Ho Ho Ho. I don't know which was the worse decision last night, taking Giambi out or bringing Rivera in.

God forbid Giambi gets a anytime after the first inning, because he is usually lifted for a pinch runner soon after. Which then brings up the inevitable 8th-9th inning AB with someone in Giambi's spot. With a bench as bad as the Yankees, Giambi should not be pinch-run for as much.

God forbid Giambi gets a hit anytime after the first inning, because he is then usually lifted for a pinch runner soon after. Which then brings up the inevitable 8th-9th inning AB with someone in Giambi's spot. With a bench as bad as the Yankees, Giambi should not be pinch-run for as much.

argh. sorry.

Joe Torre, for whatever his strategic faults, has created an atmosphere that enticed both Mussina and Pettitte to take way under market contracts, and he may well also be able to bring back Clemens.

I don't know why Minky wasn't guarding the line in the 8th though. A bounding ball shouldn't make it between him and the line.

I don't know why Minky wasn't guarding the line in the 8th though. A bounding ball shouldn't make it between him and the line.

He was caught daydreaming about how he might steal the 2004 Championship Ball back.

Dumb move to pinch-run for Giambi, I would have let Proctor start the 8th, and made sure that Minky was nearer the bag, but from the whole tone of this snarky little blog I get the feeling that Ben thinks if he'd been managing the team himself that they'd be looking to win their 12th straight World Series, or that his idea of a great manager is Billy Martin.

The guy who blew Friday's game for the Yankees was Mariano, not Torre. Unless Torre could predict how bad Rivera would be, his only questionable move of the night was replacing Giambi.

Surely, somebody will find a way to blame Alex Rodriguez. Right?

Letting Kevin "Not Ryan" Thompson bat in Giambi's place, tho, w/ the game on the line, & Josh Phelps festering in the on-deck circle, is all on Torre. The problem being, tho, that Phelps was in line to PH for Wil Nieves, who was in the game because Posada hurt his thumb - meaning, if Phelps hit for Thompson, then came into the game as the catcher (lol), they'd lose their DH. But I'd think getting your best at-this-point hitter up w/ a chance to tie or take the lead would be the thing to do. Unless I'm goofing the DH-sub rule.

Where's Miguel Cairo when you need him?!?!

Josh Phelps was not likely to drive Bobby Abreu in from first base. In order to tie the game, two batters were going to have to get on base without making an out. So the question is not "Who is better, Kevin Thompson or Josh Phelps?"

Rather, the question is, "Who is better:

1. Kevin Thompson and Wil Nieves;
2. Josh Phelps and Wil Nieves;
3. Kevin Thompson and Josh Phelps?"

Torre went with #3, and I think that that was not just "correct", but "obviously and undeniably correct".

i'd rather see Phelps up instead of Thompson with 2 outs any day. Either they pitch to him with Abreu on first or they walk him to get to Nieves and put the tying run in scoring position.

Sure, Howard, why not?

How many of those homers have come in the ninth in Fenway, huh? NONE, that's how many. Alex always teases us in meaningless situations - we know the Yankees are in the playoffs, who cares if they beat Cleveland or Baltimore in April? Hardly clutch. Might as well have been spring training. In the first game that Really Matters, representing the go-ahead run, what does he do? Choke, that's what. Choker.

And now you are relying on Wil Nieves instead of on Kevin Thompson. That is poor managing.

I've long been a Torre defender, but he has managed very poorly this season. At this rate, the bullpen will be shot by June; he simply has to push his starters, when they are healthy, further into games. The constant pinch-running for Giambi has to stop, too, especially with this team's bench being pencil-thin. (Why pinch-run for Giambi with a four-run lead? I could somewhat see it in a one-run game, but not in the situation last night.) And there's absolutely no justification not to pinch-hit Phelps for Thompson in the ninth inning. Waiting for Thompson to keep the inning going so that Phelps can pinch-hit for Nieves is like waiting for Godot. As for putting Rivera into the game in the eighth, I don't see any problem with that, but Torre needs to find him more regular work so that the rust doesn't show as badly as it did last night. Torre could have easily found an inning for Rivera in the Indians series, but didn't, because of his obsession with only putting Mo into games in which there is a save situation.

Cashman has to take his share of blame, too. He has shown little ability or inclination toward assembling a competent bench since the year 2000. It shouldn't be that difficult to find a decent left-handed pinch-hitter or backup catcher, not with the trading and financial resources this team has. With all of the pitching prospects the Yankees have assembled, they should be able to spin one or two B-level prospects into a competent bench player.

I think it's pretty clear that Torre is not EXACTLY the right manager for the current iteration of the Yankees, the way he was in the late 90s-early 00s. The current team requires more of a tactical guy, with a little fire in the belly, with the roster's being so ancient and Steinbrenner seemingly out of it.

That said, Vizcaino and Rivera blew this game, not Torre, and the Yankees have continued to win 90+ games every year. I don't see using Vizcaino and Rivera as he did as some huge blunder, and this is the kind of blog entry you get when fans are worried and frustrated.

