You have to give the Yankees credit from a marketing standpoint. Its Game 7 of the ALCS and just about to go into the World Series on Wednesday and coverage on the Tri-State area and ESPN is more about Joe Torre, A-Rod, Rivera and Posada than it is about Colorado, Boston or Cleveland, its sad.

Ummmm - No. I completely appreciate that the Yankees need not be discussed in other threads, as was pointed out. However, we did just lose our manager of 12 years, we have several key players whose contracts are up, and we are now facing a significant transitional period. I'm sure that there will be plenty of posts here in the coming weeks. If you don't want to read about the Yankees, feel free to pass us by and read something else.

SC, how unusual that a spoiled brat like Hank would come out like that. Was he the one who was playing with the racehorses or the hotels before becoming Mr. Baseball???

As I said, you guys are done!













I waz onlee kitting!

Tell me about it!

Freaking Steinbrenners and Cashman. God knows what the heck they're going to do next.

Yeah, how 'bout dem Mets, huh?

A-Rod named baseball's most clutch

NEW YORK -- The Yankees' year might have been an early loss if not for Alex Rodriguez's heroics. Time and time again, he came through with success in tight situations, helping to lead the club into the postseason.
For his efforts in what will be remembered as a remarkable individual season worthy of praise, Rodriguez has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the 2007 Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year, presented by Pepsi.

The officially sanctioned Major League Baseball award recognizes the player who performed his best when the game was on the line, and was revealed during a one-hour special, produced by Major League Baseball Productions, on ESPN on Wednesday.

Off to a disappointing 21-29 start despite Rodriguez's exceptional opening act, the Yankees had a large hole to dig out of if they wanted to keep their streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances intact.

The 32-year-old Rodriguez had a major hand in helping them do so, leading all of baseball with 143 runs scored, 54 home runs, 156 RBIs, and a .645 slugging percentage.

"It's a year I'm proud of, just because the guys battled hard all year," Rodriguez said recently. "It's been the toughest year trying to get to the postseason, that's for sure. Many people kind of doubted us, and it's weird for us to be able to overcome such adversity. Personally, I feel good about the year."

No batter in the Major Leagues hit more home runs to tie the game or put his team ahead, situations in which Rodriguez went deep 22 times. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard and Houston's Lance Berkman tied Rodriguez in that category.

Rodriguez's success in the late innings certainly helped his case, showing a great improvement over his performances in 2006. Rodriguez batted .463 (19-for-41) with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in the ninth innings of games this year, compared with .143 (5-for-35) with three home runs and five RBIs last season.

"I realized that I'm going to let my baseball do the talking," Rodriguez said.

One of Rodriguez's most memorable moments -- and a tell-tale sign that this year had earmarks of being different for him -- came April 7, during the Yankees' first homestand, as A-Rod stepped in against Baltimore reliever Chris Ray.

Having already hit a two-run homer earlier in the game, Rodriguez belted an offering into the black beyond center field for a game-winning, walk-off grand slam, lifting the Yankees to a 10-7 victory and playing out a stretch in which he hit six home runs and collected 15 RBIs in the first seven games of the season.

"It felt awesome," Rodriguez said then. "I was so excited, I felt like a fool running around the bases, like it was Little League. I just remember I almost knocked [coach Larry] Bowa over at third. I saw the fans rocking behind him. That was kind of cool.

"You relish it. As an athlete, you always want to be in that opportunity."

One of Rodriguez's most dramatic moments also came in the game's most heated rivalry, where he has had trouble in recent years. With the Yankees down to their final strike of the ninth inning June 3 at Boston, Rodriguez turned on a 95 mph Jonathan Papelbon fastball and drilled it high through the raindrops into the Fenway Park night, helping the Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Red Sox and two out of three games at Boston.

"I was just trying to not to do too much," Rodriguez said then. "With two strikes, that's the last thing you're trying to do, to hit a home run. It's always a tough at-bat [against Papelbon]. He has so many ways of getting you out. The guy's a great competitor. Just to be able to win that game and then have Mo [Mariano Rivera] close the door was great."

