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Saturday, July 8, 2017

I Think We Have To Address The Elephant In The Room

The gods are certainly aligned against us.

Milwaukee had just committed its 5th error in four innings, when the rains came down.

 "Bok" Choi had just put us ahead with his second home run since joining the team.

Romine made it safely to first on error number 5.  We were on a roll.

And the rains came down.

Montgomery, who always, always, always gives up a two run homer, was settling down.  I figured he could hold them to 2 runs over 6 innings.  In today's world, that is an acceptable day's work on the hill.

Fast forward;  Tyler Clippard is called upon by Joe Girardi in a game that could go either way. He stay is is extended.  He fails again, and with great drama, in the form of a game-ending grand slam.  The stadium cleared out.  The air went out of the balloon. In his last 10 appearances, Tyler Clippard is sporting an ERA of 16.4.

Someone ought to be able to look at the math and say, " no more."

But Joe Girardi keeps applying his strategies  from a decade ago, giving more opportunities than called for to re-build the egos and confidence of fallen warriors.  That is why Clippard was in there.

You know, failure is failure. Explain it away any way you wish.  But at the end of the day, when this team is watching the playoffs, failure is what we see. Over time, even with occasional glimmers of hope, if failure is the end result, someone has to take the fall.  Sometimes even the " good guys" have to take a bullet.  This team needs better, and fresher leadership.  The 2017 Yankees are in a, " Twelve O'clock High," situation.  Watch the movie if you don't know what I mean.  A change has to be made or everyone will die.

The Yankees have been out of competitive baseball for too long now.  The optimists can say, "  well, if we take 4 from Boston, we'll be right back on top."  And, yes, injuries have simply erased this team's core.  If this trend turns around, okay, I'll concede a bit more breathing space.  As if what I say matters.

But the reality is; we are now 4 games over .500 and 4 games behind Boston.  A month ago, we were more than 10 games over .500 and had a 4 game cushion in the AL East.

At some point, failure is all we can see, and is all we are getting.  No matter who we play or where we play them. We fail.

How long ago was it that this great franchise won the World Series?  When were we even a contender recently?    Has the objective been lost?  Do we now just hope to " play a respectable season of baseball?"  Is winning no longer the goal?

It isn't all his fault, but he is in charge of what happens on the field.  He is the commander of a ship that is listing.

It is time to seriously consider Joe Girardi as part of the problem.

And no one is talking about that.

It is the elephant in the room.

9 comments:

Urban Farmer formerly known as DutchFan said...

As been taught by Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn(SAWS), eternal guest of Lido Decks in a sea of Heineken, he who made me see, there is one simple explanation.
The PINEapple in PINEda.

The coming weeks I will go deep state and will investigate the infiltration of "the PINE-factor" into the inner workings of the Yankees system.

I personally think Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn((Foam be on your beer) needs to get more platform here.

Anonymous said...

CORRECT.

FOR STARTERS,
BATTING HEADLEY IN THE 2 HOLE.

GARDY LEADS OFF, 1ST INNING WALK
HEADLEY HITS INTO A DP

NEXT AT BAT,
MAN IN SCORING POSITION, 2 OUTS
HEADLEY MAKES THE 3RD OUT

NEXT TIME UP,
2 RUNNERS ON, HEADLEY UP
HEADLEY MAKES THE 3RD OUT

YOU CAN'T PUT HEADLEY UP ANY HIGHER THAN 7TH!!
I WOULD BAT HIM 9TH EVERY DAY!
STOP HITTING HIM 5TH!
STOP HITTING HIM 2ND!


NEXT PROBLEM:
GIRARDI'S ADDICTION TO TYLER CLIPPARD

ALL ARMS MUST BE RESTED FOR GIRARDI TO USE YOU, ACCORDING TO THE BINDER.

ALL EXCEPT FOR TYLER CLIPPARD WHO ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE ALLOWED TO PITCH MORE THAN 1 INNING, AND BE WILD, AND LABOR, AND SWEAT, AND FINALLY ALLOW THE TYING AND WINNING RUNS TO SCORE.

ALL WHILE OUR 2 "BIG STUD" RELIEVERS SIT ON THE BENCH.
GOD FORBID HE USES 1 OF THEM IN THE 6TH OR EARLY 7TH INNING.

HOW EASY WAS IT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH CLIPPARD TONIGHT?
HONESTLY, I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE WOULDN'T PULL CLIPPARD SOONER.
SO EASY TO SEE THE DISASTER COMING.
TEXTED MY FRIEND, 2 BATTERS BEFORE THE GRAND SLAM, "I'M JUST WAITING FOR THE AXE TO FALL."