I am not a fan of either team, but I really enjoyed watching last night's game. The tribute to Auerbach (I am a lifelong Laker fan) was nice too, but "gimmick" uniforms and "alternate" uniforms bug me, in part because of the transparent commercialism. How about a little shamrock patch on the sleeves instead? I am from the Sparky Anderson school on unis: "Every team should wear two uniforms: one for home games and one for road games."

And there's absolutely no justification not to pinch-hit Phelps for Thompson in the ninth inning. Waiting for Thompson to keep the inning going so that Phelps can pinch-hit for Nieves is like waiting for Godot.

Again, I really, really don't understand this.

Barring an extremely unlikely homer or triple, both of the next two batters would have to get on base without making an out in order to tie the game. Do you people honestly not understand this?

If waiting for Thompson to keep the inning going so that Phelps can pinch-hit for Nieves is like waiting for Godot, then pinch-hitting Phelps for Thompson to keep the inning going so that Nieves can hit for himself is like... jeez, I don't know, something much stupider.

hypocriticality

Awesome. A new word--I guess "hypocrisy" doesn't adequately describe the levels to which I have sunk (sank?)

You're a Laker fan but you hate the "gimmicky" stuff? Who introduced dancing girls at NBA games? Who patented "Showtime"? How about purple and gold uniforms? Who has Dyan Cannon at every game, wiggling her tits around during every timeout? And every other Hollywood has-been who needs some face time in the vain attempt to revive a comatose career?

I am not sure how to deal with this, except that it reminds of me how cool it was when the Lakers and the Celtcs both had awesome teams and there was this level of "culture-clash" between the fan bases. I have to hope it occurs again at some point during the digital era--it will be quite entertaining.


wiggling her tits

You must have a better cable package than I do. I have seen her wiggle her ass--but never her tits.

you hate the "gimmicky' stuff?

I said I hate gimmicky and alternate uniforms. The Lakers' alternates are at least traditional in the sense they are white unis worn at home, which actually look better than the yellow ones. The Celtics, of course, sold out entirely by adding black road unis with "street cred."

No offense robin, but are you aware of the hypocriticality of these statements?

You're a Laker fan but you hate the "gimmicky' stuff? Who introduced dancing girls at NBA games? Who patented "Showtime"? How about purple and gold uniforms? Who has Dyan Cannon at every game, wiggling her tits around during every timeout? And every other Hollywood has-been who needs some face time in the vain attempt to revive a comatose career?

Of course you fail to realize that one can be a fan of a team and still dislike such things. You don't have to like everything your team does.

So far this season we've seen:
A-Rod hit 12 home runs.
People shift blame from A-Rod to Jeter, and now Torre.

Can't things just ever be OK in the Bronx?

Can't things just ever be OK in the Bronx?

Sure. 1998 is the media's and a lot of the fan base's idea of an OK Yankee season.

Sure. 1998 is the media's and a lot of the fan base's idea of an OK Yankee season.

ironic (in the Michael Kay sense) that, since Steinbrenner is too ill to rant and rave about every loss, the Yankee fans have taken over for him

Yankee fans have become their father

so that Nieves can hit for himself

Did the Yankees use all their bench players already?

Of course you fail to realize that one can be a fan of a team and still dislike such things. You don't have to like everything your team does.

Indeed. As a Mavericks fan, they do a lot of stuff at games that I can't stand. The Rangers tell people when to cheer, and the fans still do the ####### Wave at every game.

The only perfect sporting experience (for me) that I know of is UT football games.

I'm watching the replay of the game on NESN, and Torre just pulled Giambi for a pinch-runner.

It actually doesn't seem a terrible move. It's the 8th inning, four-run lead, and with the bottom of the order up, and nobody out, better speed might could have made the difference. And then he probably wanted to give Giambi's knees some rest, too.

I second those who say this loss rests on Mariano and Vizcaino's shoulders.

I have seen her wiggle her ass--but never her tits.

Cybernanny 911!

Is there a manager in baseball that doesn't make dumb decisions from time to time? I don't get calling for a manager's head because of tactical decisions. Over the course of a season, those decisions tend to balance out.

GORP Posted: April 21, 2007 at 12:20 PM (#2341415)

Can't things just ever be OK in the Bronx?

- seems things can't never be just OK anywheres. my stros just won their last 9 of 10 and the fans are CONSTANTLY complaining that the GM/manager gotta be fired, that burke gotta be traded for john buck, that ensberg shoulda been traded so we could sign pedro feliz, that lidge should be sent down, blahblahblah.

- fans think that anyone who has a bad game should be released. fans think that anyone who pithes a bad game should be released/sent down and the minor league guy called up.

then they complain that phil plays the bench guys AND that phil won't use the exact same lineup every day.

so it is not just yankee fans.

i got no idea why all of a sudden they think that every pitcher should never give up hits/runs/every single game, that every single hitter should hit like barry 2001 (except no walks/Ks), that fielding don't matter (unless it is chris burke)

it is like people just got exactly ZERO idea about the game they supposed to be "fans" of.

and houston fans have got a LOT worse in the past 3-4 years. because believe it or not, baseball is THE most popular sport in houston by a VERY large margin. thank you roger clemens.