With the Yankees driving toward a Wild Card spot and an eventual Division Series matchup with the Cleveland Indians, Rodriguez found another gear. He drove in 111 runs in his final 105 games of the season, averaging one RBI every 3.7 at-bats over the course of the whole campaign -- leading the big leagues with that ratio.

"I think this whole year was just an amazing thing that he did," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "He came in and showed everyone why he is the best player in the game."

When the Yankees needed a boost at home during the regular season, too, Rodriguez was there often. With 26 home runs in the Bronx, Rodriguez equaled his own single-season record -- set during his 2005 AL MVP campaign -- for homers hit by a right-handed batter at Yankee Stadium.

"Definitely, he helped us a lot," second baseman Robinson Cano said. "He helped so much, I can't tell you about it, especially when we were struggling in the beginning. He got those walk-off home runs and those comeback games. That's something that you've got to appreciate looking at them now."

The 2007 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year Presented by Pepsi winner was selected by the fans from a list of six nominees chosen by a special editorial panel from MLB Advanced Media and Major League Baseball Productions. From Oct. 5 through Oct. 19, Major League Baseball fans voted for the award on pepsiclutch.mlb.com, a site powered by MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and created specifically for the MLB Clutch Performer Platform.

To further engage fans in the selection process, Pepsi introduced an online sweepstakes in conjunction with the award. As part of the program, Pepsi, the official soft drink of Major League Baseball, fans were entered to win a trip to the 2008 All-Star Game by voting for the 2007 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year.

Previous monthly winners of the MLB Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month awards include: Rodriguez (April); Ken Griffey Jr. (May); Chone Figgins (June); Aramis Ramirez (July); Andy Pettitte (August); and Alfonso Soriano (September).

Source: Yankees

The centre of the baseball world?

Its Bean Town.

Yes, the Yankee fan collective nightmare has come true.

I like the article I read yesterday that said the new manager won't be held to the same standard that Torre was since he won't be "given the '96 Yankees". Wasn't Torre told to "win or else" with the same team? Someone should tell Hank Steinbrenner to shut his mouth. After all, what are his notable accomplishments? He was given the Yankees - what a great testament to the perils of nepotism.

The '96 Yankees were the first champions of a dynasty, but there were no stars when Torre arrived. Mattingly just retired. Charlie Hayes was the thirdbaseman. O'Neill was known as a pretty good player, who was known for his temper as well as his play, and Jeter, Pettitte, Bernie Williams and Rivera were rookies or youngsters still making their way through the league. Gerald Williams played left, and Girardi, an average journeyman was brought in from Colorado to catch. While NY managed to win the wild card in '95, most people were picking the loaded Orioles to win the East in '96.

Coming into '96, the Yankees' pitching was headed by David Cone, but it was unproven.

Certainly, these players developed and formed a championship team and a dynasty, but I would disagree that Torre was handed a championship team in '96.

I agree - non of the players were considered the "best" at their positions. Even Jeter was in competition from ARod and Garciaparra for top short stop. It is easy to look back now and say that was a great team, but when Torre took over they were still unproven.

It was Hank Steinbrenner that said Torre was handed the championship and that before he was with the Yankees his record was average at best (that may be true).

I agree. I think Hank, the Steinbrenners and the rest of the Yankee organization need to shut their mouths and move on. They should realize their the villain in this story while Torre's being hailed as the hero. They should cut their losses, focus on hiring a new manager and keeping guys such as A-Rod, Jorge and Mo and what they can do to win it all in 2008!

That's right, Dude. Hell, Bean Town is the centre of the entire sports world right now. Even Boston College is in the mix at #2 in the College Football polls. [/Walter from Big Lebowski voice]


BTW: Welcome to the boards! I especially enjoy reading your posts in the Movie Forum.

Talk about a nasty, nasty case of the "what have you done for me lately"'s!!! Geez, Louise!!! It's bad enough to have to have put up with their father, but the sons are just members of The Lucky Sperm Club. They should go back to their horses and hotels, and leave the Yankees alone. Or at least do whatever they're going to do quietly and with some sense of class.

