i have a comment on coaches, because I was thinking back to how someone pointed out, in reference to A-Rod, that Kevin Long was here for the MVP year, so he is not to blame for this year’s hitting woes.

Well, wasn’t Mattingly here too? And Bowa?

I look at Cano, A-Rod, Abreu and Jeter and wonder if losing Torre and these guys really HAS impacted the team?

I mean, Girardi pacing around the dugout, wringing his hands, tensing his jaw, forgive me but he seems like a woman worried about a noise she heard in the attic.  And the other coaches just stand around letting it happen.

Am I crazy or is the ridiculous positivity of his words completely destroyed by the fretfulness of his actions? I am beginning to wonder if players respect him.  These guys didn’t all forget how to play ball, or how to bear down with a runner on… I sometimes think Girardi has a contagious feeling of negativity and dread.  He himself said that losses are brutal and hard to take early on in the season.

You simply can’t think that way…

if a ballclub goes out there, and is ruminating over the previous day’s loss, I don’t see how they can be successful.  And if your manager is wringing his hands and seems terrified of the next bad play, how does that affect a ballclub?

Or should I just put the bourbon down and hit the sack?

I think that’s an interesting point, and one I haven’t really thought of recently.

The Dodgers are under .500 with guys like Matt Kemp / Chad Billingsly / Rafael Furcal / Takashi Saito / Andruw Jones / Hong-Chih Kuo / Jon Broxton. you sure it’s a Torre thing? the Dodgers are under acheiving just as much.

I sometimes think Girardi has a contagious feeling of negativity and dread.  He himself said that losses are brutal and hard to take early on in the season.

No manager ever had more of a contagious feeling of negativity and dread than Billy Martin, and nobody took losses harder or more personally.  Yet his teams were usually thought of as over-achievers.

And the Dodgers aren’t under-achieving just with Torre at the helm; they’re under-achieving with Bowa and Mattingly coaching them, too.

Or should I just put the bourbon down and hit the sack?

You see shots of Girardi in the dugout.

We have the stats for all the players this year.

That’s about it.

Remember that because Joe Girardi doesn’t give out hand jobs during press conference, most of the reporters don’t like him. Pete Abraham in particular comes to mind.

If you get hired as a consultant for the Yankees and spend the last month with them in the clubhouse, let us know what you find out. Otherwise, the story is really nothing more than a few dots and some very long lines that connect them.

The idea that Derek Jeter isn’t trying as hard or is less confident because of Girardi is laughable. 

A-Rod?  Didn’t Torre publicly throw him under the bus in ‘06?

Abreu is having a much better season than last year.

I look at Cano, A-Rod, Abreu and Jeter and wonder if losing Torre and these guys really HAS impacted the team?

Abreu is having a better season than last year.

Cano has hit .315/.347/.519 in the 2nd half.  did he stop missing Bowa after the all-star break?

no, i think the yankees have missed Wang, Posada, Matsui, and Joba a lot more than Torre. 

this season was going to happen sooner or later.

no, i think the yankees have missed Wang, Posada, Matsui, and Joba a lot more than Torre. 

Not to mention Hughes (who was counted on to fill the 4th spot in the rotation), missing ARod for a good stretch, having Jeter playing hurt for a while.  They’ve had their share of bad-luck as well, especially with RISP.

Has Girardi been perfect?  No, of course not.  He’s still a young manager in his second season.  He’s made mistakes.  Some of them I think he’s learned from.  And, he’d probably look a lot happier in the dugout if his team wasn’t a 15 game winning-streak away from serious contention.  He sure seemed relaxed during that 8 game win streak.

this season was going to happen sooner or later.

I agree.  When you stack your team with veterans well past 30, you’ll get your fair share of injuries (Matsui, Posada, etc.) and fading performances at the plate (Giambi) and in the field (Abreu).  Then, you have a guy like Jeter who might end up with numbers that look good, but belie the struggles he had earlier in the season.  Of course, the failure of the younger players to perform - like Melky, Cano, Kennedy and Hughes - hurt the team as well. 

A poor rotation hit by injuries, bad luck and poor performance didn’t help either.

If you think of all the luck and breaks that went the Yanks way in the last 15 years, especially from 1996 - 2000, then yes, you could say they were due for a season like this.

It will be an interesting offseason to say the least.

Montero is going to be a freakin stud hitter.

Montero is going to be a freakin stud hitter.

I know he’d be more valuable as a catcher on a rate basis, but if he’s a really, really good hitter, I wonder if moving him out from behind the plate so he can play more often makes sense, especially if Romine turns out to be a creditable offensive/defensive catcher.

I know he’d be more valuable as a catcher on a rate basis, but if he’s a really, really good hitter, I wonder if moving him out from behind the plate so he can play more often makes sense, especially if Romine turns out to be a creditable offensive/defensive catcher.

I suppose it depends on a number of factors.  E.g. can Montero be an average or above-average catcher defensively?  Can he be one of those catchers that can put in 140 games behind the plate year-in/year-out?

Probably, both Romine and Montero will play in Tampa next year, and split time like this year.  I’d imagine they’ll make a decision when they’re ready to go to Trenton (hopefully in 2010), especially as they’ll know more about other catchers in the minors.

I know he’d be more valuable as a catcher on a rate basis, but if he’s a really, really good hitter, I wonder if moving him out from behind the plate so he can play more often makes sense

I’ve never read anyone who covers prospects or works for the Yankees state that he’s going to be a big league catcher. But they Yanks are holding out hope that he might turn in to one and right now he’s knocking the crap out of the ball in a league he’s way too young for while improving at the position. I suppose if somewhere up the line, it’s stagnating his development as a hitter, like it did with Sweeney, Delgado, or Nevin, you move him. But I think trying to make him a catcher for as long as possible makes sense. And if Victor Martinez can become a respectable defensive catcher, there’s still hope.

especially if Romine turns out to be a creditable offensive/defensive catcher.

I am thrilled that there’s a catcher with a real hope of sticking at the position in the system and hitting enough to be a good player. I am not a huge believer in Cervilli.

I am thrilled that there’s a catcher with a real hope of sticking at the position in the system and hitting enough to be a good player. I am not a huge believer in Cervilli.

I think Cervelli has an excellent chance to be a useful player in the majors.  That may only be as a backup catcher, but I think we’ve seen this year that those have value as well.

If Cervelli were only to reach the level of, say, Jose Molina, that would be a victory for our system, as it would be for most systems. Good defensive catchers who can hit above the Mendoza line are very hard to find.

So, do you give Coke a shot as a starter or do you pencil him in as a set-up guy (and allowing you to let Marte go and pick up a draft pick)?

So, do you give Coke a shot as a starter or do you pencil him in as a set-up guy (and allowing you to let Marte go and pick up a draft pick)?

Coke is a starter next year for Scranton, I imagine.  If he pitches well as a starter he’ll either be traded for something, or have a shot in the rotation when injury occurs.  If he doesn’t pitch well as a starter, they’ll try him in the bullpen and go from there.

“No manager ever had more of a contagious feeling of negativity and dread than Billy Martin, and nobody took losses harder or more personally.  Yet his teams were usually thought of as over-achievers.”

Good point.