Jack's Jock's Jot
So in last week's Jot, Jack’s Jock revealed why the Chicago Bears won't choke and predicted a win by the Bears over the Bills. Not only did the Bears win, they beat the beejeezus out of the Bills, 40-7 keeping their record perfect at 5-0. And while the Bears were beating the hapless Bills all over the field, the New York Yankees returned home to The Big Apple to nurse their wounds. So if you were wondering about that collective "Hot Damn!" that echoed across the country this past weekend, now you know. The Yankees choked in the post-season... again.
Don't get me wrong. A bit of swagger in one's step is expected—nay, appreciated—from the Jock. But the Yankees... their swagger is not a good one. It is one of arrogance, not confidence. It's very much a swagger of the new money college fraternity brother who you just wanted to punch in the face. There is no talent cultivated in the Bronx. It is bought. It is nothing more than a commodity. Jeter, Posada, Abreu, Damon, and Matsui. The numbers these five put up are obscene. But there's one more name meant to be the icing on the Yankee cake—Alex Rodriguez. Even more than in years past, this year it seemed that A-Rod was nothing more than K-Rod. And true to his pinstripe form—even after coming out of his mid-season slump—Rodriguez could not deliver in the post-season clutch. As the New York Yankees fell to the Tigers of Detroit, A-Rod did his part (to help his team lose) by delivering more outs through strike-outs, fly-outs, and ground-outs than any other Yankee.
But it seems unfair to point the finger at one guy for failing to deliver. "Could you do any better?" one could ask the Jock. Of course not. But I'm not a two-time AL MVP with 12-years experience making over $25 million this year before endorsements. The man is clearly talented. But something is rotten in the city of New York.
Yankee fans have a near hatred for A-Rod these days. His numbers are down and he cannot hit the ball when his team needs to score. He is committing a shocking number of errors at third base. He's standing in the post-season shadow of a giant named Jeter. He's becoming a small and irrelevant player. A-Rod is losing himself inside the ivy-covered stadium walls.
The absolute best thing he could do for himself would be to waive his no-trade clause and get the hell out of The Bronx.
The real tragedy of this season is the man who seems to be getting more than his fair share of Bronx blame, Joe Torre. A manager can only manage the team he is given. And Torre, a truly gentle and kind man of the game, was given a team without a reliable starting rotation (Chien-Ming Wang proved to be the best Yankee arm of the summer and was the only Yankee pitcher to start a post-season game the Yanks won). Plus, Torre's team had more than its fair share of injuries this year, and a slew of egos that seemed to find their way onto the field. However, it was announced today by Torre himself that Steinbrenner will be keeping the man that has seen the team win 11 straight pennants. But that doesn't mean the boss is happy. Yes... it's true that a World Series hasn't been won by the boys in pinstripes since 2000 (and 1999, 1998, & 1996). But ask the White Sox or the Red Sox how quickly six seasons go by when your team hasn't won for decades.
Perhaps the Yankees' biggest problem is that the man in the biggest office in the Yankee Ivory Tower is wielding the biggest ego of them all.
Labels: Jack's Jock
posted by Anonymous at 2:08:00 AM
5 Comments:
en lieu of today's events with cory lidle's untimely death - all of this seems so very irrelevant. it also seems so very far away from today. today was truly a very sad day for the Yankees, baseball, and the whole of the sports world.
The decidedly strange and sad story out of New York yesterday left me stunned. It will take the sting out of whatever ends up following this sentence (general yankee disparagement, etc).
More and more I see the Yankees getting beat by Teams with a strong sense of 'team'. It sounds cliche, but let me try and explain. Nobody represents this sense of 'team' more succinctly than the Red Sox of just a few years past. This year's Tigers also strike me as a group of players who are committed to each other in a way that the yankees of recent years have failed to achieve. In other sports I'd add the Detroit Pistons and last year's Pittsburgh Steelers.
I don't think it is a problem of big egos. Big Egos usually follow big pay-checks but A-rod, Matsui, even Abreu don't strike me as me-me guys. However with the slap-dash, whatever's broke fix it with whatever's available no matter what the cost mentality does drive huge wedges into a team's chemistry. How comfortable can you be (unless your name is Derek Jeter) with your job when you know at any minute you could be traded or replaced by whatever big name free-agent is drawing the most respect at the moment?
i couldn't agree more. egos - i'm thinking more along the lines of the crazy boss & giambi in particular... but there's also randy johnson. ever notice how a game always takes longer when he pitches? he simply must be coddled by his catcher all through the game. it drives me crazy.
but almost every team has its egos. my bosox are no different (manny, schilling, beckett... i could go on).
but the dougO is dead on that the yanks of the past few seasons don't seem to be a team that's really happy in the clubhouse. the tigers definitely are. so are the mets... but i'm also still waiting to see if the A's can turn this series around. they're young & scrappy... and just happy as hell to be in the ALCS
agreed. couldn't be happier about the ALCS teams. Unless it was the Tribe and BoSox that is. My dream scenario is what the BoSox already accomplished, of being down 3 games to none to the yankees then having the Tribe come back and win 4 straight. genius.
My brother is a HUGE Athletics fan. Must be killing him they are down. And you are correct. He's pleased as punch they made it this far.
Also did you have to go and remind me of the 40-7 manhandling my boys received over the weekend? Now the Bills play the wrong team at the wrong time and place, a frustrated Lions club in Detroit dying for its first W.
pleased as punch is a phrase that isn't used enough. if i haven't said it outloud (or rather in blogmented words) yet dougO, i likes the cut of your jib (another under-used phrase).
the A's more than have their work cut out for them. it is very fun to watch, though.
as for reminding you of the bills' battering - my ego needed forced me to point out that i was right. i should be getting a call from the yankees at any moment. but i'm so egotisical, i'll say that i'm too good for them and that i'm still waiting for theo epstein's call. to dream...
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