Curtis Granderson had nothing to do with it. The Grandyman has been a fine Yankee, a good person and credit to the franchise. Great role model. Bright future after baseball. And right now, I can't stomach the sight of him twinkle-toeing to the plate. Last night, he came up twice with critical runners on base. He struck out. He popped up. When I see him, the year becomes 1985, and we are playing Danny Tartabull. Today, the only upside I can think of to missing the playoffs is the hope that this guy can take his knee-socks and 200 strikeouts to another city.
Then there is CC Sabathia, our "ace." He might be hurt. I hope he's hurt. Isn't that horrible to say? But if he's hurt, he has an excuse. If not, he's done. In the season's most important games - games we must win - he has turned into Freddy Garcia Jr. No team wins with two Freddy Garcias in its rotation.
The Polliannas out there keep saying Grandy and CC are "overdue." They say that about Swisher, Raul, Andruw and Russell Martin. Trouble is, this isn't random sequencing in a card game. This is pressure baseball, the end of a pennant race, and players who have either forgotten how to adjust or who physically cannot do it. Redsock fans spent the month of September 2011 waiting for Carl Crawford and John Lackey to get hot. Overdue? Gimmie a break.
So today, guess who's pitching? Freddy. Seriously, does anyone reading this blog right now think we have a chance? At best, Freddy will go five and give up three. It's possible he will go two and give up seven and counting. Maybe our batting order - without Teixeira, who re-injured himself yesterday - will sputter and groan, and maybe score some runs. But this game has all the markings of the 10-9 shoot-out that we lose on a walk-off.
We haven't lost on a walk-off lately, have we? Yep. We're overdue.
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For as long as CC has been here, I've been railing in my own private corner of Yankeedom hell about calling him an 'ace'. Like, Ace Ventura? Acey Deucy? The Ace hotel in Palm Springs? Which I avoid like the plague every time I go to that fine town (mercifully easy to do) since it's the gathering spot of under 30 morons who have the sophistication of a trailer park Alabama alcholic, just with more money. But I digress.
Aces do not routinely give up 5 runs an outing, even if said outings last 7 innings and really help rest the bullpen...he's a workhorse! Gives up 3 or more runs most outings, but really eats up innings. And chances for a win.
If he was on practically any other team the past couple of years, his win-loss record would be close to .500. But he's a workhorse!
Secretariat was not a workhorse. He was an ace (metaphorically speaking). Aces win. Aces dominate more times than not. Aces don't give up 5 runs on a routine basis. Aces go out and win the big ones.
I knew Ron Guidry, sir. He was 25-3. You are not Ron Guidry.
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