If you are a fan of a team hoping for a WS win, the last player you want on your team is Kenny Lofton.  Not only do his teams lose in the playoffs, they have heartbreaking defeats

97- Indians
02- Giants
03- Cubs
04- Yankees
07 - Indians

I look forward to having Lofton play in Japan next year.

Season Tickets for the 61 game plan - $2440
George Washington Bridge - $5 a game
Parking - $14 a game
Tailgating - $40 a game
Parking in playoffs - $28 a game

Having the Yanks have their ass handed to them in the first round the last 3 years - priceless

There is the something money can't buy....for everything else, there is team pathetic.

Yes, its another classic from George King.  This does though bring up a pretty interesting point for many of us that want Torre gone.  There maybe a chance these players will not come back if Torre isn't here.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08242007/sports/yankees/split_decision_lies_ahead.htm

The man in the manager's office will have a huge impact on what the Yankees' 2008 roster will look like.

While the Yankees are involved in two races - the AL East and wild card - there is no avoiding what looms beyond this season. Joe Torre is doing a wonderful job as a lame-duck manager, and his future will have an impact on what free agents Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens will do following the World Series. Since Alex Rodriguez doesn't have the history the others do with Torre, the manager's future doesn't expect to play a role in Rodriguez' decision to opt out and become a free agent or stay.

However, it will impact what Posada does.

"I don't see myself playing for anybody else," the All-Star told The Post.

So, if Torre leaves, does that mean Posada goes, too?

"Let's see who is coming in," the catcher said.

GM Brian Cashman's stance since the start of spring training is that the focus is on 2007. That meant Torre, Rivera and Posada have to wait until after the season to see where they fit. The same went for Rodriguez, but at the All-Star break word leaked out the Yankees were willing to talk about an extension with the MVP candidate, but he shut that down quickly.

I think Josh Towers should focus more on how to get hitters out and his over 5 ERA.

Towers said his problem the second time was with Pena, not Rodriguez.

"I heard somebody chirping when I was talking to Lyle [Overbay] and I didn't think it was Alex and I asked who it was," Towers said. "Tony Pena is running his mouth off and I was like, 'What's this guy running his mouth off for?' This dude is a quitter. He managed a team and quit in the middle of the season because he couldn't hack it. He's going to run his mouth off? So I ended up getting into it with Alex a second time."

Pena quit as manager of Kansas City in May 2005.

"I don't care," Pena said when asked about the incident. "I have no comment. Let him talk."

Finally, more articles calling him out on this and continuing to use people that he trusts:

WEAPONS OF MASS FARNSWORTH
The entire Stadium began chanting "Farnsworth sucks." The entire Stadium apparently understands more about Kyle Farnsworth than Joe Torre does.

Since the trading deadline, I've been writing that if, with the Yankees having restructured the 'pen, Torre continued to insist on using Farnsworth in important spots, he deserved to be summarily dismissed. Not only is it stupid, not only is it throwing away what is now a very viable shot at the Wild Card, it's flipping the bird at the front office. It's the worst kind of insubordination. Torre would rather lose on his terms than win on Cashman's.

Full Article
[editor's note, by John Amato] Please don't quote an entire article. That's a violation. Thanks!

Yes, I know this article is by George King. I also know the Yanks would need to replace the arm in the bullpen (Joba mabye?).  But man, wouldn't this be nice.

In what only can be described as a strange twist, the Tigers have an interest in taking Kyle Farnsworth off the Yankees' hands.

According to multiple sources, the Tigers are looking to make a deal that would bring Farnsworth back to the team he pitched 46 games for in 2005. Ideally, the Tigers would like to add Texas closer Eric Gagne but he likely will balk at a deal that sends him to a team where he can't close.

Tigers scout Dick Egan was at last night's Yankees' 7-1 win over the Royals in which Farnsworth didn't pitch in. What the Yankees would get back depends on how much money the Tigers want to pay on Farnsworth's salary.

Farnsworth, who is making $5.25 million this year and $5.5 million next season, is 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA.

