I'm going to be brief with my NFL 5 things this week, because it will take some time and space to rant and/or speculate on the demise of the 2012 Yankees. Actually, demise is putting it nicely. Debacle, disgrace, disaster, whatever D word you want to use is acceptable.
The obvious moves cannot be stressed enough. Re-sign Kuroda and Ichiro, let Swisher walk, trade A-Rod and Granderson, hold off on Cano's big contract.
But this is all beating a dead horse. The Yankees can make all these moves and replace A-Rod, Swisher, and Granderson with three more big boppers in free agency?
The truth is, it won't be good enough to win World Series # 28.
The Yankees have the pitching to win it all, as evidenced by the starting rotation's overall performance this postseason.
On paper, they certainly seem to have the hitting capability as well. Unfortunately, this hitting prowess does not extend to postseason play
So is it the hitters not performing? Probably. Is it just a case of bad luck based on all big boppers going cold at the same time? Maybe.
However, this can happen to any team at any time. For the Yankees, since 2001 and except for 2009, this has happened every single season.
So the problem is not the players, its the offensive philosophy.
After losing the 2001 World Series, the blue-collar grinders like O'Neill, Martinez, and Brosius that won four out of five World Series were gone. These guys were replaced with all-or-nothing big boppers such as Jason Giambi, Raul Mondesi, Rondell White, and Robin Ventura, to name a few.
Owner George Steinbrenner, perhaps in a bid to sell more tickets and to promote the new YES Network, decided that the fans only wanted to see home runs. Hey, chicks dig the long ball!
This change in strategy did result in more postseason apperances, but also resulted in epic power outages on offense when placed up against great pitching. This happened, namely, in the 2003 World Series, the last four games of the 2004 ALCS, the 2006 and 2011 ALDS, and especially the 2012 ALCS.
Except for the 2009 postseason, largely carried by pariah A-Rod, gone were the grind-it-out at-bats and key base hits (not homers) in big spots that won ballgames in October. The strategy was and currently is to swing for the fence every single at-bat.
It may work in the regular season. The Yankees struggled their way to an AL East title this season largely due in part to a franchise-record 255 home runs.
But doesn't it seem as if it was the only way they could score runs? In the 2012 Postseason, the Yankees squeaked by the Orioles in five games despite not scoring more than three runs in four of five of them. In the 2012 ALCS, aside from their miracle four-run rally in Game 1, they only scored TWO runs. Yes, TWO.
Yes, they needed home runs from Raul Ibanez to save their rear ends a few times. But where were the grind-it-out at bats that defined the late 90s dynasty? Where were the timely singles and doubles? Was the approach of every single hitter to attempt to hit a 500 foot home run every single plate appearance? It certainly seems that way.
The point is, the home-run-or-nothing mentality has failed.
In the years the Yankees won the World Series under Joe Torre and Joe Girardi, no Yankee hit more than 40 home runs. They didn't outslug their opponents to win them. They used great pitching and timely hitting. The most simple winning formula of all.
For the Yankees to win # 28 next year, they need to return to this strategy. To do so, they must bring in the proper personnel. The Nick Swishers, Curtis Granderson, A-Rods, and Russell Martin's of the world are not those types of players.
They need the O'Neill/Martinez/Brosius types. They need the supplemental types of players, players like Jayson Nix, Brett Gardner, et al, that will swing for a two-run single in a big spot instead of a five-run home run.
General manager Brian Cashman has a very long a difficult offseason ahead. Not only must he bring in the right personnel, but he needs to realize that a 1 through 9 lineup of home run boppers will not breed October success.
They got away with it in 2009. Who knows if they will again? Based on the last two postseason exits, it doesn't seem that way.
They tried for the five-run homer and missed. Now, it's time to try for the bases-clearing double.
Let the offseason begin.
NFL Week 6 Five Things
1. The Packers look like last year's Packers again. Scary thought for the rest of the league.
2. The Giants are better than last year's team. But where have we seen this before? See: 2008 and Burress, Plaxico.
3. The Seahawks don't have the most talented team in the league, but they are certainly the most pesky.
4. The two teams in the most trouble are the Steelers and Chargers.
5. The Ravens are still title contenders, but without Ray Lewis, they DO NOT win a Super Bowl. Period.
Are-You-For-Real Super Bowl matchup: Seattle vs Denver
Top 5
1. Atlanta
2. N.Y. Giants
3. Houston
4. Baltimore
5. Green Bay
Bottom 5
32. Jacksonville
31. Kansas City
30. Cleveland
29. Carolina
28. New Orleans
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