Yankee news and notes: Can we skip straight to the playoffs, please?

by Ed Valentine on Oct 2, 2009 10:05 AM EDT in New York Yankees News

Hey, it's a fancy new logo to go along with our all too infrequent (at least lately) tour Around the Yankee Universe! It only took me almost the entire season to get around to having one of these built.

Anyway, with our fancy new logo in place (thanks to Megan Snider, a non-Yankee fan who probably had to hold her nose while designing it) let's go for a tour and see what is happening as we wait for the playoffs to begin.

Outstanding article on the job done by Yankee manager Joe Girardi this season from -- of all places -- The Boston Herald. Here is a snippet:

Girardi is riding a hot streak of good moves that has left the Yanks favored to win it all. He handled the entire bullpen better than Torre could. He made Phil Hughes the eighth-inning guy. He made Jeter the leadoff man.

More than anything, Girardi made the Yankees his.

This was the enduring message of the 2009 season in the Bronx. The Yankees respond to their manager now, whether he’s asking for a little hustle on the bases, or a lot of compassion for a boy in dire need.

The New York Daily News says that General Manager Brian Cashman got it right with his off-season moves.

There's an old saying in baseball - "you can't scout desire" - and most general managers will tell you the same applies to "makeup." And when you're the GM of the Yankees, you have to add yet another uncertainty to those intangibles and that is the "New York factor."

Between Sabathia's and Burnett's influence with the pitchers, Teixeira's subtle leadership and Swisher's clubhouse effervescence, Cashman wound up going 4-for-4 in the makeup and chemistry department. Undoubtedly, if the Yankees go all the way this year, there are those critics who will scoff that Cashman bought himself a World Series. In fact, they already are doing so, as evidenced by Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi's bitter assessment of the AL East the other day in which he said, "The Yankees could take their payroll to $300 million if they want to."

Yeah, but look what $200 million bought them last year. Cashman took his deserved share of criticism for that, as well as for the Pavano, Kei Igawa and Kyle Farnsworth signings in recent years. Which just goes to show it's not how much money you spend. It's how you spend it.

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idk about Holliday

i would rather just sign Damon as a one year stop gap to Jackson who needs some more polish

by Brian5517209 on Oct 2, 2009 1:01 PM EDT reply actions

You can't buy a championship.

You don’t always get what you paid for. Some players get to a team and just don’t play well. Others play great. We are lucky enough to be able to afford amazing players, and lucky for us, they almost always work out great. Look at the Red Sox. They have plenty of money to buy whatever players they might want (unless we want them, then we get them), and the Red Sox have only won 7 championships. The Yankees are literally the best team in baseball, and only 85% of it has to do with money.

"Don't let your fears of striking out keep you from playing the game."

by Lizza on Oct 2, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions

Question for anyone...

When do the Yanks choose which series they’re gonna take? I mean it’s obviously gonna be the longer one- but haven’t heard anything about it. I got tix for game one, but don’t what day it’ll be yet!!

by NumberSeven on Oct 2, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions

They don’t have to choose until they know who they’re going to play. I don’t know if that would change if Detroit and Minnesota wind up tied and have to play on Tuesday.

by long time listener on Oct 2, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions

JOE TORRE

TORRE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS SLEEPING TOWARDS THE END,THEN WRITES A BOOK HOW CAN PLYERS TRUST HIM ?

BIG YANKEE FAN,FROM MASS. HAVE TO PUT UP WIYH ALL THESE HOLE SOX FANS

by JEETS on Oct 2, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions

what's that

have to do with this post?

by phonty on Oct 2, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

the Yankees

have 1 hour after the AL Central team clinches the division to decide on the ALDS schedule

by miracle96 on Oct 2, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions

here's hoping it take til sunday to decide the AL central

we have more time to decide AND we have a good chance of avoiding verlander in game 1 if he pitches sunday or they’ll have to pitch him on short rest

by lololol on Oct 2, 2009 6:27 PM EDT reply actions

Any chance of a tie and a one game playoff?

by mrljdavid on Oct 2, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions

why more crap on torre?

the article says that girardi managed the new york bullpen this year better than torre had in past years, which for the most part is acceptable. but then it goes on to laud girardi’s decision to put hughes in the bullpen, which should of course remind everyone about torre’s decision to put chamberlain in the pen two years ago.

had chamberlain not pitched in the bullpen in 07 it would have been a two year postseason drought for the franchise, but praise for torre’s management in that regard was minimal at best, especially in the front office where they were convinced that joba was their answer to josh beckett.

by LongB on Oct 2, 2009 10:59 PM EDT reply actions