PS. I really hope this isn't NYKGM's real name
No one could have thought as that baseball gently settled into the outfield while Jay Bell crossed the plate on that unexpected night in Arizona some six years ago that the end of an era was not only near, it was already here. Since then the Yankees have made it to the playoffs every year, even reaching the World Series in 2003, but for all intents and purposes, the era of Bronx dominance had died at the bat of Luis Gonzales.
Fast forward to 2007, the bright future and high expectations that were case upon this talent laden Yankees team was absolutely vision through pinstripe colored glasses. Through 50+ games, the Yankees of 2007 have shown themselves to be an aged, overpaid, under motivated collection of ballplayers that bear more allegiance to the dollar sign on their checks than the N-Y on their jerseys.
Yes, Jeter, Posada, Pettite and Rivera, the old guard still represent what you want in a ballplayer, but even players of their respective mettle cannot lift the once proud organization out of the malaise that seems to have infected the team as easily as the flu passes through a preschool classroom. Watching the Yankees now is tantamount to watching seniors play botchy ball. Not much to look at.
What to do? Well as the expression goes, fish stinks at the head. In this case, albeit two classy fish, Brian Cashman and Joe Torre have to go. The time has come for a change to be made. Even the great leaders of our military past reached a point in their illustrious careers where the fire of their voices and the steel of their resolve could no longer move men to great things. I think that this is the case with the Yankees of today.
OK, firing is the easy part, what do you do afterwards? The plan to return the Yankees to glory has to first begin with choosing a new brain trust. That has to start with making Gene Michael, a universally acknowledged talent guru, either the General Manager or something real close to it. When the Yankees passed on Vladimir Guerrero for Gary Sheffield and Carlos Beltran for Johnny Damon, they missed two opportunities to facilitate getting younger while actually improving their talent. That cannot continue. No New York probably will not be willing to watch a team rebuild, but no one said that they have to.
This leads me to the manager.
One of Joe TorreHCYanks wrote:Thanks for reminding me Clay Buchholz is a couple of blocks away from me, Fox. Now I have to go hide my laptop.
Don't worry that isn't me. Even though I don't like Torre and I don't want Mattingly to be his replacement either, I'm one of seemingly few people who really like what Cashman has done here.
