推 pathfinder:幫個忙，排個版，看到最下面那一行會傻眼低 10/10 13:45
推 minshing:Boss reportedly wants Torre out, Piniella in...不會吧 10/10 15:00
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The Boss? George Steinbrenner is The Boss like Mariah Carey is Mrs. Derek Jeter
. Those days are long gone, like the last glow of a cigarette butt.
Only Steinbrenner, the imperialistic owner of the New York Yankees, can issue a
statement chiding his team's elimination from the playoffs as "absolutely not
acceptable" -- the "absolutely" added later for emphasis. Only Steinbrenner has
the nerve to announce that the Yankees "will go back to work immediately and
try to right this sad failure."
As opposed to going back to work immediately and trying not to right things.
In Steinbrenner's goofy mind, the failure was losing to the Detroit Tigers in
the AL divisional playoffs. The Yankees couldn't even force a Game 5, winning
the opener and then dropping the next three. That's when, ever so predictably,
Steinbrenner's temper reached critical mass and the New York newspapers began
breathlessly clearing space for the verbal meltdown.
Joe Torre's Yankees managerial career will probably be found in a meat locker
soon, just like Frankie Carbone in "Goodfellas." But unlike poor, frozen
Frankie, Torre will have a $7 million severance check to help keep him warm.
That, his annual stay in Kapalua, Hawaii, and the soothing knowledge of never
having to work for Steinbrenner again should get Torre through the winter.
Lucky him.
These shrill Steinbrenner outbursts are sooooo Billy Martin Era. They were
interesting then, tiresome now. The man has become a cartoon character, a
caricature. He's good copy, but his version of the truth never includes any
self-blame. It's always somebody else's fault.
Yes, the Yankees had nearly a $200 million player payroll this season,
financially obscene even by MLB standards. That payroll is $56 million more
than the combined payrolls of two of the four remaining teams in the playoffs (
the Tigers at $82 million, and A's at $62 million), and only $30 million less
than the combined payrolls of the Tigers, A's and a third surviving team, the
St. Louis Cardinals ($86 million). But bloated payrolls guarantee nothing.
Flush with his adidas, attendance and television rights revenue, Steinbrenner
has spent wisely and stupidly. But even Steinbrenner should know the essential
truth of the postseason: Good pitching almost always beats good hitting. The
Yankees, with their lineup for the ages, led the big leagues in runs and RBI
this season, but the Tigers led the majors in pitching. That's why Detroit, not
the Yanks, plays Oakland in the AL Championship Series beginning Tuesday.
And just to refresh Steinbrenner's selective memory, the Tigers finished the
regular season with only two fewer wins than the Yankees. It wasn't like they
were baseball's equivalent of Athletes In Action.
But Steinbrenner is "deeply disappointed" with the early elimination. What else
is new? Steinbrenner's day isn't complete if he isn't pissed at somebody or
something.
Meanwhile, Torre, the guy who has won four World Series, is 11-for-11 in
reaching the playoffs and has more than 1,000 games as Steinbrenner's employee,
is the one who will likely get tagged and bagged. The reasoning: The Yankees
haven't advanced past the first round in three of the past five seasons. The
truth: The Yankees haven't advanced past the first round in three of the past
five seasons and Steinbrenner can't fire himself.
Back on Nov. 2, 1995, the day he was introduced as the 21st manager of the
Yankees, Torre said he got "goosebumpy" when offered the job by Steinbrenner.
That was the same news conference that Torre said he and general manager Bob
Watson "are going to decide the baseball side of this operation. Until I see
otherwise, I have no reason to think otherwise."
Watson now works for MLB, and Torre is on the Pink Slip Watch. Both men quickly
learned that nobody truly decides the baseball side of the Yankees' operation
except Steinbrenner. It has been that way since Steinbrenner bought the team in
1973. It will remain that way until he croaks.
As the rival New York Mets (with a payroll half the size of the Yankees) wipe
the champagne from their eyes and ready for Wednesday's start of the NLCS,
Steinbrenner wipes the mud from his peepers. He is humiliated, embarrassed …
blah, blah, blah. It's the same schtick.
But if Steinbrenner really wants to make news, he'll keep Torre and let someone
else hire Lou Piniella. He'll realize that Alex Rodriguez, for all his vast
talent and his remaining $66.6 million price tag, is simply too fragile to
handle the October playoff pressure. And wouldn't it be refreshing if
Steinbrenner said he shared the responsibility for the unexpected playoff
departure? After all, he's the guy who approved the trades and big-ticket
items.
Will any of this happen? Doubtful.
In a weird way, I admire Steinbrenner's baseball passion. But it's too
convenient to issue angry postseason decrees from the safety of your Yankees
office or Tampa retreat. You can't always be part of the solution. In
Steinbrenner's case, he's usually part of the problem.
If Steinbrenner really wants to right this sad failure, then he needs to find
some new pitching, not a new manager. He needs to understand the Tigers' series
win was no fluke. Most of all, he needs to keep his mouth shut.
Ah, silence. Now that would make all of us goosebumpy.
Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].
TORRE OUT IN THE BRONX?
The Yankees have gone six Octobers without a World Series title, and Buster Olney doesn't think Yankees owner George Steinbrenner will be talked out of firing Joe Torre this time.
For more from Buster Olney, click here.
The latest:
‧ No timetable on decision
‧ Boss reportedly wants Torre out, Piniella in
Analysis:
‧ Wojciechowski: Blame the Boss
Audio:
‧ Buster Olney talked about Joe Torre's and A-Rod's future on Mike and Mike in the Morning. To listen, click here.
‧ Tino Martinez discusses the demise of the Yankees, says Lou Piniella should be the next manager if Joe Torre is fired, and thinks the Tigers and Mets will meet in the World Series. To listen, click here.
‧ In our Baseball Today Podcast, Alan Schwarz and Jerry Crasnick discuss the Yankees' collapse. Baseball Today
SportsNation:
‧ Vote on Yanks' future!
Page 2:
‧ Caple: Trade Jeter, not A-Rod
‧ Gallo: Don't blame A-Rod
Also SeeReport: Torre won't survive Yanks' collapse, to be fired
Yankees manager Joe Torre is ...
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