Oh, wait, they're Steinbrenners!! What was I thinking??

Didn't someone say Hal isn't even that family with the team? He just ran hotels and things of that nature? If that's true and this kid has little baseball knowledge, he's going to get eaten alive by the New York media

FU A-ROD!!



Opts out cuz he doesn't know what the '08 team will be... Great, sign with Boston you two-faced money-grubbing piece of shit!

Boy, someone better catch Irishman. I think I just heard him hit the floor.

...But how do you really feel?

How long before we hear the "it's not about the money" line out of his camp?

How attention-needy does A-Rod and Boras need to be to make this announcement in the middle of the friggin' World Series??

I heard a Peter Gammons interview on Mike-and-Mike this morning. Pissed him off something awful.

ARod showed his true colors - GREEN - as in money. What a pig. He must've been planning this the entire time. I'm with you 100%, Geoff. Isn't this the same man that, while celebrating with his team about getting the Wild Card, said that NY was the place for him and that the Yankees were his team?

Maybe everyone should borrow ARod's wife's shirt that said, "F*ck you".

MLB is pretty steamed about the timing of this announcement. Boras lacks class and respect for the game. It reflects selfishness.

I also mildly criticize the Yankees and Reds for conducting interviews while the World Series was taking place. Out of respect for the integrity of the institution of the World Series, teams do not and have not conducted such business, but at least the Yankees had the sense not to announce their managerial decision until after the series ended.

A total lack of class. I hope Cashman and the Yankees stick to their guns and tell this creep to take his wife and his mistress and move to Las Vegas. Oops, wrong thread, but that's what they should tell him.

If the Series had gone into this week, I assure you that they wouldn't have waited. They have only one agenda in mind - their own.

Source: Girardi expected to accept Yankees' offer

The Yankees officially offered their managerial job to Joe Girardi on Monday morning and he is expected to accept it, a source has told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Don Mattingly and Tony Pena that they will not be getting the job.

Girardi was in Denver for the World Series. A source said he is expected to fly to New York for the announcement, which is likely to come Tuesday. Girardi's contract is expected to be in the three-year, $6 million range.

Mattingly will not accept a position on the Yankees coaching staff, Marchand and ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney are reporting.

Girardi, a former Yankees player and coach, was voted NL Manager of the Year in 2006 after keeping Florida in contention until late in the season.

Girardi, working as a broadcaster Sunday night for Fox Sports from the World Series in Denver, said he had nothing to announce regarding his status as a manager.

"Still former," Girardi said. "Nothing extra tonight."

Girardi was the first to interview Monday, followed by Mattingly on Tuesday and Pena on Wednesday. Pena won AL Manager of the Year in 2003 after the Kansas City Royals (83-79) posted their first winning season since 1994 -- Hank Steinbrenner told The Times that Pena was "definitely under consideration."

Mattingly has no managerial experience. He spent three seasons as New York's hitting coach before he became Joe Torre's bench coach last year. A six-time All-Star, Mattingly is among the most beloved players in Yankees history.

Torre declined a one-year offer to return at a reduced salary after leading the team to four World Series championships and 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons.

Source: ESPN

If Girardi gets the job, I wonder if Mattingly will hook on with another club. Certainly, he won't be able to stay with the Yankees.

Also, has A-Rod officially filed his letters today to opt out of his contract? I'm not convinced he's leaving. The announcement may have been designed to see how much cash the Yankees would throw at him.

They're not gonna throw a penny at him, and they've said as much, since if he leaves, the Yanks will lose $20-something million from Texas. Fuggedaboutit!

A-Rod, despite helping my fantasy team tremendously (yet still not helping it win a championship lol) is A BUM!

Why is the Rangers paying the Yanks? (Pardon my ignorance)

I think they'd rather throw a brick at him.

I think it was something like he still had $20 something million on his contract with Texas when he was traded to The Yankees. Part of the trade was The Yankees had to buy out the remainder of his contract with Texas.