The problem is Saint Joe — I know eveyone wants to give him credit for not panicking but he was a large part of the reason the Yankees were so far behind — I know some Blogs assign him 8, 9, 10 losses but he was responsible for as many as 20 by making poor lineup and poor in game choices. His choices agaimns the Rockies and the Dbacks alone killed the momentum and cost the AL Flag – prior to the All Star break

Over a full season the Yankees got into the playoffs — Now in a short series we can’t have porr choices.

Wang strating game 1 on the road

Matsui in the lineup — all players have streaks – some the highs and low are wide; some like Matsui slighly disguised — but what he has done over the last 8 weeks is more important than this season or past seasons — ad this streak is not disguised at all —

Cabrera has to play for DEFENSE but he has to do something at the plate — but you can’t sit him for Matsui as bad as he has been going.

Using Hughes last night was stupid — he has been better the last month than Mussina and there is no certainly about Clemens.

Still — if the picthers can contain the Tribe to 3 runs over 7 innings the Yanks should win — when was the last game one of our picthers held a good team to 2 Runs – so as stated a week ago we need a lineup that can slug its way through

and that requires Posada – “not try to do too much” – the mantra for the season — Jeter has to at least move a runner

and Arod has to get a chance to hit — I promise you that if they walk him for 2 games he will be overswinging for the next 3 games trying TOO HARD -head case again- fans and press have been on him way too much for him to stay relaxed

He needs a threat behind him — it is a prayer that with as bad a Sept as Matsui that Giambi can step up — but at least he stays in the box and battles

So yeah I like Pete’s lineup and I hope Andy has the best start of the year in him and nnot one of his last two

4 World Championships, in an era where nobody has repeated accept the Yankees.

Yes 3-11 is a little hard to swallow, but this series is not over.

And losing next year…how can you even talk about losing next year when this year is not over? Sounds a little bit like fatalism to me.

Players have to play…Torre is not responsible for Posada striking out in the 5th. He’s not responsible for Wang being atrocious.

Torre has been at the helm of this team during some of it’s greatest years. To look at his this difficult stretch and judge him on this, and this alone, is not fair.

matsui has been bad for weeks now, so to say “he had his knee drained, lets give him some time� is WACK
his bat is slow, his front side is way out and hes pulling everything…

secondly, those who say last nights loss was bout CC being a cy young pitcher and that he handled us last night, please go home and turn out the lights! he stunk last night and along with Matsui, Posada killed us with his ugly right handed k’s…

lastly, dont know what has taken you all so long to realize this but Wang IS NOT A #1 OR #2 IN THIS LEAGUE…at best he is a 3 and stinks on the road…you lay off the sinker, he becomes a BP pitcher with mediocre stuff

They have to show improvement from last year. Getting to the ALCS is improvement. If he wins this series I have no problem with him returning.

I have a big problem with him returning if they lose this series.

I killed him for the Arod move last year because it was the wrong move to make in the biggest game of the year. It was especially foolish seeing that he never TOLD Arod about it. A departure in the way he handled these decisions in the past. The move was made to appease Gary Sheffield and to keep him in the lineup. How did that work out and what had Sheffield ever done in the post-season to deserve such “trust” from Torre?

Every manager all over baseball gets second guessed for moves. Let’s not make it out to be NY thing.

Most managers would have gotten fired after the ’04 choke job. Torre did not.

Most managers are fired after going 3-10 in the last three post-seasons. Torre did not.

He is the second most tenured manager in the game, behind Bobby Cox.

Now, he is on the line here, if the reports are accurate. He has to get the team out of the first round of the playoffs. If he can’t do that, explain to me why he should continue as manager? At some point, don’t you have to win post-season series? Its not 2000 anymore.

There are a lot of managers who can get the Yankees to the playoffs. Let’s not act like this is the little engine that could. They have a TON of talent on this team and unlimited resources.

How do you think guys like Jim Leyland or Tony LaRussa would do with a team that has unlimited resources?

Joe Torre has more resources available to him as manager of the Yankees than anybody in the game. Question is, does he get the most out of them?

Tell me when its become “acceptable” to be the manager of the Yankees and be 3-11 in your last 14 playoff games?

At some point, he has to win another post-season series. If he can’t, I see no reason why he should be back next year to lose again. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Plus SJ you don’t think Torre should be the mananger no matter what he does or what he thinks.

All this talk about Torre caring too much about egos. What about last year when he batted A. Rod 8th? You were probably the first to kill him for that while at the same time killing him this year for caring too much about players egos.

Which one is it?

Bottom line is managing this team, in this town is a no win situation.

All you can do is what you think is best and hope that you are right.

I don’t believe Torre doesn’t put much stock into Game 1′s. I think he takes the “trust” thing too far and his management of a bullpen has gone downhill dramatically in recent years.

Its a distinct change from his first years as Yankee manager, as far as post-season decisionmaking is concerned. When he first started, and was a helluva lot hungrier to win, he had no qualms benching Fielder, Boggs, Tino, O’Neill, etc., if matchups didn’t work for him.

It wasn’t about “feelings” then. It was about winning. Now, it seems to me, its more about “feelings”.

He also had no problem lifting starters early if they stunk the joint out, ie: Kenny Rogers in ’96. Hell, he pulled Denny Naegle for an injured David Cone, when Naegle was one out away from a win in the 200o WS.

Now, its the same, tired, “he’s a veteran” stuff. You see much less managing for the situation and much more conservative work.

Why? No idea. Maybe this group of players are too sensitive to benchings. Just a guess on my part. However, if you look at how he approached post-season games from ’96-2001, and how he approaches them now, its like its two different managers.

Perhaps, its why the results are so different these days.

I prefer to see him go back to his earlier, hungrier days. It wasn’t about feelings, it was about winning.

He might as well give it a shot. Can’t be any worse than its been going for him now the past 4 post-seasons.

Boy, yesterday was painful, but today is a new day.

Looking forward to a classic Andy Pettitte outing. The payoff pitch for him and his return to New York.

Go Yankees!