MLB playoffs start now!

[spacecaps]

The game just got over too late for me to reply. There's two ways to look at this...1st the Yankees have to win without their two biggest stars (Mariano & Jeter) which may be insurmountable and they could just roll over and die or, they could "win one for the Captain" so to speak and this could ignite the Yankee lumber and propel them to overtake the series. Joe had a great line last night after the game when he said "One mans injury is another mans opportunity" I think today will be a great indicator on how the rest of the series will go. If the Yankees come alive today then the series is even heading to Detroit and it's anyones for the taking but if they drop todays game, they face Verlander in Game 3 and CC may be pitching Game 4 to avoid a sweep instead of a position to take command of the series. One thing is for sure, no lead is safe with the Tigers bullpen the way it is but the Yankees have got to hit although last night they played into some really bad luck. A-Rod tattooed the ball to a guy who can't field his position and he made a spectacular play, Cano was safe at first on with the bases loaded and the ump missed the call, and Swisher took his offensive problems out with him to the field in the 12th last night not to mention another erratic strike zone on both sides. Personally I can't stand some of the relievers on the Tigers and their antics aren't warranted for a group that has trouble closing the door so it be nice to see them not even come out and the Yankees win this one 9-1 today but we shall see.

[Hector]

Jeter out for the Yanks...that's a devastating blow...they may not recover from that.

[spacecaps]

Game 3 tonight. All this talk about the Yankees having to channel the '96 team. If only.... But it would be just like them to wake up tonight and slap around Verlander. They do beat him a lot. Of course I could also see them putting up ten runs and not getting the pitching performance from Hughes. He's saying all the right things and his focus is certainly on the game but it's put up or shut up time tonight because no matter how good your team is on paper it's just too much to ask to come back from 3-0 down..especially without their most consistent hitter. All the focus seems to be how the Yankees are losing this series, not how the Tigers are winning it and from what I gather, the general consensus seems to be if the Yankees win tonight, they're gonna come back and win the series. That makes for good drama but they sure dug themselves a hole. Of course it is baseball and anything is possible and I wouldn't pop the cork just yet if I were Detroit cause like another great Yankee once said..."It ain't over till it's over."

[jwyblejr]

Nope. They're just about done. I think you can stick a fork in the Yankees.

[spacecaps]

I would say so at this point. It's hard to win when you only score 1 run a game. I actually turned the game off tonight in about the 5th inning. I couldn't stand to hear one more "Verlander is like an engine switching gears" comparison from Darling. Usually, I'm of the mindset that if your gonna beat my team you better go all the way and win it all but we'll see. If it the Cardinals and Tigers, I'll probably root for the Tigers because screw the Cardinals but once the Yankees are done, I gotta pull for the Giants. (Dave Righetti is the pitching coach.) Swisher won't be back. He post-season played himself right off the team. Martin will be back if he doesn't want big money. Most likely Granderson will be back because 42 homeruns in the regular season don't hit themselves and I really think the Yanks are gonna look to shop A-Rod to either LA teams (the Dodgers are collecting stars) or the Marlins., If they're able to move A-Rod, I wouldn't be surprised if they made a play for the other star third baseman in town who just happens to be on the market. I think his time in NY is over and his role for next year is drastically diminished if he stays on the team and hopefully both sides come to the conclusion, it's time to move on. It'll all come down to money with him though. It always does. As for the rest, Ichiro will probably sign an extension, Jones is gone, Raul is back, Nova may get traded, Phelps has a legitimate shot in the rotation and one of the biggest questions they'll have to face is what do they do with Soriano since Rivera is dead set on coming back. The others are locked in for a while but I'm sure Pettitte will play the "will he/won't he retire" game he's gotten so good at. He can go ride off into the sunset with a bog ol' ten-gallon hat for all I care. I hate that guy.

[Hector]

Yep...the Yanks are just about done.

