Only problem is that those players are taking just about as many (Molina 3.54 vs. 3.55 career) if not more (Cano 3.36 vs 3.27 career, Cabrera 3.67 vs 3.64 career) pitches per plate appearance than in the past.

Most of the other regulars are equal to or above career averages (Giambi, Jeter, Abreu, Damon) or below career but up 07 (Rodriguez). So yes, Cano, Cabrera, and Molina are a good representative of the team in that they are all taking about as many pitches as they have in the past.

His theory that the Yankees have quit and Girardi let it happen may or may not be true. His claim that their pitches per plate appearance proves that point is bogus.

You’re always posting a hundred paragraphs at a time about how *upset* you are about something to do with the Yankees. Nothing new about that.

The 2009 Yanks will still be a veteran team, but they will be coming off a disappointing season, so all involved know “change” is needed. If they succeed in becoming younger and more athletic in the every day lineup then you could see a team that plays much more like the Angels and less like the softball team they have become.

If you were an active member of this blog in the off season you would have seen about 100 posts by me upset about going into the season with the rotation we did and giving Cano guaranteed money after he just had a season where he took the first few months off.

But keep filling your day by picking fights on blogs instead of actually having something interesting to say.

You’re the martyr. You’re the one who thinks you’re here to protect this blog from idiots. If you did a good job at that, we’d never see you put up a post in here again since you are the drill sergeant of the idiots.

Klapisch’s talent as a writer is minimal, but then again, He’s a sports writer…

Don’t you just love the “I predicted” crowd, the ones that “knew” everything… after the fact?

Maybe if the Steinbrenners “blow hard” enough, the Yanks might win another title. I’ll bet Orioles fans wish Angelos had as much hot air.

He got blown out in St. Louis and Tony LaRussa took those teams, with many former Torre players on them, to the post-season multiple times. He then ended up winning a World Series with an 83 win team. I’d say that’s pretty good.

Atlanta? He was a fleeting star there. A good ’82 and ’83 and then it came undone. Some of that was his own fault. He pushed for the Len Barker-Brett Butler trade, which dramatically altered that Braves team. Some of what went on wasn’t his fault.

In other words, it was like every managerial job in baseball. Some things go wrong by your hand, others do not.

No knock to Torre but, until he came to NY, that was his calling card as a manager. He managed more games than anybody in the history of the sport without going to a World Series. Those are the facts.

He was WELL under .500 as a manager when he got the Yankees job.

The Yankees were good to Torre and vice versa.

Somehow, that’s lost when we hear/read all about what “Torre did for the Yankees”.

The Yankees also did quite a bit for Joe Torre. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer now because of his 12 year association with the Yankees. He was only going to the Hall of Fame if he bought a ticket, prior to his involvement with the Yankees.

Like all sports relationships, it ran its course. It happens.

As far as Girardi “hurting” the young pitchers in Florida, here are some “facts” for you:

Annibal Sanchez was hurt his entire career. That’s why the Red Sox gave up on him. Under Girardi, he had the only healthy season he’s ever had in his career. It was also his most productive.

Dontrelle Willis had his best year under Girardi.

Josh Johnson? Everybody makes a big deal out of bringing him back after the rain delay in that game against the Mets. Urban legend, which is all it is, makes us believe Johnson got hurt because he came back into the game.

What’s lost in the analysis is Oliver Perez, the Mets pitcher that night, also came back after the long rain delay. He didn’t get hurt.

Johnson himself has said that his injury didn’t come from the rain delay.

To blame Joe Girardi for Johnson’s injury is akin to blaming him for Phil Hughes’ injury this year.

Pitchers get hurt. Its a fact of life. They got hurt under Joe Torre and they got hurt under Joe Girardi. Its just the way it is with pitchers these days. They are very fragile commodities.

At least use a few facts. I don’t care whether Torre was let go, but, was dead set against Girardi, mainly because of the issues with Marlins management, but, mostly because of the damage he did to that young rotation.

Let’s remember, this is his second year EVER as a major league manager. Take a look at how Joe Torre did in his early years as manager. It wasn’t pretty.

Better yet, look at the fact that Torre only had 3 winning seasons in his first 15 years as a major league manager.

He inherited a club that had certain issues.

