Bronx Bombers (bomb in a bad way)

Yesterday both the Yankees and Dodgers got eliminated from the playoffs. Awesome. I told my friends that if the Dodgers won the World Series, they were going to need to be on suicide watch for me. So I'm pretty pumped that they got swept in the first round, even though I never actually thought they would win.

But it is the collapse of the Yankees that is the real story. In game one of the series vs the Tigers, their line up featured a combined 42 All-Star appearances. I'll say it again. FORTY TWO All-Star appearances. That's an average of almost 5 per player. Robinson Cano was the only one without multiple All-Star appearances. He has only one. Note that he just finished his second season. Also note that he is the Yankees' number 9 hitter and that he hit .342 this season. This is likely the most talented line up ever assembled. And they get their asses kicked around by the Detroit Tigers, a team that lost 119 games three years ago. But that was three years ago. This Tigers team is legit, and I'm happy for them. Watching them celebrate last night made me want to be a fan in Detroit.
But the point is that the sky is somewhat falling here in the Big Apple. The Yankee payroll this year was $199 million. The next closest is $69 million lower. Four Florida Marlins teams could fit in that gap (the Florida payroll is a mere $15 million). Naturally, Yankee fans are pissed. I would be too. But there are a number of things that I would like to sound off on:
It's been six years since the Yankees have won a World Series. And people are absolutely freaking out. Six years? Big fucking deal. Try being a Giants fan where it's been over 50. The fact that six years is a big deal is a testament to how lame the Yankees, their media, and their fans are. Some people are criticizing General Mangager Brian Cashman for failure to produce a championship team despite virtually unlimited resources. This is highly unwarranted. He put together an All-Star team, literally. I'd say it's up to the players at that point. I think this whole story says a lot of good things about Major League Baseball though. It shows that just getting all the talent money can buy is not necessarily the right way to go. Team chemistry is important. I love that. What I also love is the whole A-Rod saga. The guy chokes bigtime. It's just as fun rooting against A-Rod individually as it is the Yankees as a team. He makes $25 million dollars a year, and is totally not worth it. And everyone jumps on him for it, and he lets it get in his head. Awesome.
Finally, from what I am hearing, it is likely that the Yankees are going to fire Joe Torre and replace him with Lou Pinella. Bad move in my mind. I think there is a valid argument in that perhaps just a general change is needed. But as far as second guessing his decisions, that should not be the reason. Maybe he made some mistakes, maybe he didn't. But he's still Joe Torre. What about him has changed from the dynasty era of '96 to '00? But maybe the Giants will get him. That would be interesting. Although I don't see it happening. For some reason I just don't think he would fit.

In other news, I hope the T.O. saga reaches new heights today in his return to Philidelphia. Maybe like a fight with a fan or something. Or going to spike the ball at the 50 yard line again as he did as a 49er against the Cowboys. Obviously the smart thing to do after scoring a TD would be nothing. But he's not the smartest guy. And he wouldn't get even more attention paid to him, which he wants so very badly. No, T.O., don't disappoint the casual fan, and especially don't disappoint the media.