The Sommer Frieze

It’s his 78th birthday.

1939.

…a no-hitter in 1983…

2008. Fans realize the truth about
the 2008 Jeter.

News: Tabata has a severe hamstring injury. I would think he’s done for 2008. Matsui isn’t coming back anytime soon and could face surgery again…this time on the other knee. I love Godzilla, but if you can make a deal for him it may be for the best.

August and September of 2008 could be serious evaluation time. Meaning seeing exactly what you have in Gardner, Jason Jones, Robertson, Cox, etc. as for 2009 and the future.

I kept track of this before, then dropped off. Pete Abraham picks up the baton in mentioning that this was the 38th time in 86 games that the Yanks scored 3 runs or less. Given this lineup, did you see that coming?

UNHAPPY GIRARDI…

Girardi threw out the clubbies and security people before a 34 minute tirade. I would hope it was a tirade and not a talk. Pete Abraham reports that it was loud. Not profane, but loud. God only knows what Billy Martin would have done. It’s interesting that Hank said that jobs are on the line and that no one is safe. As if he is really going to send down a $16 million RF, $13 million LF, $18.6 million SS, etc. to SWB. You know damn well they can’t be benched, and that their ages and contracts preclude a deal. I’ve mentioned this on the show already. What will the Yanks do in two years with a 35 year old A-Rod, 36 year old Jeter (who probably shouldn’t be playing SS anymore at 36), 40 year old Mo (who seems ageless but you wonder when time will catch up with him) and 38 year old Posada on the same team? Fans don’t and won’t want to let them go, but with age comes more injuries and diminished production. By 2010, there is a good chance that Matsui, Damon and Abreu will no longer be Yanks…and I haven’t touched much of the pitching yet.

Speaking of age, can Alex act his? Last year it was Jocelyn Morse. This year Madonna. The Yanks don’t need this crap.

Pete Abraham sums it up (emphasis mine):

The Yankees have been held to two or fewer runs 28 times this season. That’s one third of the time. Jon Lester needed 105 pitches to throw a shutout. He’s good, but he’s not that good. The Yankees played like they had a cab to catch. Or Madonna’s limo.

Why Gardner should play…Plate patience alone. As the Truth has said for years, get hungry players…not fatcats. Players with something to prove and not something to show (their wallets).

Pete states:

It sounds good that they had a meeting. But think about it for a second, nearly half the team are guys just thrilled to be there. Yelling at Betemit, Molina, Gardner, Moeller, Gonzalez, Ponson, Rasner, Veras, Ramirez, Giese and Robertson accomplishes zippo. They have nothing to do with what’s going on or can’t do much to change it.

Girardi has to connect with the core guys. Jeter, Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, etc. The team will rise or fall on how they play. Joe Torre always found a way out of the woods, now Girardi has to find his path. This is what managing is about. Strategy is 10 percent, the rest is getting your guys to play the game right.

Now I have to make a point about something Pete says here. The problem is, the guys “just thrilled to be there” are the guys with something to prove and some are busting it pretty decently. While a Betemit, Moeller, Gonzo, & Ponson may not be long for the Yanks, others have either done well or could have significant futures with the team (Giese 2.82, Robertson 1.80 and a future, Edwar may not be with the team long as far as a future goes, but he’s at 3.10. Gardner may have a future if he can prove he can hit. Molina is signed for next year, and with Posada’s age and injuries, is needed. Veras has a 2.73).

As for the core guys, maybe (this’ll sound crude, but…) they have a baseball version of E.D. Meaning that they need some “Baseball Viagra.” They can’t do it all the time anymore. Jeter (34 and having the worst season of his career), Damon (34, 35 in November), Abreu (34 and slowly fading), A-Rod (33 in a few weeks but see above about acting his age). Torre could “find a way out of the woods” when his core guys are 30. It’s different when they are 34 or older. Far different.

Here is some homework, if you care to do it. Think about the greatest teams you ever saw play. Then go onto www.baseball-reference.com. Click on the link “Teams”. Scroll down to that team (i.e., if you are thinking 1986 Mets, you click on teams, then on New York Mets). Then click on the year. Check out the ages of the players on the team. Do that for a number of teams that you regard as the greatest of all time. Do you know what you will find? You will find that most of those teams had very few players over the age of 34. Heck, just look at Tampa this year.

The Yanks have names. Lots of names filling out uniforms. A lot of these names are over 34. It’s nice to see the names on the field. But the jerseys aren’t filled out by the same players anymore. The numbers on the back of the cards won’t read the same anymore. Rebuilding is necessary, and it’s going to take a while. Top-notch players in their prime is what is missing. How many of the Yankees “core” are in their PRIME YEARS? I’ve addressed this before. You can say ONE. Wang. By prime, I mean 27-32. Prime. Maybe I’m missing someone, but I don’t count Farnsworth as “core.” Alex turns 33 at the end of this month. How many believe that next year, players such as Jeter, Damon and Abreu (to mention some of the core…and that’s only if Abreu is back and Damon isn’t traded) will post better numbers? How many believe (as I do) that as they hit their mid-30s that they will continue to slow down?

It’s one thing to reach the core. It’s another thing for that core to be IN ITS PRIME. This Yankee team’s core, for the most part, is past that.