Hello, I am new to this site.  I have season tickets but we were offered only 1 parking pass for this season.  Since we take multiple cars, I was wondering if anyone on this site that has season tickets and doesn't need the parking pass (people living in the city) would be open to selling me their parking passes for the season.  Thanks

I guess he liked to be in the company of Michael Kay

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2911691

oe Girardi has declined an offer from the Baltimore Orioles to become their next manager, his agent, Steve Mandel, told ESPN on Thursday.

Girardi interviewed with the Orioles on Tuesday, and ESPN's Peter Gammons reported that the team offered him its vacant managerial job. And ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported that as of Wednesday night, the two sides had agreed to work on an agreement that would make Girardi the team's next skipper.

The discussions with Girardi came after Baltimore fired Sam Perlozzo on Monday after two-plus seasons as manager.

Girardi was a first-time manager last season, leading the Florida Marlins to a 78-84 record and keeping his youthful club in contention until late September.

The former big league catcher was fired at the end of the season following a rift with owner Jeffrey Loria and then was voted NL Manager of the Year -- the first to win the award with a losing record.

A former coach for Yankees manager Joe Torre, Girardi returned to New York this season as a broadcaster for the YES Network.

Meanwhile, as first reported on Monday by ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Andy MacPhail was hired Wednesday as chief operating officer of the Orioles. MacPhail has run both the Cubs and the Twins.

Man, if only the Yanks could have had him instead of Nieves

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2910079

Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett was traded to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Michael Barrett
Barrett

It wasn't immediately known what the Cubs will receive in return from San Diego for Barrett, who has made headlines this season for arguing with Cubs pitchers in the dugout on two occasions this month and struggling on defense at times this season.

Last week, Lou Piniella said Barrett's playing time would be reduced in the coming weeks, though the Cubs manager said it had nothing to do with Barrett clashing with his teammates.

Barrett was involved in a dugout confrontation, shoving match and then a clubhouse brawl with starter Carlos Zambrano during a game earlier this month, then had what was characterized as a heated discussion with starter Rich Hill in the fourth inning of a June 12 loss to Seattle.

Barrett also was involved in a much-replayed fight with A.J. Pierzynski in a May 2006 interleague game. Barrett landed a punch to the right jaw of Pierzynski after the White Sox catcher ran him over at home plate in what both teams said was a clean play. Barrett later received a 10-game suspension while Pierzynski was fined.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/06/07/scoop.thursday/index.html

Torre's recent criticism of Alex Rodriguez's controversial "Ha!" play against the Blue Jays last week earned George Steinbrenner's wrath and an uncomfortable phone call, courtesy of the Boss, SI.com has learned. General manager Brian Cashman did the honors on Steinbrenner's behalf, but it was the owner who most disapproved of Torre's failure to support Rodriguez over A-Rod's Toronto screaming strategy.

Word that Torre was taken to task at Steinbrenner's behest might explain Torre's uncharacteristic over-reaction to a New York Daily News back-page headline, "Joe to A-Rod: Shut Up." Perhaps Torre thought the strong headline contributed to his airing out, so he lectured the media and recruited a couple TV types to support his fairly unworthy cause. While the headline certainly wasn't literal and somewhat exaggerated, Torre's reaction to A-Rod's tactic, one of Torre's greatest strengths as Yankees manager has been to deal maturely with the tabloids.

For 12-plus years, Torre also has done a magnificent job protecting everyone else in his clubhouse, but curiously seems to have a different standard for the imported superstar. A-Rod's play -- in which he screamed to distract inexperienced third baseman Howie Clark, causing Clark to mistakenly allow Jorge Posada's popup fall for a single in the Yankees' 10-5 victory -- received mixed reviews. Understandably, however, Steinbrenner didn't think any of the negativity should come from A-Rod's own clubhouse. Torre called A-Rod's act "probably inappropriate," and asserted it was "probably something he shouldn't have done."

The same could now be said for Torre's critical remarks; they're something he probably shouldn't have said. After being chastised, Torre explained to his bosses that he didn't mean to demean A-Rod, then apologized to them and to Rodriguez. Torre hasn't always seemed to be in Rodriguez's corner, such as when he batted the superstar eighth in a desperation move during the playoffs last year -- another move his bosses disagreed with.