THE AXE FELL...... EVERYONE COULD SEE IT COMING, EXCEPT JOE G.

I LIKE THE MAN, BUT AS THE MANAGER?

JOE NEEDS TO GO.

PLUS THAT ASSHOLE CASHMAN FOR SIGNING CHASE HEADLEY

AND STEPHEN DREW.


I RATHER GO DOWN WITH BETANCES OR CHAPMAN, THAN CLIPPARD.

JJ in MA said...

Knew when it was Clippard and not Warren, Green or Cessa that the game was over. Dude needs DFA'ing badly.

With a long drive back to where we were staying in CT, we left the stadium shortly after Judge's HR. Turned out to be very much the right call. That shot was worth waiting out the rain delay for, but everything after would have just been excruciating to sit through and then not get home until 2AM.

And yes, Girardi is 100 percent part of the problem. Has been for years between the binders and leaving starters in for JUST THAT ONE batter too many, establishing his "circle of trust" in the bullpen no matter how untrustworthy his relievers are, and so on. The days of Mo in the lockdown 9th are over, my friends. A new, more flexible plan is needed.

Back at it this afternoon. We lose again. Severino can be good or get lit up. It's irrelevant. Either way between dead triple A bats (got to watch Tyler Wade make a nice unassisted double play last night as his average dipped under .100) and the bullpen, there's just no chance.

Might go see Spider-Man instead of watching the game. If you're going to see the same story play out 50 times, it might as well at least be entertaining.

Anonymous said...

Someone, please, remind me why I want to watch this team?? Oh, yeah - - Judge...yup, he set a bunch of records again last night, didn't he??

That having been said, I second virtually everything All-Caps and JJ said above; I will second nearly everything Alphonso said, too, except that no one is talking about Girardi being the problem; Fonz, if you meant OUTSIDE of this blog, OK - - but several of us have been placing the blame squarely on Joey Blue-Binders (aka, "Damned Spot") for much of the season. NICE managers don't win ball-games - - COMPETITIVE managers do - - even if they're a-holes. (Occasionally, you find a mgr. who is both nice AND competitive, such as Tito Francona - - and, Tito, I hope you are recovering nicely from your heart procedure, and will be back soon - - the game needs more like you.)

To last night's game, I must say, "JESUS!!!!" The Brewers' version, of course, I mean - - Jesus Arugula, or what-ever he's called - - God, the guy is built like Big Poop-Face - - just looking at him, you KNOW he's got power...so what the HELL was Joey G. doing, walking the bases loaded - - so's Clippy could get at JESUS, FGS??!!
I was sitting there screaming, NOOOOOOOO!!!! ....and there it went - - dead centerfield. They scored SIX runs while Joey Blue-Balls (excuuuuse me, Damned Spot) went with Clippy...SIX.

I knew when I saw the line-up that we were in for a long night - - Head-case batting second?? Should never happen. I don't care WHO is hurt, and out. Never. Apparently, going through Joe's mind was "gotta' put in my seventh-inning guy!" As usual.

Offer him anything - - let's just get him the fok away from the tactical control of the Yankees. Please and pretty please. LB (No J)

JM said...

I've been saying for years that Joe should go. Nothing, not even 2009, has ever made me change my mind.

For the record, Torre should have been booted by 2002. Girardi is just another version of him.

Anonymous said...

Yes, John M, you have been leading the charge against Joey G. all along - - all kudos due to you for that...I, too, have been criticizing him roundly since 2008, already. I let him have it squarely on the NYDN sports blog muchas veces.

Torre wasn't ideal, I'll grant you, but I must differ with you on that - - Girardi is much worse at moving runners along. He plays strict station-to-station BB - - and Torre had people who knew where to hit to make a productive out, and how to move runners, at least. Also, I think he knew the capabilities of his position-players better than Girardi (although probably not the pitchers - - especially the bullpen). Granted, Mo made him look better than he was...

My God, though, if we can't beat a team that made FIVE errors in the first few innings - - and whose pitcher kept walking people...Blue-Binders has GOT to go (Out, out, Damned Spot!!) LB (No J)

Alphonso said...

I did mean, " no one outside of this blog is speaking of Girardi being part of the problem."

For the record.

A Ferengi said...

Fools! You judge success by profit, not by meaningless victories.

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