Yanks to miss playoffs - first time since 1993!

“We’re going to win it next year”. That's the latest in verbal diarrhea from Hank Steinbrenner.

Hey Joe Girardi, take the rest of the year off. Your owner just stuck a fork in you.

Hank has adopted the old mantra of “wait till next year”. Only problem is they are still playing. Nothing like giving your team a good push down the bowl before you flush.

If you start a statement with “Don’t be offended”, someone is still going to be offended. Hank’s latest bout with foot in mouth disease is essentially the same.

Hank blames this year on injuries. Boo freakin hoo. The old man never would have made excuses. Every team has injuries.

Here they are for the Yanks:

Wang – only 8 wins, probably would have won 18 - 20
Hughes – 6 starts with 9.00 Era, returns in Sept?
Kennedy – 9 starts with 8.17 Era, back to AAA
Joba – 12 starts, would probably have had 9 more

Matsui – 7 HR 34 RBI in 70 games, not exactly Godzilla like
Posada – big drop from last season, welcome to age 36

Wang going down was the biggest blow but they did get 15 starts out of him. Hughes & Kennedy weren’t exactly lighting the world on fire when they went down. Joba could miss a few starts. Matsui was mediocre at best and Posada is the prime example of why you don’t give a catcher in his mid-30’s a long term deal.

Other teams have had major injuries and survived just fine. The Angels lost Escobar (18 game winner) for the season, and Lackey missed the first 40+ games. The Sox didn’t have Schilling, Dice-K and Beckett both hit the DL, and Papi missed 50 games. Add Wakefield and Lowell to the list now.

Suck it up Hankster. It’s all about the roster and lack of depth. Cashman decided to go with the young arms and it didn’t pay off this season. If Pettite and Mussina didn’t have above average seasons this team would really be in the dumper. Damon has been a nice surprise but still hasn’t earned his money. He typifies the Yankee lineup. Even the $28M man hasn’t cracked the top ten in RBI’s. Cabrera, Cano, and even Jeter have been pedestrian.

You can also point a finger at the trade deadline. Why did they acquire bats and not arms? They also traded away depth in the pen in the process. Girardi has also had a free pass this season. Production is down from virtually everyone. And that no name pen that was pitching so well has started to drift back to earth.

So good luck until next year Yankee fans. Why not take off the rest of the season? Your owner has. We'll get the shovel...

Manny being... GONE!

Anger. Disappointment. Frustration. Exasperation. False Acceptance.

Hop aboard the Manny Ramirez express. It goes round and round. If you want to ride, it’ll cost you only $25M per year for 4 more years. Your ticket that’s paid up until November? It’s no good here anymore, expired. Better jump off now before you’re pushed…

Denial. Anger. Exasperation. Acceptance Maybe…

We deserve a better ending. For all the good times, the cheers, the titles, even some of the harmless antics, all of it. He was a truly beloved figure despite the nonsense that surrounded him. He was always forgiven and cheered time after time. We were very fortunate to watch a first ballot hall of famer as well as one of the game’s most prolific hitters for almost 8 seasons. He was also instrumental in 2 World Series including an MVP. But his unceremonious exit has left a sour taste and it’s entirely his fault.

The most inexcusable thing is that he let his teammates down. He apparently told a teammate he knew he could sit the last two months and still collect his $7M and then just go away. Apparently he forgot the next two seasons were CLUB options and not player options.

WHY?
Money. Manny’s focus is only on his next contract. You can place plenty of blame on Manny’s new agent - the baseball anti-christ, aka Scott Boras. He told Manny that he could get him a $100M contract for the next 4 years. And he doesn’t see dime one if the Sox pick up his option(s). The only way it would work is to make the Sox not want to pick up the option in 2009 and/or 2010. Manny obviously tried to create a rift using a blueprint provided by the anti-christ. Give Jay Payton an assist on this one as he cried and complained every day (as Manny witnessed) until he was traded.

Beginning of the end:
A number of his phantom hammy injuries only seemed to pop up when hard throwing pitchers were on the mound. Management also required an MRI on his “new” knee injury when he told them he couldn't play again. If he actually remembered which knee he said was injured, maybe he could have pulled it off. An MRI on both knees came back negative.

Management then gave him written notice that he needed to play or be suspended without pay. This is what precipitated the commentary to ESPN Deportes including “The Red Sox are lucky to have me”. The fans pretty much knew it was over after that point, but management already knew.

Trade deadline – good or bad?
The 2008 team is not better. Had everyone lived up to their contract, it’s an easy call. If Manny exits at the end of the year, you need to give up more than Moss & Hansen to get Bay. Trading Manny probably prevented the Sox from getting relief help which they would have overpaid for, but could also have helped solidify a ring.

But the Sox knew they had a cancer in the clubhouse who was going to play the injury or suspension card over the last 2 months. A last ditch "I'll be a good boy and play" statement didn't convince management. So they got value for him. Hie replacement in Bay gives them a 30 Hr and 100 RBI guy which is only a slight dropoff in stats. What he can’t replace is the presence and threat of one of the games best ever hitters. He also doesn’t offer the same protection in the lineup for guys like Ortiz.

Bottom line is that they had to trade him. The alternative was to suspend him, hope to get to the playoffs, and then let him walk. Based on his history they couldn't trust him to perform.

Who is the Real Manny?
Manny being Manny apparently only describes a portion of our man-child. The aloof, goofy, charming, loveable, and crazy Manny is only a strange piece of the overall puzzle.

Back in June a new element, aka angry Manny, was introduced (at least to the fans anyway). He backhanded Youkilis in the dugout and later pushed the team’s 64yr old traveling secretary to the ground in a dispute about game day tickets. The bloom was off the rose for most Manny fans by this point, but some yahoos continued to blindly support him.

Manny doesn’t care about his teammates, the integrity of the game, or anything else. He only cares about money. He even has his own clubhouse rules. There are numerous incidents where he refused to pinch hit, insisted on a day off when needed, and even faked an injury like the last 2 months of 06. His best buddy Ortiz pleaded with him to play but he refused. His contract had club options which he had no business disputing. His sense of entitlement overrides any sense of reasonableness.

Some of his teammates say that Manny the person is a good person. Let’s hope so because what we know about the player isn’t a pretty picture.

Will he be the next $100M man? No way. He's essentially a DH the rest of the way and he'd be 40 in year 4. Look between Andruw Jones ($14M) and Beltran ($18M) per season at maybe 3yrs.

The Man can Hit
This is the single reason he is allowed to get away with virtually anything. Ask Shawn Chacon who had an altercation earlier this year and was released immediately. Why? Because he’s a mediocre pitcher.

Management, teammates, and fans have all “looked the other way” to some extent. As fans, we knew he’s been a headache but not to the extent we know now. It’s always been “the headache is worth the production”. While there is some sense of “you should have known” there is also the feeling of being duped.

Think the "master" Joe Torre will straighten him out? Good luck with just getting a haircut Joe. Manny's stay in LA is temporary but he's going to light it up because he's playing for that next contract. There is no formula to "fix" him. He's broken. But he sure can hit.

We need closure
He’s gone. His production and goofy antics will be missed. The annual trade requests, the phantom injuries, quitting on teammates, and lack of hustle will not. We can be happy for the owners, Theo, the manager, and the players. Lastly, be happy for Jason Bay who leaves the hapless Pirates for a chance at the playoffs. The last thing we need? Time. It's going to be a while before we can look back fondly on all the good things...

Good luck Manny. Thanks for everything. But see ya...