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Can't blame potentially not making the playoffs on one guy. It's a team game and there have been other winnable games that were squandered. Do we blame Mo for shitting the bed on that first Friday night in Boston? Do we blame Jeter for taking a called strike three to end a game vs. Boston in May (I think it was May)? You can't just call one guy a goat if the season ends up without the post-season. It's a collective effort...

I don't think it's one guy's fault either. There are probably a lot of points in the season that you could say were critical, but I'd say that what ultimately will prove to be the Yanks' undoing - if they don't make the playoffs - is the 2-9 road trip in June they made against Colorado, SF and Baltimore. They had been steadily improving since May 30 and had just climbed above .500 by beating the Mets. They gave 30 points (winning pct.) back against teams that they should have beaten. If they win all three series or even go 5-4 on the road trip, then we aren't having this conversation.

Regardless of that, I would have to say that they have to be considered the favorites to win the WC, and the division isn't out of the realm of possibility either. Boston has been staying steady at around the .610 level for some time now. They're due to either get hot, or have a bit of a slide. So, we'll see.

~~~Boston has been staying steady at around the .610 level for some time now. They're due to either get hot, or have a bit of a slide. So, we'll see.~~~

Boston has won 12 of their last 17. Can they get any hotter than that?

miggy DFA'd bruney in AAA joba up

miggy DFA'd bruney in AAA joba up
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Not bad... I could live with that. Am a bit surprised Brower's staying up.

forgot to say giambi activated

I'm disappointed with you Steve.

It's amazing how one player has been so powerful to be able to overcome the concept of a team game. I checked the boxscore of May 7th you linked to, why no hate for Mo? He gave up the homerun to Beltre in the 9th.

But I thought you had previously pinned everything on Mr. Green Tea. Or was it Cashman to blame for everything? What about Carl Pavano? Or Robinson Cano's lousy day game performances? Or Johnny Damon's revisiting old haunts?

Why is there a need to blame one person for an entire season? It's a team game and despite people blaming hitters I find it's usually the pitching that's the cause of the problems.

did anyone see yankees bp?

joba has a 16 month old son...wow

"Boston has won 12 of their last 17. Can they get any hotter than that?"

Hopefully not! :)

I just think that looking at longer periods of time over a season gives a better idea of where teams will finish. The Sox were really hot at the beginning; the Yanks were really cold. Since about the 50th game of the season for both teams, the Sox went into a slow decline from their lofty April/early May level (they were at .706 after 51 games) and have leveled out in the last five weeks (.613 on July 1, .607 today). So despite their recent hot streak, they've been steadily losing ground to the Yankees, who have increased from .431 on May 30 to .554 today.

The Yankees' hot streak, though, isn't any reason to start printing playoff tickets just yet, either. They've been beating up on teams with losing records. The next four weeks will tell the story.

Giambi here -- good.
Joba up -- good.
Cairo cut -- great.

Brower over Ramirez and Britton -- whaaaaa?

I don't get it. Brower is minor-league filler. Britton and Ramirez are both prospects with upside. Britton also has had success at the big-league level (just last year).

Torre used Brower yesterday in typical Torre fashion: brings him straight off the bus onto the mound in a critical situation, and then jerks him out of the game in the next inning for allowing a base runner (and bringing in 'Caino for two innings of work).

So what exactly will be Brower's role? Why not bring Britton or Ramirez up, so the bullpen has two middle-inning guys (one of them and Joba) with strikeout stuff?

Anyway, can't wait to see Joba pitch...

You want to blame someone for May 7, blame the umpire who called Bloomquist safe at second when he was out by 3 feet. Inning would have been over with the Yankees up 2-1.

Injuries to the obliques muscles usually take 6-10 weeks to heal. That is without playing baseball daily beginning 2 weeks after the initial injury.

Seems as though Abreu rushed back from his injury in spring training and it slowed the healing process.

He is playing as if he has recovered now. He sure seems like the player I enjoyed watching for the first significant amount of time last season. Glad to have him back to make the recent run possible and for making the end of the season more exciting.

jen,

Good catch on the May 7 game, I only looked at the box score, I didn't know it was THAT game.

Rich, great job there:
~~~Why is there a need to blame one person for an entire season?~~~

I'm starting to find that anytime you don't agree with Steve he responds with his usual Yankee blinder comment. I don't know, maybe we just aren't as pessimistic. There's one thing to throw out a question to see how people feel and get constructive commentary going, which Steve does do, but then there are other times where he'll have post like this one and it leaves you wondering if he's just looking to fill up space with something so irrational and nonsensical.

The other thing I find interesting is that Torre is doing a lot of the right things now that we have a roster that's better constructed, but nobody wants to point out the positives - for example sitting Damon against lefties and playing Duncan. His lineup construction is much better than it was before, but it becomes ho-hum....no comment...let me just wait till the next time he messes up so I can rip him.

Even the Torre comment on Cabrera was totally passive-aggressive. One thing that Torre has been throughout his tenure as Yankee manager is honest, if he said that Cabrera is his centerfielder then that's what he'll be.

But, then again maybe it's just my "Yankee blinders" talking.

For me only one thing matters: LET'S GO YANKEES. And if they get smoked tonight, then the message is still the same tomorrow. I don't need the entire FO fired, manager, and coaches.

I'm glad Cairo was DFA'ed, but he was a good guy and I'll always have fond memories of him - despite his OPS which is/was uglier than dirt.

Ugh. OK I'm watching the Yanks/Jays game from Montreal (on business). Watching on the Jays home station and just saw the bench clear. Thought it might be interesting to post their take on it.

They were obviously backing the Jays saying that throwing behind him didn't settle it. I'm a little indifferent there.

Anyway, Pat Hentgen was in the booth visiting during the inning. They were talking about the "Haa!!!" game and Hentgen was talking about his years in the game never seeing it. HOWEVER, he said something to the effect of been around awhile, seen a few baseball game and won a Cy Young.

What?! What relavance, other than his own self absorbtion, does that have in the conversation. The other announcers seemed stunned and didn't know what to say. Wow.

The other funny reference was the announcers talking like Candadians are tough. Just like in hockey when there is a disagreement the gloves get dropped. Lol.

Canada is a trip.

Steve's question at the end is interesting and worth thinking about but the headline shows his mind is made up about Abreu and the April rookie problem came out of nowhere.

"Abreu's May - May Have Ruined Yanks Season"

Two quick points:

1) What about Abreu's June, July, and early August? 59 G, 227 AB, 51 R, 76 H, 17 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 52 RBI, 31 BB, 7 SB, 3 CS, 1 HBP, 3 SF, and a "line" of .335/.412/.555. Team record: 41-21 Division Deficit reduced from 12.5 games behind to 5. Wild Card deficit reduce from 7.5 to 0.5.

2) The other half of "maybe" is: "maybe not".

What?! What relavance, other than his own self absorbtion, does that have in the conversation. The other announcers seemed stunned and didn't know what to say. Wow.
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Well, you get it with some Yankee fans when they bring up the ring count...