Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Steinbrenner rips Yankees after O's complete sweep

[bob_TCC]

Looks like George has just about had enough...

Click here for the article on SI.com.

What do the Yankees fans here think?

-Bob

[wrv01]

I wouldn't worry about the yankees they always end up in the palyoffs in the end.

It just shows you that you cannot buy the best team in baseball......

GO METS!!!!!!!!!!

[jrlenox]

Yankees will do fine .. George will have temper tantrum every week or two unless the team is in first place by 10 games or more.

But I would love to see George throw all his toys out of the playpen if the team does not make the playoffs one year ..

And how Joe Torre will manage a losing team.

[jferris]

What do the Yankees fans here think?

Biased views follow, YMMV.

I think that the axe will fall soon, and it is going to be Mel Stottlemyre that will be the victim. Granted, the starting pitching has not been the greatest, but the middle relief and closing staff have either blown the lead or put the game out of reach too many times in such a short period of time. Sturtze has had one bad appearance, but has looked good against Boston. Gordon looks horrible, Stanton can't find the strike zone, and Rivera has been hit and miss.

As far as the starters go, I really believe in the old guy vs. cold weather aspect of it. While the temperatures continue to warm up, so will the starters. Johnson has 10 Ks in his last start, but hung a couple of pitches which lead to a few runs that the Yankees did not get back. Pavano and Wright have looked good at times and I think they both will settle in. Mussina is concerning, though. He does not have his velocity. His fastball is only clocking in the upper 80s in the same range that his slider is. If both of those pitches are coming in at the same speed, it is like not having two pitches at all. As for Kevin Brown, it was a rough first couple of innings yesterday, but he settled down and looked good after that. The key is that he needs to stay healthy.

The hitting is, for the most part, there. Sheff is really hot right now, and Bernie is shaking off his funk. Jeter is swinging the bat well. Matsui is a monster. (You can really see the influence Mattingly has had on his swing if you look at it from when he first joined the Yankess and this year. He dips down into a crouch through his swing now, a lot like Mattingly used to.) The rest of them will come around, I think.

It is too early to jump ship, but I am glad to see the boss is going to shake them up a bit. Tonight is Tampa Bay. Historically, the Yankees do very well against them. Maybe tonight will be a turning point? I am sure that matched with the Boss' comments yesterday there will be a little bit of poking the fire. I would be very suprised if the Yankees do not win tonight.

Joseph

[bob_TCC]

I posted this one just for you, Joseph.

As a Pirates fan suffering through 12 straight losing seasons, we have to find comfort in mini slides from the Yankees.

-Bob

[19th Century Indiana Jones]

The only championship Steinbrenner has a shot at this year is with Bellamy Road.

[jferris]

Bob -

I posted this one just for you, Joseph.   

As a Pirates fan suffering through 12 straight losing seasons, we have to find comfort in mini slides from the Yankees.  

I figured as much. ;-)

Steinbrenner years haven't always been good years. There was a really bad period in there from 1982 through 1995. I remember the number of managers that we went through was just unbelievable. Some of the worst names in baseball wore pinstripes through those years. Honestly, if it wasn't for Mattingly playing, I probably would have lost interest in the team.

The biggest problem with the Yankees is that they have no farm system anymore. Being an older team, they are going to have to continually keep buying and trading to keep up with the status quo. Their farm system has cranked out some great players in the past twenty years (Mattingly, Jeter, Williams, Soriano, Drabek, Buhner, etc.). When the Yankees started to make their turn onto a winning path in the mid-90's, I really believe that it was their home-grown talent that started to get them there. Once the Boss started to win, he got greedy and started trading away potential for established talent and paying large amounts of cash for veterans.

Honestly, I believe the Yankees are on a decline, or are at least starting to head in that direction. They need to take more interest in prospects and their farm system and try building from within again.

But what do I know? I am only a code jockey. ;-)

--Joseph

[bob_TCC]

They need to take more interest in prospects and their farm system and try building from within again.

We've been hearing these phrases for way too many years here in Pittsburgh. Luckily for Yankees fans, the Yankees will likely be able to do both - build from within (if wanted) and buy the missing pieces (as needed).

-Bob

[jferris]

Bob -

We've been hearing these phrases for way too many years here in Pittsburgh.  Luckily for Yankees fans, the Yankees will likely be able to do both - build from within (if wanted) and buy the missing pieces (as needed).

I understand what it is like being a Pittsburg fan, although not in regards to the Pirates. When it comes to hockey, I look outside my local market. Been a Pens fan for better than twenty years. Sure, there have been a pair of Stanley Cups in there, but that feels like it was more than twenty years ago already. ;-)

--Joseph

[bob_TCC]

It is too early to jump ship, but I am glad to see the boss is going to shake them up a bit.  Tonight is Tampa Bay.  Historically, the Yankees do very well against them.  Maybe tonight will be a turning point?  I am sure that matched with the Boss' comments yesterday there will be a little bit of poking the fire.  I would be very suprised if the Yankees do not win tonight.

15-2 Yankees in the bottom of the 3rd. Does that qualify as "very well"?

-Bob

[jferris]

15-2 Yankees in the bottom of the 3rd.  Does that qualify as "very well"?  

Still not comfortable with it... 15-7 already. The offense is there tonight, but the Boss's memo didn't make it to the pitching staff. ;-)

But, ARod looks incredible tonight. I think that is the biggest round of applause he has gotten at the stadium. He is already 3-3 with a double and two HRs (6 RBIs).

--Joseph

[bob_TCC]

Still not comfortable with it...  15-7 already.  The offense is there tonight, but the Boss's memo didn't make it to the pitching staff.  ;-)

Spoken like a diehard fan. No lead is ever enough to stop worrying that your team could still lose.

-Bob

[bob_TCC]

Yankees are looking more and more like what we've come to expect (or dislike depending on your view).

Yesterday was their 10th win in a row.

-Bob

[jferris]

Yesterday was their 10th win in a row.

As I sit here with the game on, still working (16 hours today, so far), I am liking what I am seeing. I will like it much more once we are on top of the Red Sox... ;-)

--Joseph

[bob_TCC]

Who would have thought heading into tonight's game that the Pirates would have a better record than the Yankees?

Any predictions on the series? I say the Pirates win 2 out of 3.

By the way, it's the first time the Pirates have been to New York to play the Yankees since the 1960 World Series and the Maz walk-off homerun. Cool stretch for the Pirates playing this series and then in Boston.

-Bob

[bob_TCC]

Looks like the Yankees might get healthy against my Pirates.

Yankees won 9-0 in the first game today. Click here for the story on SportsLine.com.

-Bob

[bob_TCC]

Start of article from SportsLine.com about tonight's Pirates/Yankees game:

"Jason Giambi hit a two-run homer into the upper deck in the 10th inning, and the New York Yankees rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 Wednesday night with help from a questionable call at first base."

Click here for the full article.

As a Pirates fan, I will say that I do believe the Yankee player was safe at 1st. Really good game - even if my team lost.

-Bob

[bob_TCC]

Well, the Yankees completed a 3-game sweep of the Pirates with a 6-1 win in tonight's game.

Click here for the story on SportsLine.com.

Sorry, Yankees fans, but the Pirates are moving on to Boston now.

-Bob