Friday, June 19, 2009

Yankeetorial: How hard does this team prepare?

Wins 17 and 18.

That's what Washington celebrated this week.

Three months into the season, they came to NY with 16 victories, this despite their modern day version of Koufax/Drysdale, known as Lannan/Stammen.

We, on the other hand, have now won three of nine. The victories:

1) Castillo muffs a game-ender.
2) Santanna has zilch.
3) Ron Villone.

The writers and announcers ruminate about our inability to hit nobodies, as if it's a game riddle on Wheel of Fortune. What a mystery! Goes to show you! The vagaries of baseball!

Our haplessness against no-names has become a defining characteristics of this Yankee era.

It is time to ask why.

It is time to question how diligently our players prepare.

Do they read scouting reports or gossip columns?

Do they watch video of opposing pitchers, or YouTube?

Do they write a strategy for each opponent, or email?

What do they do to prepare? Show up?

Why are we the only team that fails against these pitchers?

And don't insult us by claiming the pitchers rise above their skill sets because it's the Yankees. Everybody does. Why do we play below our abilities?

In the 70s and 80s, the Redsocks were known for their "country club" mentality under aging owner Thomas Yawkey, who developed a love for certain players and accepted their lack of fire. It took 20 years to weed it out, and it required the trading of a Boston icon, Nomar Garciaparra.

It is time to question how hard this team prepares.

It is time to shake the pillars of this team, and nobody -- not even a captain -- should be considered above scrutiny.

It is getting to be time to drop the bomb.

3 comments:

  1. Blame it on the rai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ain...

    Yankees rain record at a season-low 7 games under .500 @ 5-12!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We're screwed this weekend:

    Forecast for Metropolitan Miami

    Tonight
    Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds around 5 mph in the evening becoming light and variable. Chance of rain 20 percent.

    Saturday
    Partly sunny. Scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 90s. Southwest winds around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of rain 30 percent.

    Saturday Night
    Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable. Chance of rain 20 percent.

    Sunday
    Partly sunny. Scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of rain 30 percent.

    ReplyDelete

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