I realize I just used terrible a lot in the last post.

To make it slightly more humorous, substitute Charles Barkley's voice and "turrible" when you read it.

Haha, using that method makes just about any post funnier!

Why the hell haven't the Yankees played this well all year? Is it only now because the pressure is off??

The Joe Torre curse?
The Hanky Panky Steinbrenner curse?
The Bambino curse?

They screwed Babe Ruth when he retired. He was promised a management spot (not necessarily a field manager, even if that's what he wanted) but they just cut him loose.

Injuries?
Apathetic players?
Mediocre management?

While I agree that there should have been some sort of deal in place to keep Ruth as a Yankee alumnus pro-tempore, you don't just dump Joe McCarthy, one of the greatest Yankee managers of all-time (#7 all-time in wins, and leading Yankee manager in wins all-time, and tied with Casey Stengel in World Series wins), no matter how much Babe wanted to manage. It means something that at that time, Jacob Ruppert's attempts to reach out and find a suitor for Ruth's managerial services turned up empty except for the Braves.

If anything, it was the Boston Braves who screwed Ruth over; Ruth was supposed to have Bill Parcells-esque control over the team, and quickly discovered that he was pretty much a powerless figurehead.

Age
Front office
Maybe that Torre guy brought something to the table

I don't blame it on injuries. Every team gets injuries, and with the financial resources of the Yankees, you should weather the storm.

I agree with the apathetic players. The tone of the season was set in the preseason when the unheralded small market Rays drilled the Yankee catcher, and the response was a complaint that you're not supposed to play all out in the Spring.

Every team gets injuries, but not every team loses their 3/5ths of their starting rotation and has to start Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner for long terms; in contrast, I don't think the Rays had a starter on the DL the entire year. Damon has been lost sporadically through the year. Matsui gone for most of it. Posada gone for nearly all of the season.

I don't see how you can lose that much of your starting 9 and not expect problems. And I don't think that Torre would have been able to change that, imho.

How great was it to see Bernie Williams back in pinstripes! And some of the others! Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Goose Gossage, Graig Nettles, Paul O'Neill, Murcer's family, David Cone, Reggie Jackson! You could just go on and on.

What a fitting ceremony and how fitting to have Posada to catch the ceremonial pitch and Babe Ruth's daughter to throw it. Really nice.

I was blown away seeing David Mantle (Mickey's son) run out to center field. He runs EXACTLY like his dad did.

Quite fitting to see Babe Ruth's daughter throw old the first pitch.

And your boy just got a crystal bat and ball... (no further comment )

I missed most of the ceremony, though. But I'm sure they'll replay it forever...

I gotta listen to these ESPN assholes for the last home game??

It'd be fitting if someone like ARod hits the last home run in the Stadium.

Oh, JG, you didn't DVR it?? It was really amazing. Even if you're not a Yankee fan, if you love baseball, then you had to love that ceremony. I couldn't believe how many greats were on that field at once.

And as John Sterling said, it was the fans' chance to say goodbye to Bernie, something that they never had a chance to do.

At least it's not Joe Buck.

Yankees eliminated yet?

It'd be ironic if Johnny Damon hit the last homer in the Stadium. The first one was hit by a former Red Sox player who moved over to the Yanks, and the same for the last homer.

Yes, from the divisional title but they're still in it (barely) for the wild card spot.

If the Yankees lose tonight, Boston clinches the wild card. If the Yankees win tonight, I believe it will simply be postponing the inevitable.

Molina just killed that by scoring a 2 run home run.

The last month has been postponing the inevitable...put a fork in them, they're done, and have been for awhile.

Man that was a really hard game to get through knowing it was the last ever in that Stadium

It was a great tribute. I missed seeing Torre there, though.

FIRST homer hit in Yankee Stadium... The Babe
LAST homer hit in Yankee Stadium... wow, not Damon... but Jose Molina! A record that will never be broken.

Joe Torre is busy getting ready for the playoffs.

Oh, that's right, the Yankees aren't.

Oh, of course, if the Yankees were in the NL West, they'd still be crushing the rest of the division. Hell, most of the AL could crush the "best" of the NL.

Have fun with the Rays and the Angels, Red Sox. Should be fun to watch.

Must we be so petty ("your team sucks!") on the night The House That Ruth Built is no more?? Show some respect for the last great sports venue.