I don't personally believe that ARod's past ten playoff games are predictive of his next ten. I don't understand what causes slumps and streaks, but I know a slump is always followed by a streak, and it's still just ten games of failure.
But I absolutely agree with Ian O'Connor that the ARod/fan relationship will be untenable in 2007.
Luckily for you, dear reader, even when I agree with Ian O'Connor, I still disagree:
"The Yankees have to find some young power arms somewhere, the kind of playoff arms that keep beating them, the kind belonging to Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya."
It's a good plan. Just go to the Young Power Arms store on route 17. Maybe we can find Young Power Arms on sale at Walmart.
You know what is amusing? The Yankees are constantly accused of ignoring pitching.
Mussina, Weaver, Vazquez, Johnson, Brown, Pavano, Lieber, Contreras, etc.
It's not as if they didn't try to get pitching. It's not as if Cashman drastically changed his philosophy. It's not as if Wang didn't win 19 freakin' games this season.
It's just really difficult to find effective pitchers, young or old. The minor leagues are not chock full of pitchers like Chien-Ming Wang.
"Hired mercenaries have sucked the soul out of the Yankee dynasty, leaving Torre's team vulnerable to the underdog Angels then, and the underdog Tigers now."
Please stop insulting hired mercenaries. Torre has zero rings without them.
Boggs, Cone, Key, Wells, Clemens, Fielder, Wetteland, Tino ... well, too many to list.
I'm not sure how much soul they all had (Charlie Hayes seemingly had more soul than Wade Boggs), but they were all mercenaries.
Are the 2006 Yankees too top-heavy? Perhaps.
An argument can be made that Mussina's $15 million could be better spent on a better bullpen or a deeper bench. But even that's a crap shoot. Because middle relievers tend to be erratic and bench players tend to be starters on other teams if they're any good.
"Giambi? His absurd contract can't be moved, so he must be reduced to a DH who never again gets to make a sorry throw from first base at the worst October time."
O'Connor claimed a few years ago that Giambi's contract was the worst in the history of pro sports.
Since then, Giambi has rebounded quite nicely and pretty much earned his money, certainly when compared to about 100 other major league players. Just about led the Yankees in homeruns, rbis, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage this year.
But O'Connor still has the nerve to call it an "absurd contract" rather than admit he was wrong.
"Cashman then has to find the next Scott Brosius at third, and the next Tino Martinez at first, and make the bloated likes of Rodriguez, Sheffield and Jason Giambi go poof in the night."
Must I slay these sacred cows once again?
Scott Brosius in the playoffs: 1998 World Series MVP. Overall .245/.278/.418, 8 homeruns (not bad), 30 rbis (not bad) in 200 at-bats.
Tino Martinez in the playoffs: Benched in 1996. Overall .233/.321/.351, 9 homeruns, 38 rbis in 350 at-bats.
I think a lesson can be learned for sure. After Tino tanked in the '96 playoffs, Torre stuck with him rather than throw him under the bus and Ian O'Connor probably didn't insist that the overrated mercenary get traded.
Oh, and exactly who are the "next Scott Brosius" and the "next Tino Martinez"?
You just put a .230 hitter at third base and hope he hits a couple of big homeruns in the World Series? Good plan.
How can anybody possibly know when a mediocre player is going to have a defining moment in the World Series?
For the most part, I think O'Connor's plan will be implemented.
ARod will be traded. I'm guessing the Cubs may be a likely fit. Maybe the Yankees get Aramis Ramirez straight up. Or maybe the Yankees will have to throw in Proctor. After all, the Yankees are only going to get fifty cents on the dollar for their number eight hitter.
Or maybe the Yankees sign Soriano to play third and trade ARod for five minor league pitchers.
Sheffield, Mussina, and Bernie are gone.
Unit is probably still on the team one last season as a #3 or a #4.
The Yankees stock up the minors with young pitchers and, just like the Tigers, they wait three or four years to see the results. Maybe push Hughes through the minor leagues and give Rasner a shot at the #5.
Other than that, it's an awesome plan.
Find the next Pettitte, Brosius, and Tino and make sure B.K. Kim is pitching against us in the playoffs.
The Yankees are going to win the 2013 World Series for sure.
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