[spacecaps]

The TBS broadcast of the Yankee Tiger game just turned into the Justin Verlander show. I mean what the hell...they interviewed him for the entire inning. Actually it wasn't even an interview. It was "lets put a Tiger player on the air to cheer for his team." I'm always of the opinion that these national broadcasts are as neutral as possible but to have Verlander co-hosting the broadcast is a huge slap in the face to the Yankee half of the broadcast. I don't care if he's got some BS superstitious streak or not having an opposing pitcher prattle on and cheerlead for his team and alienate half of your audience and is a total disrespect to the Yankees and their fans. To put it another way, how would have been last week in San Francisco if every time the Giants defense took the field, Eli Manning got on a head set and openly rooted for his team on the air. TBS= Total Bull Sheet

[megomania]

The TBS broadcast of the Yankee Tiger game just turned into the Justin Verlander show. I mean what the hell...they interviewed him for the entire inning. Actually it wasn't even an interview. It was "lets put a Tiger player on the air to cheer for his team." I'm always of the opinion that these national broadcasts are as neutral as possible but to have Verlander co-hosting the broadcast is a huge slap in the face to the Yankee half of the broadcast. I don't care if he's got some BS superstitious streak or not having an opposing pitcher prattle on and cheerlead for his team and alienate half of your audience and is a total disrespect to the Yankees and their fans. To put it another way, how would have been last week in San Francisco if every time the Giants defense took the field, Eli Manning got on a head set and openly rooted for his team on the air. TBS= Total Bull Sheet

They do this every game for years now. They interviewed Matt Cain for an inning in game 2 of Giants/Cards. Yankee fans have more to worry about than Justin Verlander being interviewed during the game. Don't they?

-Chris

[megomania]

Yep...the Yanks are just about done.

Undrstatement of the Year award goes to Hector!

[Zemo]

Jeter done, A-Rod to the Marlins or somewhere. George Costanza taking over the helm, where does it end!

[Hector]

Undrstatement of the Year award goes to Hector!

Well, even more so when you posted this quote at 2:55 pm PST...lol.

[MegoMark71]

As a diehard Redsox fan it brings me great joy to see Detroit sweep the Yankmees. And you can telll me all you want that at least they made the playoffs, and Boston had a suck year, I don't care. Go Tigers

[toys2cool]

good now maybe they'll trade A-Rod to Miami

it'll be a great year for Miggy if he wins a World Series too

[Hector]

good now maybe they'll trade A-Rod to Miami

it'll be a great year for Miggy if he wins a World Series too

You want that washed up overpaid bum?

[spacecaps]

I just watched the Post Game interview and Alex is handling everything with grace and class. Say what you will about him but someone in his position could easily be pointing fingers and shouting about how unfair it is that this is happening to him. Maybe he didn't "get it" when he was younger and a lot of the criticism was born there but ultimately he said that if he played the way he was supposed to, Joe would never have had to make the choice to bench him in the first place and he has to look in the mirror when it comes time to blame someone for him getting benched. In a way, I really do have a whole new respect for the guy. He gets hated on for making a lot of money which is a contract any one of us would have taken if the same deal had been offered to us and people look to him to be great and when he is the reaction is "meh" but when he's bad they blame him for everything. It's hard to pin today's loss on A-Rod when he rode the pine for most it.

As for the Yankees losing the series, only one team is happy when the season is over and the Yankees had not just a good year, they had a great year and the ride sure was a fun one. They ran into a buzz-saw with the Tigers and swept in the play-offs for the 1st time since 1976. That's a pretty good run if you ask me. To all the schadenfreudes out there l'll say this... A Met fan said to me today that he takes more pleasure in the Yankees losing than he does in the Mets winning and I thought that if thats the basis of your fandom, it's time to root for another team or another sport. The same goes for Red Sox fans that are happy the Yankees lost. Sure you can be pleased the Yankees lost but you should feel more angst the Red Sox season essentially ended months ago while your nemesis went to the League Championship. There's nothing to gloat about there when your team has been inconsistent at best for the past 90 years while the fact remains that since I was in high school the Yankees have been a perennial play-off team that has done some amazing things time and time again and have put some of the best players in history on field during that time and while I'm disappointed they lost today, they're still the greatest franchise in the history of sports. It's like hating on a guy because he has a nice car and a hot girlfriend even if your car is sorta nice and your girl is sorta pretty. Regardless of what you have, you want what he has but don't know how to get it and you smirk when he gets a flat or has a fight. That is the very definition of envy and thats what almost every hater feels towards the Yankees when it comes to baseball. I don't hate the Tigers. I very well could end up rooting for them and I certainly don't hate A-Rod especially after the way he's handled himself and the Yankees will bounce back from this loss. They always do. Now if the CBA can get going in the NHL, I'll be set for the winter because football once a week is not enough sports for me.