• Not one Yankee reached 1st base in game 4 until the 6th inning
• NY batters had 20 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings starting in game 2 and ending in game 4
• Only advanced one baserunner in 21 consecutive innings

The shock will not go away anytime soon and the frustration simply grows with each and every year the World Series eludes them. However, dwelling on the past will not help them turn things around. In my opinion, here are nine suggestions for the offseason:

1. Torre must go. As much as I love the guy and appreciate what he has done while in pinstripes, I believe it’s time to face the fact that his personality cannot inspire the current set of players to win it all. When names such as Brosius, O’Neill and Knoblauch were on the Yankee roster, there was enough firey personalities and spirit to keep the clubhouse sharp and hungry. I’m afraid Torre’s quiet demeanor and soft-spoken personality are not enough for the current group. And since Lou Pinella is on the job market and he has been known to have a more in-your-face approach to handling players, this is the best way to go. No doubt Joe will be missed and he will go down with some of the all-time greats, but the time has come to move on.
2. Re-sign Moose. New York has a $17 million option on Mike Mussina for 2007 and this is clearly too much. However, the Yanks would be stupid to not try to work out a one or two year contract with him in the $10 to $12 million per year range. He turns 38 this December, but he’s also coming off a year where he had a 3.51 ERA and was #1 in the rotation. The future rotation can be built around Wang, but Moose is a key component.
3. A-Rod should stay…for now. The New York media has been obsessed with A-Rod’s lack of clutch performance this year. It’s not exactly as if he didn’t bring a lot of it on himself. I question his intensity and focus, but to dismiss the guy this soon is a little drastic. It’s not time to get caught up in the negative emotional reaction to their disappointing postseason. It was only one year ago that Alex won the 2005 MVP. I will concede that other than the 2004 ALDS vs. the Twins, A-Rod has been a disappointment in the postseason since he came to NY. However, if my first suggestion above becomes a reality and Torre is replaced by Pinella, we may just see A-Rod’s performance improve as he is no longer handled by Torre’s kid gloves but has to live up to Pinella’s demanding personality. The bottom line is that it's too early to dump A-Rod. And one more notable fact: When the Yankees traded for A-Rod before the 2004 season, the rangers agreed to pay $67 million of the $179 million left on his contract. This means, despite what you may hear, he gets an average of $16 million a year each year from the Yankees. Is that really so bad for a guy who had an off year and still hit .290 with 35 homers, 121 RBIs and 113 runs?
4. Sign Andy Petitte. He has already proven himself in pinstripes both in the regular season and postseason. He can handle all the pressures associated with playing for the Boss, for New York fans and under the spotlight of the NY media. He can handle the postseason with poise, as he did when he was an integral part of the teams that won four titles in five years from 1996 to 2000. Over the last three years, he’s gone 37 and 26 with an ERA of 3.26 for the Astros. No doubt his win/loss record would have been much better with the NY bats backing him up instead of those of the Astros. He’s still only 34 years old. He’s left handed. Sign him.
5. Sign Barry Zito. Yes, it’s a long-shot and yes it may be a pipe dream, but it makes perfect sense. Zito has 7 years of MLB experience with a record of 102 and 63 with a 3.55 ERA in that time. He eats up innings, which would be welcome in the Bronx where the only reliable relief pitcher has a nickname of "Mo".
6. Speaking of middle relievers, they need some.
7. Let Brian Cashman retain control of personnell issues. God bless The Boss for his demand that his team settles for nothing less than a world series every year and his willingness to back his expectations up with his wallet. So many fans complain about Steinbrenner, but the reality is that they are jealous and all wish the owners of thier team did the same thing. However, that's where George's intervention should begin and end. The tow seem to differ in their approach to acquiring players. When George is in control, he tends to dump his farm team to obtain the big names of the day. this has led to nothing but misery over the years. It is no coincidence that when the Yankees returned to greatness in 1996, it was largely due to home-grown talent such as Petitte, Jeter, Rivera, Posada and Williams. There have been claims that the Yankees don't have the same farm system that they had in the early 1990's. However, anyone who makes that argument has never heard the names Alfonso Soriano, Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano or Melky Cabrera. Cashman has always been an advocate of retaining the home-grown guys and building the team around youth. This is the proven path to success.
8. Dump Gary Sheffield. He's turning 38 and he is more prone to injury these days. He may have a good year left in him, but with Damon, Matsui and Abreu as the regular outfielders, and Melky Cabrera and possibly Bernie Williams as backups, the Yanks have enough gloves. And they certainly have more than enough bats. He will want about $10 million, give or take.
9. No more big hitters. As I said above, they have an $130 million lineup. They just need to learn to hit in the postseason.

Labels: Confusion, Defeat, Frustration, Self-defeat