If Cashman’s gone, they should do it in the off-season, after everyone’s had time to digest 2008.

Frankly there’s nothing that a firing would solve in this case. Jeter, Cano, and Melky have stunk this year, Pettitte and Giambi have been inconsistent, and Wang, Matsui, and Posada, have been hurt. Even the best GM in the world (whoever that is) couldn’t work around all of this, I don’t think.

And despite all that, somehow everyone thinks this is A-Rod’s fault…

Well, now that the Yankees have lost 11 of their last 16, where’s Hank?
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Hiding in his room?

Can’t say that I am surprised. I think A Change Is Gonna Come, like Sam Cooke said.