I hate to call people stupid but this got me over my hatred. How can getting on base with a 1 run deficit in the 9th be bad regardless of how slow one is. You should be able to get on 1st base to get to third base to score on a sac fly. It is not allowed in baseball to make an out and go stand on 3rd base.

Second he’s an albatross like this.

Slow. ‘Can’t play 1B anymore. ‘Never a good 1B to begin with. ‘Strikes out a ton. ‘Clogs the basepaths. ‘Forces the Yanks to use Cairo as a pinch-runner thus puts the Yanks in danger of having to use Phillips to play 2B, 3B, or SS if Cano, A-Rod, or Jeter get hurt in extra-innings. ‘Clogs up DH thus takes needed at-bats from Posada, Matsui, Damon & yes even A-Rod & Jeter who could use a break from the field now & then,”jeez”. ‘Can’t hit for average anymore. Automatic double-play on a tapper right to the 2B. Once kept Cabrera from taking over LF and Matsui taking over DH cuz he can’t play 1B. Created the Phelps/ Mientkiewicz/ Cairo 1B fiasco cuz he can’t play 1B. Off-the-field distraction. Overpaid, over the hill, underpeforming, underachieving. Two years out of 6 (a third of his Yankee career) lost to injury (2004 & this year). His best year under contract with the Yanks was his first (2002) but he flopped in the 2002 A.L.D.S. esp. w/ the glove (ball past him which Tino would’ve snagged which blew one game wide open). One could argue he was on steroids when he hit the pair of solo shots off Pedro in Game 7 of the 2003 A.L.D.S. Did nothing in the 2003 World Series.

But oh he has that great OBP, whatever. Last I checked, he was being paid $20+M a year to hit for power, average, drive in 100 runs, not be a .253-batting slug-slow walk machine.

Yanks down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth of Game 5 of the A.L.D.S. Giambi draws a leadoff walk, not gets a double for a possible run scored w/ 2 outs (2 deep flyouts, 2 groundouts, or one deep flyout & one groundout) or homerun to tie the game & set up a possible bottom of the ninth walk-off win, cuz he can’t hit better than .250-something or doubles anymore. It could take the Yanks as much as 2 hits & a sac fly or grounder or 3 hits to drive him in & there’s no guarantee he’ll score on a sac fly.

Now you’ll tell me he’d be lifted for a pinch-runner? Really in an elimination game? O.k., then since he’s the DH, the Yanks have to burn a bench player, lose the DH & do the double-switch cuz of one pinch-running play. Cairo pinch-runs, but what if Cano, Jeter, or A-Rod gets hurt? You really want Andy Phillips at 2B, 3B, or SS cuz guess what?
That’s who the backup 2B/3B/SS is if you lose Cairo for one play.

Now imagine Damon at DH & drawing a leadoff walk. No need for a pinch-runner, Damon remains in the game if it goes on & Cairo isn’t burned. Damon has a much better chance of scoring from 1B on a double, from 2B on a single, or from 3B on a sac fly. That’s who should be in there at DH.

Jeez.

Please acquire John Garland from the Chi-Sox so Mussina gets bumped out of the rotation (Garland & Hughes replace Mussina & Igawa) & screams for a trade.