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August 03, 2005
What Could Have Been.........
This AM, the Yankees sit 3.5 games back of Boston in the AL East standings. When I see this now, I think of these games from this season:
April 6th vs. Boston - Goat: A-Rod
April 16th @ Baltimore - Goat: Gordon
May 18th @ Seattle - Goats: Posada & Gordon
July 19th @ Texas - Goat: Franklin
July 21st @ Los Angeles - Goats: Groom & Gordon
If each of these five games, that the Yankees let get away from them, had been wins, instead of losses, the Yankees would be in first place today, 2 1/2 games ahead of Boston.
Even if you throw out the game from April 6th, and just take the other 4 games that were blown wins, and change them back to wins for New York, the Yankees would still be in first now, up by a half-game.
Around six weeks ago, I looked at the Yankees losses to date, at that point in the season, and Tom Gordon's name came up a lot. And, now, we can add his game from July 21st to that list.
I'm not blaming Gordon for the Yankees not being in first now - just as I did not aim to rip him back at the end of June. More so, the issue here is that he is used too much - and that's why his name comes up so often.
In any event, I wonder now, if at the end of the season, if these five games are going to be what we have to look back at, and ponder "What could have been?"
Posted by Steve Lombardi at August 3, 2005 11:24 AM
Comments
How about getting swept by the ROYALS? Or losing 3 of 4 to the Devil RAAAys in Yankee Stadium. Good Lord.
Posted by: JJay at August 3, 2005 12:14 PM
you might look back on them...but I won't
you lose games you should win, and you win games you should lose....that's baseball.
If you try to analyze all of the "coulda beens" you have to analyze all the "coulda been-nots"...which I am sure there are just as many.
A recent example- the bad hop to SS on a typically flawless infield dirt in the Angels series that allowed Shef to get on and the yanks tied the score in the 9th inning.
shoulda lost that game, cancels out one of the able and now we are down to 4...anyone want to take a stab at another?
Posted by: philly phil at August 3, 2005 12:17 PM
Philly phil: Exactly. Over the course of the long season, you're going to win games you should've lost, and lose games you should've won. No sense agonizing over them, just enjoy the season (:
Posted by: Raf at August 3, 2005 12:57 PM
You don't think Angels fans are saying, "We lost 2 ridiculous 8-7 games to the Yankees and now we're in a tight race." That's the brakes. The cream rises to the top over 162.
Posted by: Joel at August 3, 2005 02:40 PM
Not sure I agree here - 100%.
I've always felt that there are games in a season that you're going to lose, no matter what, and game that you will win, no matter what, and it's those games left over, in the middle, that make a champ or a chump.
It's those up for grabs games that you need to win as many as possible, to be a team that finishes on top.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at August 3, 2005 05:09 PM
Agreed, Steve. After all, that "edge" in those 10 or so games is precisely why someone like Torre can ask to be paid $7 million a year. After all the finger-pointing among the front office, George, the players, and the media, it's the manager who can make the decisions in each game that turn victory into defeat or vice versa. Otherwise, we could all go back to the Cubs' early '60s concept of the "college of coaches." Instead of bullpen by committee...
Posted by: JohnnyC at August 3, 2005 05:19 PM
The reason why the "College of Coaches" failed was because the Cubs stunk, not because of the concept itself.
Torre can ask for $7m a year based on what he did from 1996-present. Do you think he could have commanded that kind of salary based on what he did with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals?
Posted by: Raf at August 3, 2005 05:31 PM
How about the three consecutive games where Jeter made the last out of the game? I remember those the most. For a guy that makes 17 mill per year I expect more
Posted by: makofan at August 4, 2005 09:32 AM
that's a little unfair...what if he made the next to last out? The 27th out of the game is just as important as the rest.
I'm not saying he can do no wrong...but come on- how many times does he have to come through in the clutch before he's allowed a few passes?
Posted by: philly phil at August 5, 2005 11:44 AM