Age, guys playing positions they can’t play anymore, 40% of their starting rotation rookies who couldn’t get the job done, and a couple of young players (Cano and Cabrera) who, simply put, fell off the map as productive and consistent major league players.

Then, the injuries hit to the players he had no replacements for and that pretty much did him in.

His biggest problem this year was the decline in play of the younger players.

I watched Girardi in Florida a lot. The younger guys on that team LOVED him. When he came back to do a Marlins game for FOX (his first game back in Florida), the players stopped their BP and mobbed him.

Hanley Ramirez, cried when thanking Girardi at an off-season dinner, where he recieved an award. He still calls Joe Girardi his biggest mentor in baseball.

What happened this year? I think he showed too much deference to EVERYBODY.

I think he saw early on, this team wasn’t wired like he was, (taking every game so personally) and tried too hard to balance everyone’s feelings.

In other words, he tried too hard to act like Joe Torre instead of being Joe Girardi.

His relationship with the media? Again, he tried too hard to act like Torre (overly positive, even when it wasn’t the right play to make), and that only made things worse for him with the media.

Basically, he overcorrected himself from his perceived mistakes in Florida and that made things worse for him in some areas.

Once the season ends, and he has time to reflect on everything, I suspect he will learn a lot about this season and himself.

I also think he will end up being a very good manager here when all is said and done.

He just has to get back to being himself in 2009 and not try (consciously or unconsciously) to be something he’s not.

You also have Billy Eppler, who is in charge of pro player personnel.

My take on him? The Yankees can do better in that position. He’s ok but, he’s not Chris Antonelli, Mike Rizzo, Jed Hoyer or guys of that elk.

My $.02 opinion is that he is a bit higher on the food chain than he skillset presently allows. Just my opinion.

Stick is a consultant, yet still has a lot of say in what goes on.

Stick no longer wants to be a GM. He’s 70 years old, and enjoys the position he has right now. Its a much more fluid position, he can live where he wants to live, and doesn’t have to burn the (after)midnight oil. As most GM’s have to do these days.

If the Yankees change their baseball ops organizational structure, I think Stick will have a lot of say as to who gains positions in the shuffle. Hank and Hal both like and respect Stick because he doesn’t tell them what they want to hear. He gives them unvarnished opinions.

It doesn’t mean his opinions are always correct. It just means, he doesn’t play games with them. Something to be admired, IMO.

Jean Afterman is in charge of contracts. That’s her main responsibility. She is not involved on player development/acquisition side.

She is great at what she does and knows the business side of the game very well. I’d like to see someone with deep baseball player development experience in a role opposite to her. Kind of the “Jean Afterman of baseball ops”. I believe that spot is the spot lacking on Cashman’s staff.

Nardi Contreras, the pitching “guru”? Color me unimpressed.

I’ve watched what has passed for “development” with pitchers in the organization this year and it makes me long for the days of Gil Patterson.

I think Nardi scores a lot of points because talks a lot to guys like Chad Jennings and fans think that’s cool. In terms of his craft? Just not seeing the type of improvement you would like to see in an organization that is supposedly committed to young pitching.

I also don’t think his is anybody’s “guru”. Neil Allen, Rick Peterson, Larry Rothchild, just three guys who would run circles around Nardi when it comes to pitching knowledge and teaching skills.

Personally, I think Raffy Chaves is a better “guru” to arms in the organization than Nardi. Raffy did a great job this year in Scranton and I think he should have a bigger role within the organization and its young pitching. That was an outstanding hire by Cashman.

Dave Eiland and Raffy Chaves are, hands down, the best pitching coaches and teachers in the organization, IMO.

I think they made a BIG mistake losing Gil Patterson. Certainly wish they had a “do over” on that one.

Billy Connors? One of the last remaining members of the “Tampa Mafia”. He shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near pitchers with any future in the organization. Just keep him with the career rehab guys, like Pavano. Fortunately, his input strong these days and that’s a good thing.

Damon Oppenheimer? His sole responsibility is the draft. I have seen people on this blog pitch him to be Cash’s replacement. He has no big league experience that would make him a viable candidate for the GM’s spot.

Also, after his draft performance this year, he is another guy who should spend less time reading blogs extoling his “genius” and more time doing a better job in his present position.

That’s my take on the guys in the heirarchy of the baseball ops side of the organization.